I was driving down I-65 going to work, 70 MPH. I looked in my rear view mirror and notice a large amount of smoke coming from my 1995, gmc jimmy, 104000 miles. I looked at my gauges and saw that I had no oil pressure and the check engine light was on. Fortunately I was right at an exit. I got off the interstate and stop at a gas station. All of these events happen in less than 5 minutes. When I go out I noticed engine oil on the outside of my vehicle, driver's side. I open the hood and checked the oil. No oil on the dip stick. Look under the vehicle and notice a large puddle of oil on the parking lot. I call a wrecker and had my truck towed to my mechanic's shop $85. Mechanic told me that one of the oil lines running to the filter and cooler had failed where the fitting is crimped to the line and that my engine was almost depleted of oil. My mechanic replaced the line and fill the vehicle back up with oil. He said it took over five minutes for the valves to quit rattling. The repair cost $212. We debated on whether to change the other set of lines. We decided to wait a few weeks to see if any damage to the vehicle shows up. I am out almost $300 to date, with another $250 repair waiting or a engine trashed from the first event. My after the fact web queries indicate that this is a common failure mode occurring in almost all jimmies and blazers. Why hasn't there been a recall on this problem? Coated the highway and a parking lot with engine oil. Had I not seen the smoke I was headed for a catastrophic failure at 70 MPH. I consider myself extremely lucky to have survived this incident. I' was very upset knowing that there many vehicles on the road every day that will have this problem sometime in the vehicle's life cycle.
1996 GMC Jimmy: fire, smoke or burning smell
8 of the 407 complaints about the 1996 GMC Jimmy describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 0
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
While stopping at a light consumer's vehicle was rear ended, and the standing vehicle was pushed into a vehicle head on. The air bag deployed, and caught on fire. Driver sustained severe burns to both of her arms.
My jimmy caught on fire. The fire department stated that it was a defect in the fuse box system. It was a total loss. I am saddened to think that this happened. Just because the vehicle was 10 years old, doesn't mean that it should catch on fire. I had been christmas shopping and lost it all.
Complaint received via e-mail. I am writing in regard to my 1996 gmc jimmy. It caught on fire a few days ago, and was totaled. The fire department had to come to put the blaze out. The fire investigator said there was a short in the fuse panel. They claimed it was a factory defect. I am quite aware that the vehicle was 10 years old. However, I do not believe after 10 years it was alright for them to catch fire due to defect. I have been christmas shopping and lost everything that was in the vehicle. I was very upset. *ak. Fire investigator indicated it was a factory defect that took 10 years to surface. Vehicle was totaled, and remained on consumer's property.
While idling vehicle caught on fire due to an electrical short under the dash.
Wiring harness that leads to the lumbar support in the front passenger seat caught on fire.
On 5/27/98, I was in a vehicle accident in which I rear ended another vehicle, which caused damage to both vehicles. The vehicle I hit was a total loss. At the time of the accident I was traveling approximately 40 MPH and when I put on the brakes my vehicle slid three car lengths (leaving skid marks on the pavement) and stopped when I hit the car in front of me. The sliding was intense and the smoke so thick that I thought my vehicle engine was on fire. I felt at the time that the ABS system had malfunctioned, and I mentioned this to the police officer at the scene. When I took the vehicle to the local gmc dealer for collision repairs, I asked them to check the brake system. They indicated that there were not any problems with the brakes. The reason I am filing this claim is because I am a very careful driver who has never been involved in a motor vehicle accident. Up to this point in time I had a perfect driving record. The police record indicates that I told the police officer that I was "unable to stop in time". This accident has tarnished my perfect driving record and as a result of this my insurance rates have increased. As a side note, I have had the dealer fix the 4 wheel drive switch (under warranty) on two occasions because the vehicle would not switch from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel drive.
Vehicle was driven and parked for 5 minutes, saw smoke coming from dash compartment and under the seat, electrical short, fire report indicated an electrical short in fuse box.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1996 GMC Jimmy fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 1996 GMC Jimmy?
8 of 407 owner complaints about the 1996 GMC Jimmy (2%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 GMC Jimmy?
There are 0 recalls and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 GMC Jimmy
ABS 71Wipers 61Brake failure 40Ball joint 38No deployment 13Grinding brakes 6Check engine light 6Overheating 5Stalling 5
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