GMC ENVOY · model year

2008 GMC ENVOY

102 NHTSA complaints, 7 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2008GMCENVOY carries 102 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 7 crashes, 4 fires, 7 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 ENVOY is electrical system with 18 filings, followed by exterior lighting (17) and electronic stability control (esc) (12). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 2008 ENVOY. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

102
Complaints
7
Crashes
4
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

102 filings

Crashes Reported

7 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM18
EXTERIOR LIGHTING17
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)12
SUSPENSION5
AIR BAGS5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER5
ENGINE4
POWER TRAIN4
SEAT BELTS4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING4
STEERING3
SERVICE BRAKES3
VISIBILITY2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM2

Recent Complaints

20251218FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I was living in my car and the windows and door lock cluster caught on fire I had to tear my door panel off to get to the source and unplug it I believe there is a major electrical issue with this vehicle I shouldn't be driving it also my heater fan stopped working on 4 and 5 works on 1 2 and 3 but not 4 or 5 please help me get this recalled so I can finally get this vehicle fixed right this is so dangerous I could have burnt up in my car 7

20191212SEAT BELTS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 GMC ENVOY. WHEN THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTED TO EXIT, THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE CONTACT HAD TO PHYSICALLY CLIMB HER WAY OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE RED BUTTON TO RELEASE THE SEAT BELT WAS JAMMED IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,393.

Mileage: 120,393

20190625EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR A YEAR AND IT'S HAD CONSTANT ISSUE WITH LOW BEAM LIGHTNING. WE REPLACED THE RELAY THINKING IT WAS THE PROBLEM BUT MECHANIC SAID IT WAS AN ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL. THIS CAR WAS MFG 1/08 AND I HONESTLY THINK IT WAS ASSEMBLED WITH THE 2017 PARTS THAT WERE RECALLED.

20190312EXTERIOR LIGHTING

MY HEDLIGHTS IS NOT WORKING.AT NIGHT TIME WHILE I AM DRIVING.

20190101FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

AIR CONDITION BLOWER MOTOR CAUGHT FIRE IN DASH AND BURNT THE VEHICLE

Mileage: 211,000

20181029CrashAIR BAGS

ON 10/24/2018 WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 GMC ENVOY SLT, I WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION WHICH RESULTED IN MY CAR BEING TOTALED. NONE OF MY AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.

Mileage: 165,000

20180821FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

FIRE UNDER THE HOOD STARTED, ENTIRE CAR BURNED IN DRIVEWAY, DAMAGING HOUSE AND A SECOND CAR

Mileage: 113,000

20180802ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MY VEHICLE JUST SUDDENLY STOPPED DEAD, IN THE ROAD AFTER LEAVING MY RESIDENCE AND ALL CONTROL WAS LOST. UNABLE TO PUT TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL TO PUSH VEHICLE OFF ROAD. I HAD IT REPAIRED BY A TRAINED MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A FAULTY IGNITION. I HAD THE FAULTY IGNITION REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATIONAL AGAIN ALONG WITH THE WORRY OF THIS HAPPENING AGAIN.

20180802STEERING

MY VEHICLE JUST SUDDENLY STOPPED DEAD, IN THE ROAD AFTER LEAVING MY RESIDENCE AND ALL CONTROL WAS LOST. UNABLE TO PUT TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL TO PUSH VEHICLE OFF ROAD. I HAD IT REPAIRED BY A TRAINED MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A FAULTY IGNITION. I HAD THE FAULTY IGNITION REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATIONAL AGAIN ALONG WITH THE WORRY OF THIS HAPPENING AGAIN.

20180802UNKNOWN OR OTHER

MY VEHICLE JUST SUDDENLY STOPPED DEAD, IN THE ROAD AFTER LEAVING MY RESIDENCE AND ALL CONTROL WAS LOST. UNABLE TO PUT TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL TO PUSH VEHICLE OFF ROAD. I HAD IT REPAIRED BY A TRAINED MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A FAULTY IGNITION. I HAD THE FAULTY IGNITION REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATIONAL AGAIN ALONG WITH THE WORRY OF THIS HAPPENING AGAIN.

20180728SUSPENSION

HAVE REPLACED RIGHT SIDE FRONT HUB ASSEMBLY TWICE, AND HAVE TO REPLACE IT A THIRD TIME, IN 4 YEAR'S. GETTING BEST PART FROM O'REILLY'S AUTO PARTS. VEHICLE IS MOVING, FEELS LIKE THE FRONT WHEEL IS GOING TO FLY OFF, SHAKING, WOBBLY, JUST TOTALLY UNSAFE

