Faults:

I have had no problem with this truck besides the back two calipers were seized. I bought it wrecked and I have done all the repairs on it. It is a great truck to have if you want a play truck, but is not very good on gas.

Faults:

Fuel pump and fuel sensor replaced by dealer under recall.

Third door handle broke, twice.

AC compressor croaked at 105K.

Radiator at 110,000.

Alternator at 103K.

Head gasket.

General Comments:

Bought my 2002 Sonoma new off the dealer lot. It was by far the cheapest of the small pickup truck offerings out there. Had to replace the third door handle twice. No longer use the third door. AC compressor croaked at 105K... Did not replace.

First thing I did was add the K&H Filter Charger System to the truck... really helped with acceleration.

I did get 28 miles to the gallon and better on long drives, at 55MPH, and when the truck was newer... in the city, the mileage decreased tremendously.. probably around 22MPH.

Had to replace the radiator at 110K due to a leak... I believe the head gasket was starting to act up before the 100K mark...

Occasionally, my revs would go up to 2K at idle, then drop down to the normal 1K after a bit. Dealer replaced the fuel pump and sensor under warranty and recall (the dealer accused me of running out of gas.. when the gauge read 1/4 tank... after they towed me in twice, they started doing their job... You would think they would check the recall sheets on every car or truck that rolled through the dealership? No, we should not have bailed them out two years ago!) Since I do most of my own work, I don't use the dealer services unless they are provided under warranty.

Now at 125K, I have a blown head gasket.. or a cracked head, one of the two... from research, and experience, I believe it is the head gasket. I have applied the usual cheap fixes, BarsLeak, which seem to work for a while.. especially in the summer months, and without a thermostat. But as soon as I installed the thermostat for winter, problems arose.

No, I won't be sinking any more money in the truck. Oil has been changed every 3-5 grand, and my total parts expenditure for the vehicle, above the 12K I paid for it new, not including oil and filters, has been less than 300 dollars. This includes a radiator, alternator, and 2 batteries, thermostats, etc. Still, the truck doesn't have the value to invest more money in it! Figure that it has cost me 125 dollars a month (retail price amortized over 8 years) to drive this truck for the last 8 years, and I expected to get at least 200K out of it.

I have a 1994 Suburban 3/4 ton with 180K that I expect to get 250K out of (no major problems). I sold an 86 Ford Bronco II with 250K on it, a 1970 Datsun 240Z with 270K on it... a 76 Datsun 280Z with 220K on it... I expected better engineering out of GM. Especially with such a simple 4 banger.

Faults:

The only two problems I have had with this truck is that it has horrible gas millage in town, but my Sonoma has great highway mileage. the truck also burns out way to easily.

General Comments:

It is a great truck, I was shocked at how a mid sized truck hauled my ranger bass boat so easily. I was also astonished that a mid sized pick-up had such a big ride feel. the truck also handles very well at high speeds, and has an extremely smooth ride.