Total Complaints
2 filings
GMC K3500 · model year
1988 GMC K3500
2 NHTSA complaints. 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 1988GMCK3500 carries 2 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 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 1988 K3500 is seat belts with 1 filings, followed by visibility/wiper (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 1988 K3500. 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.
2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 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 |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS | 1 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20131204SEAT BELTS
JUST BOUGHT THIS TRUCK & AM HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SEAT BELTS. THE SHOULDER STRAP DOES NOT STAY IN SECURE POSITION & DOES NOT WORK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OR PASSENGER SIDE. WAS TOLD THIS WAS & IS A COMMON PROBLEM & SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SAFETY RECALL. & I WANT TO HAVE SAFE WORKING SEAT BELTS WHEN WE DO GET TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK & NOT SURE WHAT TO DO? THEN THE WIPER MODULE PULSE BOARD IS THE OTHER ISSUE. HAVE REPLACED ALL OTHER PARTS EXCEPT THIS ONE & CAN NOT FIND THE SAME PART THAT WAS ORIG ON THIS TRUCK & ALL OTHERS WE HAVE SEARCHED & BOUGHT DOES NOT FIT. NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE/MODIFY THE WHOLE BOARD/WIRING ETC. ALSO HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAS & IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF 1988 THRU 2003 MODELS OF GMC & CHEVY. ANY HELP OR ANSWERS OR SUGGESTIONS OR INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK-YOU! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
20131204VISIBILITY/WIPER
JUST BOUGHT THIS TRUCK & AM HAVING ISSUES WITH THE SEAT BELTS. THE SHOULDER STRAP DOES NOT STAY IN SECURE POSITION & DOES NOT WORK ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OR PASSENGER SIDE. WAS TOLD THIS WAS & IS A COMMON PROBLEM & SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SAFETY RECALL. & I WANT TO HAVE SAFE WORKING SEAT BELTS WHEN WE DO GET TO DRIVE THIS TRUCK & NOT SURE WHAT TO DO? THEN THE WIPER MODULE PULSE BOARD IS THE OTHER ISSUE. HAVE REPLACED ALL OTHER PARTS EXCEPT THIS ONE & CAN NOT FIND THE SAME PART THAT WAS ORIG ON THIS TRUCK & ALL OTHERS WE HAVE SEARCHED & BOUGHT DOES NOT FIT. NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE TO REPLACE/MODIFY THE WHOLE BOARD/WIRING ETC. ALSO HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAS & IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF 1988 THRU 2003 MODELS OF GMC & CHEVY. ANY HELP OR ANSWERS OR SUGGESTIONS OR INFO WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK-YOU! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
Compare 1988GMCK3500 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 GMC K3500 have?▼
The 1988 GMC K3500 has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 GMC K3500?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 GMC K3500 is SEAT BELTS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VISIBILITY/WIPER.
Is the 1988 GMC K3500 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 1988 GMC K3500; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.