20180412CrashSERVICE BRAKES

THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED IT FOR MY HUSBAND AND HAVE SELDOM DROVE UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN HE WAS INJURED DRIVING IT. HE DROVE THROUGH OUR GARAGE AND DEMOLISHED IT. I HOW DRIVE IT AND FIND THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS THE WORST PROBLEM. NO MATTER WHAT SHOES OR BOOTS YOU ARE WEARING YOU CANNOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE. IT HAS COST US THOUSANDS IN DAMAGE AND REPAIRS. I DO NOT HAVE PICTURES, BUT WILL OBTAIN THEM AND FORWARD THEM. THE CAR WAS JUST PULLING UP TO BE PARKED OUTSIDE BY OUT GARAGE WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURED. THE WEATHER WAS FINE-AUGUST 2017. IT WAS JUST GETTING DARK. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD ASAP UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED OR REPLACED BY GMC. MY SON DRIVES A USED GMC AND IT HAS NONE OF THESE PROBLEMS. THE PICTURE I AM SENDING YOU IS OF (BEN), A TECHNICIAN AT BRETTING MANUFACTURING, INC. IN ASHLAND. BEN HAS ALSO BUILT DIRT TRACK RACE CARS AND I HAVE BUILT JOHN DEERE COMBINES.

Mileage: 85,000

20180412CrashELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED IT FOR MY HUSBAND AND HAVE SELDOM DROVE UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN HE WAS INJURED DRIVING IT. HE DROVE THROUGH OUR GARAGE AND DEMOLISHED IT. I HOW DRIVE IT AND FIND THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS THE WORST PROBLEM. NO MATTER WHAT SHOES OR BOOTS YOU ARE WEARING YOU CANNOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE. IT HAS COST US THOUSANDS IN DAMAGE AND REPAIRS. I DO NOT HAVE PICTURES, BUT WILL OBTAIN THEM AND FORWARD THEM. THE CAR WAS JUST PULLING UP TO BE PARKED OUTSIDE BY OUT GARAGE WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURED. THE WEATHER WAS FINE-AUGUST 2017. IT WAS JUST GETTING DARK. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD ASAP UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED OR REPLACED BY GMC. MY SON DRIVES A USED GMC AND IT HAS NONE OF THESE PROBLEMS. THE PICTURE I AM SENDING YOU IS OF (BEN), A TECHNICIAN AT BRETTING MANUFACTURING, INC. IN ASHLAND. BEN HAS ALSO BUILT DIRT TRACK RACE CARS AND I HAVE BUILT JOHN DEERE COMBINES.

Mileage: 85,000

20180412CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED IT FOR MY HUSBAND AND HAVE SELDOM DROVE UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN HE WAS INJURED DRIVING IT. HE DROVE THROUGH OUR GARAGE AND DEMOLISHED IT. I HOW DRIVE IT AND FIND THE BRAKE AND GAS PEDALS THE WORST PROBLEM. NO MATTER WHAT SHOES OR BOOTS YOU ARE WEARING YOU CANNOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE. IT HAS COST US THOUSANDS IN DAMAGE AND REPAIRS. I DO NOT HAVE PICTURES, BUT WILL OBTAIN THEM AND FORWARD THEM. THE CAR WAS JUST PULLING UP TO BE PARKED OUTSIDE BY OUT GARAGE WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURED. THE WEATHER WAS FINE-AUGUST 2017. IT WAS JUST GETTING DARK. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD ASAP UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED OR REPLACED BY GMC. MY SON DRIVES A USED GMC AND IT HAS NONE OF THESE PROBLEMS. THE PICTURE I AM SENDING YOU IS OF (BEN), A TECHNICIAN AT BRETTING MANUFACTURING, INC. IN ASHLAND. BEN HAS ALSO BUILT DIRT TRACK RACE CARS AND I HAVE BUILT JOHN DEERE COMBINES.

Mileage: 85,000

20180205UNKNOWN OR OTHER

02.05.2018 -- WAS AT A SUPERBOWL PARTY AND MY CAR WAS PARKED FOR 5 HOURS OUTSIDE, IT WAS ABOUT 20 DEGREES. HAD A 10 MINUTE DRIVE HOME - PARKED CAR IN GARAGE AND SHUT THE GARAGE DOOR. WHILE DRIVING, I DID USE REAR DEFROSTER AND WIPER BLADE, AS THERE WAS SNOW ON BACK WINDOW AND IT WAS SNOWING. APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE,I HEARD A LOUD BLAST, LIKE SOMEONE DROVE THROUGH MY GARAGE DOOR. THE REAR WINDOW OF MY GMC ENVOY EXPLODED INTO MANY PIECES. GLASS WAS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. MY GARAGE IS NOT HEATED. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT HAPPENED. I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY IMMEDIATELY AND AM GOING TO DRIVE THE CAR TO A GMC DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT FIXED.

Mileage: 126,000

20170730WHEELS

MICHELIN LTX M/S 245/65R17 TIRES - ALL FOUR TIRES INDICATING CRACKING ON TREAD SURFACE. NOTIFIED DEALER JULY 27, 2017. DEALER CONTACTED MICHELIN INDICATING 60% TREAD LIFE REMAINING, AND REQUESTED RESOLUTION UNDER WARRANTY. MICHELIN OFFERED NEW COMPARABLE TIRES AT COST TO ME WHICH WAS GREATER THEN WHAT I ORIGINALLY PAID FOR THE TIRES THAT LASTED ONLY 40% OF THEIR TREAD LIFE. SO UNFAIR!! MICHELIN IS EXTREMELY UNSCRUPULOUS.

