3rd Jul 2009, 20:34

Own a 1999 Sonoma 4.3 5sp.

165,000, A/C quit about a year ago.

Now hard to shift into 2nd gear.

Driver's seat back adjuster broke.

Other than brakes and tires, no problems.

Note it has the original clutch; now in the process of changing the clutch and looking at 2nd gear syncros.

13th Sep 2009, 00:02

2000 GMC Sonoma 4cyl, manual 5 speed.

5k miles, brakes grinding. I took it to the dealer and he replaced the front brake pads and rotors.

8,500 miles, same problem, took to dealer. They said they put heavy duty pads and rotors on.

12k miles, same thing.

20k miles, I finally get fed up and take it to a local guy. He pulls me into the shop and says take a look. The inside pad on the front right tire is ground down to the rivets the outside pad looks brand new. I take it back to the dealer and tell him it looks like the caliper is hanging up. He says the guys must have done something wrong the last time they changed the brakes. I said how about fixing the caliper this time instead of just throwing new rotors and pads on.

Now, 62k miles later and the brakes are still fine.

Drivers side tie rod separated at the grease joint at 15k miles, passenger side lasted until 17,500 and decided to drop when going down the highway at 70mph (YES I greased them every 3000 miles when I change my oil, Mobil One).

Throttle position sensor went at 23k miles.

Emergency brake stopped working at about 30k miles.

36 month battery lasted exactly 3 years and one day.

Driver's door hinge went bad around 25k miles to the point where there's a noticeable drop in the height of the door when you open it. (YES, I greased the hinges too)

Currently at 62,000 miles, valve cover gasket is leaking oil like a sieve and the clutch is on it's way out. The ABS has never really worked right. The dealer admitted it wasn't operating correctly, but gave me the run around until the warranty ran out.

My last truck was an Isuzu, lasted 10 years and 150k miles. It still had the original battery (no lie) and the original clutch. And the brakes lasted about 60k miles a shot.

My next truck will be a Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier, for about $3k more than what I paid for the Sonoma 9 years ago. The truck has been nothing but a big headache.

2nd Jan 2010, 20:05

I have a 1998 Sonoma, and it has given me problems from day one.

While still under warranty, had replaced 2 CD players, muffler, third door always feeling like it's going to fall off, rattle rattle every little bump. Had it in the dealer shop over and over; no fix.

Seat adjusters broke, third door latch broke.

Distributor cap housing broke; had to replace whole distributor.

Motor is strong, but fit and finish is a big rip off.

The truck was only driven by my girlfriend who babied it. Never again will I buy new from GM. Big big headache.

I only listed a few; I could go on and on. Very cheaply made.

10th Sep 2010, 15:11

I have a 1999 Sonoma with 290,000 miles. I have done normal maintenance and repair/replacement when needed. I find that if you get things fixed as they wear out, the truck will give super service. I had a prior 1990 GMC Sierra extended cab. I gave it to my son with 295,000 miles and he's still driving it with almost 350,000 miles. The rust takes over after a while, around 10 years. This is Minnesota.