GMC C3500 · model year

1993 GMC C3500

20 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1993GMCC3500 carries 20 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1993 C3500 is tires with 2 filings, followed by electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery (1) and electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1993 C3500. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

20
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

20 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
TIRES2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR1
POWER TRAIN1
STEERING:LINKAGES1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS1
STEERING:LINKAGES:ARM:IDLER AND ATTACHMENT1
STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM1
SUSPENSION:FRONT1
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:SHOES/LININGS1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)1

Recent Complaints

19980826TIRES

WE HAVE EXPERIENCED APPROXIMATELY 12+/- FAILURES IN THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS IN WHICH THE TIRE TREAD HAS SEPERATED FROM THE CASING, IN SOME CASES CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE TIRES WERE ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT VEHICLES, OPERATED ON THE HIGHWAYS. THEY HAS APPROXIMATELY 50-75% TREAD LEFT. IN MOST INSTANCES THEY WERE BEING OPERATED IN DESERT AREAS WHERE THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURES WERE OVER 100 DEGREES.

19970109POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT:SEAL

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE LEFT REAR AXLE SEAL HAS BEEN REPLACED (4) OR (5) TIMES IN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF BECAUSE OF LEAKAGE. NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. *AK

19960314POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. *SD

19960314VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

CRUISE CONTROL PROBLEM. *SD

19950504ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

BATTERY REPLACED.

19950504ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR

ALTERNATOR REPLACED TWICE.

19950504POWER TRAIN

SPEEDOMETER FAILED.

19950504STEERING:LINKAGES

PITMAN ARM REPLACED.

19950504SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

LEFT/RIGHT FRONT BRAKE HOSE REPLACED.

19950504STEERING:LINKAGES:ARM:IDLER AND ATTACHMENT

IDLER ARM REPLACED. *SKD

19950504STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM

IDLER ARM SHAFT KIT REPLACED.

19950504SUSPENSION:FRONT

FRONT END MISALIGNED.

19950504TIRES

FRONT TIRES REPLACED SIX TIMES DUE TO PREMATURE WEAR.

19950504POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT

THREE UV JOINTS REPLACED.

19950504SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:SHOES/LININGS

REAR BRAKE LININGS REPLACED.

19950504SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER

LEFT FRONT CALIPER REPLACED.

19950504CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS

BRAKE PADS REPLACED TEN TIMES DUE TO BRAKE FAILURES, ONCE CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT.

19950504ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

OIL FILTER REPLACED AND GREASED THIRTY TIMES.

19950504STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

STEERING GEAR BOX REPLACED.

19950504STEERING:RACK AND PINION

RACK AND PINION SEAL REPLACED.

Compare 1993GMCC3500 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1993 GMC C3500 have?
The 1993 GMC C3500 has 20 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1993 GMC C3500?
The most-complained component for the 1993 GMC C3500 is TIRES with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR.
Is the 1993 GMC C3500 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1993 GMC C3500; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.