Total Complaints
5 filings
GMC GMC · model year
1989 GMC GMC
5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1989GMCGMC carries 5 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, 2 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 1989 GMC is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components with 1 filings, followed by vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal (1) and steering (1). 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 1 investigation file overlapping the 1989 GMC. 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.
5
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20011203EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
WHY DO I SEE SO MANY LATE 80'S TO CURRENT MODEL GM PICK-UPS DRIVING AROUND WITH THEIR HIGH-BEAM HEADLIGHTS ON. I NOTICED THIS SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND LATELY HAVE BEEN KEEPING TRACK. THE SCORE SO FAR IS GM PICKUPS, 15; ALL OTHERS, 3. THESE ARE NOT THE VEHICLES WITH DAY TIME RUNNING LAMPS THESE ARE PEOPLE WITH THEIR HEAD-LIGHTS ON WHO DON'T REALIZE THEIR HIGHBEAMS ARE ON. I LOOKED AT THE DASH PANEL CONFIGURATION IN A FRIENDS CHEVY TRUCK AND THE INDICATOR LIGHT IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PANEL AND IS NOT NOTICABLE AND IS ALSO EASILY OBSCURED. WILL GM EVER FIX THIS.*AK
19980407VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
GAS PEDAL STICKS ON OCCASION.
19980407STEERING
VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL/COLLISION, RESULTING IN FATALITY.
19980407SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
DURING COLLISION SEAT BELTS FAILED, CAUSING INJURY AND DEATH.
19950608CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *SKD
Compare 1989GMCGMC to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1989 GMC GMC have?▼
The 1989 GMC GMC has 5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 GMC GMC?▼
The most-complained component for the 1989 GMC GMC is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL and STEERING.
Is the 1989 GMC GMC 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.