Total Complaints
8 filings
GMC Pickup · model year
1990 GMC Pickup
8 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
- Complaints
- 8
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1990 GMC Pickup posts below-average complaint volume among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 48%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1990GMCPickup carries 8 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, 1 injury, 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 1990 Pickup is tires with 2 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2) and engine and engine cooling:engine (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 1990 Pickup. 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.
8
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1990 GMC Pickup
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
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 |
|---|---|
| TIRES | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040802TIRES
WHILE DRIVING REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER TO CHANGE THE TIRE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. 2500 MODEL, GOODYEAR, WORKHORSE, LT245/75R16. *AK
20010212CrashSEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
THIS FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF A REAR UND COLLISION WITH MY VEHICKE STOPPED. THE VEHICLE THAT HIT MY TRUCK WAS A SMALL IMPORT TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MPH. UPON IMPACT MY HEAD WAS SNAPPED BACKEARDS AND ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH THE REAR WINDOW, SHATTERING IT AND CAUSING A CONCUSSION SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE ME TO TO BE UNABLE TO CONTINUE TO WORK. THERE WAS NO HEAD RESTRAINT OR BUMPER OR PAD EXTENDING HUGH ENOUGH FROM THE BACK OF THE SEAT TO CUSSION THE HEAD. LATTER MODLES (IE 1992) HAD AN EXTENDED HEAD REST. GMC SHOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THIS PROBLEN AND OFFERED A REPAIR ABOUT THE SAME TIME IT REDESIGNED THE BENCH SEATS TO INCLUDE A PASSIVE HEAD RE
19971215SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND THE TRUCK WILL NOT STOP WHEN THIS HAPPENS. *AK
19970214SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK AS WELL AS IT SHOULD, OWNER SAID THAT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THEY GO ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND NOT FULLY STOPPING THE TRUCK. *AK
19961231STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
METAL BAR FELL OFF VEHICLE, STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
19960909STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP, STARTED TO MAKE A TURN INTO INTERSECTION, STEERING WHIEEL CAME OFF COLUMN, THE WHEELS LOCKED UP; LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE; HAD VEHICLE TOWED.*AK
19960904TIRES
SPARE TIRE FELL OFF DUE TO BROKEN HOIST ASSEMBLY CABLE. *SD
19950620ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
VIBRATION OF OIL LINE & TRANSMISSION FLUID LINE CAUSES A HOLE TO WEAR INTO THE OIL LINE. TT
Compare 1990GMCPickup to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1990 GMC Pickup have?▼
The 1990 GMC Pickup has 8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 GMC Pickup?▼
The most-complained component for the 1990 GMC Pickup is TIRES with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE.
Is the 1990 GMC Pickup 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.
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 1990 GMC Pickup; 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.