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1996 GMC C/K Series problems

The most common problem on the 1996 GMC C/K Series is body and structure. It has 4.0 times the complaints of a typical C/K Series model year.

Typical year4.0x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
4
Recalls
1
Service bulletins
17
Worst area
Body

The worst 1996 GMC C/K Series problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Body
    1
  • Brakes
    1
  • Transmission
    1
  • Visibility
    1

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Body
    1
  • Brakes
    1
  • Transmission
    1
  • Visibility
    1

Recalls 1

Visibility: windshield wiper/washerReported April 28, 2003 · 1,755,876 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain minivans, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles with certain model-engine combinations, the windshield wiper motor may fail due to cracked solder joints on the controller circuit board. The windshield wipers could work intermittently or not at all.
Risk
If this were to occur during bad weather, driver visibility would be reduced, which could result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the wiper motor circuit board and cover. Owner notification began on june 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, gmc at 1‑800‑462‑8782, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.

Recall number 03V159000 · Recall details

See all 1 recalls for the 1996 GMC C/K Series

Defect investigations

Windshield wiper failureOpened May 31, 2002, closed July 23, 2003

As a result of this, and the precedinginvestigation, rq99-003, gm has expanded the population of safety recall 98v‑150 (replacement of the windshield wiper control module) to include an additional 1.77 million vehicles.included are various 1994-1997 my m/l vans, s/t trucks and suvs, & c/k trucks and suvs.see attached technical report for details.

EA02006

Technical service bulletins for the 1996 GMC C/K Series 17

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 17 bulletins for the 1996 GMC C/K Series

What 1996 GMC C/K Series owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Mar 10, 2006 · Body · NJ

Re: investigation action #ea05-007, "tailgate support cables". Please increase vehicle range back to at least 1996. My tailgate cables have broken as well.

Filed Feb 8, 2006 · Brakes · 90,000 miles · MI

When slowing down the anti-lock brakes kick in. I was told it was the wheel bearing. The connection gets corroded. I heard there was a recall for this on newer version.

Filed Aug 18, 2004 · Visibility · 65,200 miles · CO

The federal safety agency documented and issued the federal safety agency campaign id # 98v150001. This campaign identifed several gm light duty trucks & SUV's that had solder joints near the wiring harness connector that could crack and cause the windshield wipers to work intermittently. I own a 1996 gmc sierra 3/4 ton 4x4 truck VIN # [xxx]. The vehicle has 65,324 miles on the odometer. The windshield wipers on this vehicle quit in the middle of a severe rain storm. While sitting along side the road for an hour the wipers began to work again. I thought I had a defect wiper motor and stop at the first parts store to replace the wiper motor. After installing the "rebuilt" wiper motor, the same problem occurred. When I contacted the local chev. Dealer -century chev., broomfield, co....they stated there were no "recalls" on my vehicle in regards to this issue.......which is true because the federal safety agency recall # 98v15001 covered only gmc vehicles with VIN #[xxx] thru [xxx]. Since my VIN #[xxx] falls outside this range, I was never notified of this defect in the windshield wiper motor and the "windshield wiper pulse control module" may need to be replaced. I would like to formally notify the federal safety agency that the aforementioned defect 1) falls outside the range of VIN # specified in the federal safety agency campaign id: 96v057000 and that "do-it-yourselfers" like me are returning defective wiper motor with "wiper pulse control motors"/motor circuit boards and they are being "reconditioned" without the replacement of the motor curcuit boards causing the same safety issue to occur. There are two issues that I would like the federal safety agency to address: 1) determine if other gm vehicle owners like myself, that are beyond the "VIN #[xxx] thru [xxx]" , have experienced similar wiper motor circuit board" failures and 2) insure that any company that is in the rebuilding of said defective wiper motor include the replacemnt of the "circuit boards" or the same problem will occur. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

Filed Mar 9, 2003 · Transmission · 87,090 miles · NY

I have had to replace 3 transmissions in 3 years on my gmc k1500 sierra. I have found out that gmc knows about this problem and has never taken the required steps to fix it or inform the owners of this problem. Gmc dealers say to replace transmission. That done, it will break again. The only correct fix is a shift package that is now being made. All problems are related to the tc lock up between 1-2 or 3-4 gear that stick and destroy the transmission. Gmc should have to pay for these fixes on mine and all other owners vehicles. If every owner was to write to you, it would be alarming the number of transmissions replaced to this vehicle and the 4l60e transmission. Gmc must be held accountable.

Compare the 1996 GMC C/K Series

Other model years

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Questions about the 1996 GMC C/K Series

Is the 1996 GMC C/K Series reliable?

Owners have filed 4 complaints about the 1996 GMC C/K Series, 4.0 times a typical C/K Series model year.

What is the most common problem with the 1996 GMC C/K Series?

Body and structure, with 1 complaint. Next is brakes (1).

How many recalls does the 1996 GMC C/K Series have?

1 recall, covering visibility.

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