I had a near death accidents (twice) due to catastrophic brake line failure from severely rusted brake lines the front left and the intermediate line from front to rear section on top of frame rail. First incident was at speed of 45 MPH on highway with hard stop required to avoid stopped traffic ahead. Second failure was more insidious with progressive brake line rust through/ leak spot to rear brake lines with fin through and failure. This is not complicated ... Simply substandard materials for one of the most critical components in a vehicle. It should not matter what conditions are (ie salt, cold, etc; design and materials should be mandated for brake lines not to rust through. There are materials which could be used to accomplish this, particularly for northern regions with salt on roads. The entire brke line system is on this vehilcle (and others) is an unnecessary and avoidable public safety hazard. Surely there have been deaths resulting from failure, I was lucky and had to maneuver stright through between 2 stopped vehicles as I had no other option with no brakes. Also, all vehicles should be required to have handle operated parking/emergency brake levers , as the foot operated one in this vehicle was useless, but a pull type, hand operated brake handle would have been readily accessible and likely prevented near death incident.
The worst 2000 GMC Sonoma problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Body41
- Brakes35
- Locks12
- Seats11
- Airbags10
- Suspension8
- Transmission8
- Engine7
- Fuel system5
- Visibility5
- Tires4
- Acceleration3
- Lights3
- Seat belts3
- Steering3
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2000 GMC Sonoma
Recalls 3
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Some of these vehicles were built with incorrect payload information on the vehicle certification label. The payload shown on the label is greater than the maximum validated payload. If the vehicle were loaded to the incorrectly labeled payload, it may not ride and handle in the manner that the driver expects.
- Risk
- This could result in a loss of control of the vehicle or an inability to stop the vehicle within expected stopping distances.
- Remedy
- Owners will be sent a new label for installation on the driver's door of the vehicle.
Recall number 00V258001 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes. Some of these vehicles have an antilock brake system (ABS) motor containing an out-of-specification spring clip. This clip could allow the motor bearing to become misaligned. If misalignment occurs, eventually the ABS would be non-functional.
- Risk
- The base brakes would remain fully functional, but the dynamic rear proportioning (drp) system, which optimizes front to rear brake balance, would become inoperative.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the brake pressure module valve assembly.
Recall number 00V055000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: s -trucks equipped with 2 wheel drive. These vehicles may have had the right-hand antilock brake system (ABS) module feed pipe and/or brake crossover pipe tube nuts tightened without seating the pipe-flared-ends enough to withstand normal assembly and vehicle inputs without partially unseating. This does not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 105, "hydraulic service brake normal, emergency, and park braking performance."
- Risk
- If this occurred, the seating seal could be broken during vehicle assembly, or from early road inputs or brake fluid cycling, and a leak could occur increasing the brake stopping distance.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the brake pipe union for signs of brake fluid, and if necessary, install a new brake pipe union.
Recall number 99V220000 · Recall details
See all 3 recalls for the 2000 GMC Sonoma
Defect investigations
Engine stall due to fuel starvation
Odi opened pe02-066 to evaluate the scope and consequence of engine power-loss due to fuel starvation induced by in-tank modular fuel pump strainer restriction.the subject pumps use an external ?sock? Strainer to filter fuel flowing to the pump inlet.this filter can sometimes become clogged, resulting in a reduced flow of fuel to the engine.gm has subsequently modified the strainers to reduce this restriction.analysis of the odi complaint database shows that despite these restrictions, the subject vehicles stall at a rate that is comparable to those of many peer vehicles.additionally, none of the relevant warranty repair rates exceed 1% at 36 months of exposure.one related crash involves a stalled vehicle that was rear-ended on the roadway, while the remainder involved minor collisions or scrapes.the sole injury consisted of bruising from a low speed frontal crash. Given these circumstances, further expenditure of agency resources is not justified in this matter.the preliminary evaluation is therefore closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will take further action in the future if warranted.
PE02066
Technical service bulletins for the 2000 GMC Sonoma 304
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating...
- This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the...
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities
- This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves...
- This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as...
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS)...
- This technical bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake...
- This service bulletin provides service information to technicians on guidelines to replace Oil Cooler, Oil...
- This PI bulletin advises the technician on the proper way to install the pistons in an engine.
2000 GMC Sonoma fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2L 4‑cyl | RWD | 17-20 | 23-26 | 19-23 |
| 4.3L 6‑cyl | RWD | 15-16 | 20-21 | 17-18 |
| 4.3L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 14-15 | 19-20 | 16-17 |
What 2000 GMC Sonoma owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
For the third time my brake line broke and lost all brakes in motion luck for me and my wife we were able to pull off the road going to have it towed to a shop for repair again what is going on with gmc quality and safety.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 gmc sonoma equipped with cooper cobra radial g/t tires, size: p255/60r15 (na). While independently performing routine service on the vehicle, the contact noticed that all the tires developed cracks on the inner part of their respective sidewalls. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that all four tires needed to be replaced. The tries were not replaced. The tire manufacturer was notified of the failure. The tire failure mileage was 27,000 and the vehicle failure mileage was 117,366.
The trucks been handling fine and all of the sudden the oil pan blows out on the truck and I think it threw a rod. Which is not my fault a piece came apart or came out of the engine causing all that pressure to build up and mess it up. The vehicle was in motion not going over 60
The spare tire fell off my gmc sonoma while I was driving it. The cable in the spare tire hoist rusted into.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 gmc sonoma. The contact stated that the driver side door was loose and failed to close completely. An independent mechanic placed a pin on the bushing and noticed that the frame was completely rusted underneath the cab. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.
Brake line failure on three different dates 2/12/2012. 9/18/2013. 3/6/14 still driving the truck should I be worried. Updated 3/18/2015
Our son was involved in a accident on 09/15/2013 where he was traveling north bound on soldiers home road in moraine ohio. His truck went of the right side of the road, when it did he accidentally hit the gas and not the brake. Truck then hit an electric pole as it picked up speed broke a tie rod in half. He then lost control as it flew across the street still increasing speed. At that time he hit 2 trees and a fire hydrant, then the truck spun and the rear wrapped around another tree. The airbags did not deploy either driver or passenger side. He was killed on impact and the passenger did survive.
On 19 june 2013 I applied the brakes on a damp/wet road. Before coming to a complete stop I experienced a sort of hopping of the front end while going over a rough section of roadway. This sensation has occurred numerous times before and I was told it had something to do with the anti-locking brake system but nothing specific.
Tl*the contact owns a 2000 gmc sonoma pickup. When the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the rear spare tire mounting cable broke without warning due to corrosion. An independent mechanic stated that the failure was a common issue with his model vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000 . The contact had significant concerns of a potential safety hazard. Updated10/28/10 *bf updated 11/01/10
Compare the 2000 GMC Sonoma
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Questions about the 2000 GMC Sonoma
Is the 2000 GMC Sonoma reliable?
Owners have filed 136 complaints about the 2000 GMC Sonoma, 2.4 times a typical Sonoma model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 GMC Sonoma?
Body and structure, with 41 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles. Next is brakes (35).
How many recalls does the 2000 GMC Sonoma have?
3 recalls, covering equipment and service brakes, hydraulic.
What gas mileage does the 2000 GMC Sonoma get?
Official estimates for the 2000 GMC Sonoma range from 16 to 23 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.2L 4-cyl, RWD) gets 17-20 city and 23-26 highway.
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