Total Complaints
15 filings
GMC JIMMY · model year
1990 GMC JIMMY
15 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1990GMCJIMMY carries 15 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 0 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 1990 JIMMY is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 6 filings, followed by seats:front assembly:recliner (2) and structure:body (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 2 investigation files overlapping the 1990 JIMMY. 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.
15
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
0
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:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 6 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 |
| STRUCTURE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040422STEERING
REPLACED HEATER CORE (A/C) DOOR HANDLES ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR SEPARATED FROM INSIDE DOOR PANEL. HESITATION ON START, AND THROUGHOUT DRIVING RANGE, SEEMS INDICATIVE OF FUEL LINE, CARB, OR SOMETHING INTERNAL. IN THE DEALERS SHOP AS I TYPE. WOULD TURN OVER, BUT WOULD NOT START, AGAIN SEEMS LIKE A FUEL OR CARB ISSUE. DON'T KNOW FOR SURE THOUGH. PAINT HAS BEEN PEELING FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. IT IS A RED, GOING TO GREY. STEERING ISSUES; STEERING COLUMN SEPARATED FROM HOUSING, BASICALLY IT WAS SLOWLY UNSCREWING ITSELF. CURRENTLY IN SHOP, IGNITION WOULDN'T TURN TO OFF POSITION.
Mileage: 72,000
20040422UNKNOWN OR OTHER
REPLACED HEATER CORE (A/C) DOOR HANDLES ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR SEPARATED FROM INSIDE DOOR PANEL. HESITATION ON START, AND THROUGHOUT DRIVING RANGE, SEEMS INDICATIVE OF FUEL LINE, CARB, OR SOMETHING INTERNAL. IN THE DEALERS SHOP AS I TYPE. WOULD TURN OVER, BUT WOULD NOT START, AGAIN SEEMS LIKE A FUEL OR CARB ISSUE. DON'T KNOW FOR SURE THOUGH. PAINT HAS BEEN PEELING FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. IT IS A RED, GOING TO GREY. STEERING ISSUES; STEERING COLUMN SEPARATED FROM HOUSING, BASICALLY IT WAS SLOWLY UNSCREWING ITSELF. CURRENTLY IN SHOP, IGNITION WOULDN'T TURN TO OFF POSITION.
Mileage: 72,000
20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
REPLACED HEATER CORE (A/C) DOOR HANDLES ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR SEPARATED FROM INSIDE DOOR PANEL. HESITATION ON START, AND THROUGHOUT DRIVING RANGE, SEEMS INDICATIVE OF FUEL LINE, CARB, OR SOMETHING INTERNAL. IN THE DEALERS SHOP AS I TYPE. WOULD TURN OVER, BUT WOULD NOT START, AGAIN SEEMS LIKE A FUEL OR CARB ISSUE. DON'T KNOW FOR SURE THOUGH. PAINT HAS BEEN PEELING FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. IT IS A RED, GOING TO GREY. STEERING ISSUES; STEERING COLUMN SEPARATED FROM HOUSING, BASICALLY IT WAS SLOWLY UNSCREWING ITSELF. CURRENTLY IN SHOP, IGNITION WOULDN'T TURN TO OFF POSITION.
Mileage: 72,000
20040422STRUCTURE
REPLACED HEATER CORE (A/C) DOOR HANDLES ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR SEPARATED FROM INSIDE DOOR PANEL. HESITATION ON START, AND THROUGHOUT DRIVING RANGE, SEEMS INDICATIVE OF FUEL LINE, CARB, OR SOMETHING INTERNAL. IN THE DEALERS SHOP AS I TYPE. WOULD TURN OVER, BUT WOULD NOT START, AGAIN SEEMS LIKE A FUEL OR CARB ISSUE. DON'T KNOW FOR SURE THOUGH. PAINT HAS BEEN PEELING FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. IT IS A RED, GOING TO GREY. STEERING ISSUES; STEERING COLUMN SEPARATED FROM HOUSING, BASICALLY IT WAS SLOWLY UNSCREWING ITSELF. CURRENTLY IN SHOP, IGNITION WOULDN'T TURN TO OFF POSITION.
Mileage: 72,000
19991027FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
WHILE DRIVING SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AFTER STOPPING AND OPENING THE HOOD OWNER DISCOVERED ENGINE FIRE. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
19991004SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 65 MPH AND APPLYING BRAKES, CONSUMER TRIED TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. *AK
19990823FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
THE FUEL TANK SHIELD/PROTECTOR WERE REPLACED DUE TO CONTAMINATION THAT RESULTED IN LEAKAGE. *YC
19980115CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
BRAKES: DRIVING DOWN A MOUNTAIN AREA, AND APPLIED THE BRAKES, COULDN'T GET ENOUGH BRAKING POWER TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN, AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP AN RAN INTO A HILLSIDE BEFORE GETTING IT TO STOP. *AK
19971024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
UPON APPLICATION ON WET/DRY SURFACES BRAKES GIVE FALSESINCE OF STOPPING. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
19970214SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
OWNER HAS ABS BRAKES,SHE STATES WHILE DRIVING AT 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN SHE WENT TO USE BRAKES AND THEY LOCKED UP, OWNER ALSO NOTES THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. *AK
19960828SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
CONSUMER WAS REARENDED AND THE FRONT SEAT RECLINER FELL BACKWARD AND THE ASHTRAY CAME APART AND HIT THE PASSENGER'S SIDE IN THE FACE . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK
19960709SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
WHILE MAKING SHORT STOP, DRIVER FELL FORWARD/BACKWARD, WHOLE SEAT BACK BROKE OFF COMPLETELY, PINS THAT HOLD SEAT TO BASE SHEARED OFF, SPEED 35 MPH. *AK
19960307SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
POOR PERFORMANCE OF ABS BRAKES. TT
19960307SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
POOR PERFORMANCE OF ABS BRAKES. TT
19950511STRUCTURE:BODY
FLOOR PAN RUSTED OUT ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER. TT
Compare 1990GMCJIMMY to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 GMC JIMMY have?▼
The 1990 GMC JIMMY has 15 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 GMC JIMMY?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 GMC JIMMY is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER and STRUCTURE:BODY.
Is the 1990 GMC JIMMY 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.