Mileage: 151,000

20170728ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

WE HAVE A 2008 ENVOY. WE BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW IN 2008. THE IGNITION SWITCH HAS QUIT US 5 TIMES. WE USUALLY HAVE SOME WARNING. THE FIRST 3 TIMES , THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BUT I COULD EVENTUALLY START THE CAR AND DRIVE IT TO A MECHANIC TO BE CHECKED OUT. THE 4TH TIME WE WERE HEADING OUT OF TOWN, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, MY HUSBAND PULLED OVER TO SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CAR QUIT. WOULD NOT START, HAD TO TOW IT TO MECHANIC. THIS LAST TIME, NO WARNING, JUST QUIT AS I WAS DRIVING HOME. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT STARTED AFTER SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET FOR 30 MINUTES OR SO, DROVE IT HOME, QUIT AGAIN AND HAD TO TOW IT TO MECHANIC. I AM AFRAID TO TAKE IT OUT ON THE HIGHWAY BY MYSELF. AFRAID THIS VEHICLE COULD CAUSE A WREAK, AND POSSIBLE KILL OR INJURE US OR OTHERS. THERE AREN'T VERY MANY MILES ON IT, SO IT IS NOT A WORN OUT VEHICLE.

Mileage: 46,098

20170706EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I WAS DRIVING AT NIGHT AND MY LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS WENT OUT. THEY JUST WENT OFF. PANICKING, I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND TRIED TURNING THEM OFF AND ON. TESTING, MY HIGH BEAMS WORKED, BUT MY LOWS WERE OFF. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. ONCE TURNED BACK ON, MY LIGHTS WORKED. THIS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AND THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON AND YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN. I HAVE SEEN THIS SAME ISSUE WITH A YEAR EARLIER AND WONDER IF THE PROBLEM EXTENDS TO NEWER MODELS. THIS RECALL SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO 2008 AS IT APPEARS MY VEHICLE IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. I HAVE HAD DIAGNOSTICS AND REPLACED HEADLAMPS...THE PROBLEM PERSISTS.

20170626EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA, COMPLAINT 10923972, ON 11/3/2016 REFERENCING MY DIM LIGHTS SPONTANEOUSLY GOING OUT AT NIGHT DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. I HAD RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND THERE WAS A RECALL BECAUSE OF THE HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE FAILING, BUT MY 2008 GMC ENVOY WAS NOT INCLUDED. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GMC THE END OF MAY 2017 PROVIDING ADDITIONAL PROTECTION FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IT WAS WORDED "IF THIS CONDITION "OCCURS" ON YOUR 2008 GMC ENVOY WITHIN 12 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES THE CONDITION WOULD BE REPAIRED AT NO CHARGE." WHEN I RECEIVED THE MAY 2017 LETTER MY VEHICLE HAD 152,000 MILES ON IT BUT WHEN I FILED THE COMPLAINT IN NOVEMBER 2016 IT HAD 142,000 MILES ON IT. GMC REFUSED TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE UNDER THE ADDITIONAL PROTECTION BECAUSE OF CURRENT MILEAGE EVEN THOUGH I HAD PROOF THE CONDITION "OCCURRED" AT 142,000 MILES.

Mileage: 152,000

20170622EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GMC IN MAY STATING THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH HEADLAMP DRIVER MODULE (HDM) WHERE THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS WILL NOT WORK. AT THE TIME, MY HEADLAMPS WERE WORKING PROPERLY, SO THE LETTER ADVISED ME TO NOT TAKE MY VEHICLE TO MY GMC DEALER. HOWEVER, TWO DAYS AGO MY HEADLAMPS DID NOT WORK AT NIGHT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS CAUSED A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE AS I COULD NOT SEE THE ROAD CLEARLY. I TOOK MY VEHICLE AND THE LETTER I RECEIVED TO MY GMC DEALER. THEY ADVISED ME THAT GMC WOULD NOT PAY TO FIX THE HEADLAMP PROBLEM AS I HAD MORE THAN 150,000 MILES IN A SITUATION WHERE CUSTOMER SAFETY IS INVOLVED, I BELIEVE GMC SHOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS OUT-OF-POCKET. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THIS SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE INITIATED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS AND TRAFFIC FATALITIES TO PROMPT A RECALL FOR AN IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE ON A VEHICLE.

Mileage: 159,750

Compare 2008GMCENVOY to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2008 GMC ENVOY have?
The 2008 GMC ENVOY has 102 NHTSA complaints, 7 crashes, 4 fires, 7 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2008 GMC ENVOY?
The most-complained component for the 2008 GMC ENVOY is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 18 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include EXTERIOR LIGHTING and ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC).
Is the 2008 GMC ENVOY 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 as of 2025. 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.