Total Complaints
66 filings
GMC SAFARI · model year
66 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1992GMCSAFARI carries 66 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 2 fires, 3 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 1992 SAFARI is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 20 filings, followed by suspension:front:springs:torsion bar (7) and service brakes, hydraulic:power assist (3). 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 1992 SAFARI. 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.
Total Complaints
66 filings
Crashes Reported
4 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 20 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:TORSION BAR | 7 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 3 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 3 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 2 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 2 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR:ANTILOCK | 2 |
| WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:MASTER CYLINDER | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE'S FRONT SUSPENSION DROPPED ONTO THE FRONT TIRES WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND NOT IN USE. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THE SHOCKS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE BUT THE SHOCKS DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THERE WAS NOTHING THAT LED UP TO THE OCCURRENCE.
Mileage: 130,000
AS FOR EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE, I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY. I OPENED THE DOOR OF MY VAN AND FOUND THE SMELL OF MELTING PLASTIC COMING OUT OF IT. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION I FOUND THAT MY CIGARETTE LIGHTER, WHICH I USUALLY DON'T HAVE IN THE PLUG, BECAUSE I USE THE PLUG FOR TOO MANY OTHER THINGS HAS MELTED AND WAS STUCK INSIDE MY DASH. AFTER TAKING THAT PANEL OFF TO SEE IF I COULD GET THE LIGHTER OUT OF THE PLUG, I ATTEMPTED TO UNPLUG THE WIRES BUT WHILE DOING THIS THE SMALL AMOUNT OF THE PLUG THAT WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE DASH BROKE FREE AND STARTED SPARKING. AT THIS POINT IT BLEW A FUSE SO I CUT THE WIRES JUST TO BE SAFE AND TAPED THEM SEPARATELY WITH ELECTRICAL TAPE. LATER THAT NIGHT I COULD SMELL ANOTHER BURNING TYPE SMELL BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING THAT I FIGURED OUT WHAT IT WAS. NOW WHENEVER I USE MY HEATER/AC THERE IS SMOKE THAT COMES OUT FROM BEHIND THAT INSTRUMENT PANEL. WHEN THE FUSE BLEW I LOST ALL THE INTERIOR LIGHTS AND I AM AFRAID THAT IF I REPLACE THE FUSE T
I HAVE A 1992 GMC SAFARI VAN. IT HAS NO ANCHOR SYSTEM FOR A CHILD SEAT AND GMC CUSTOMER SERVICE INDICATES NO REQUIREMENT FOR SUCH A SYSTEM. IT IS MY OPION THAT JUST LIKE OTHER VEHICLES THE VAN SHOULD HAVE AN ANCHOR SYSTEM FOR THE CHILD SEAT AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO SUPPLY SUCH A SYSTEM. *AK
WHILE WIFE AN FAMILY WERE IN VAN, PASSENGER SIDE TORSION BAR SNAPPED, SLAMMING RIGHT FRONT OF VEHICLE DOWN. AWD DIFFICULT TO CONTROL AND CAUSING FAMILY TO BECOME STRANDED. GM HAS DISCONTINUED REPLACEMENTS, A CONVERSION IS AVAILABLE FROM THEM FOR OVER $500.00 AND BOTH SIDES NEED TO BE REPLACED/MODIFIED. *AK
Mileage: 54,800
THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE FRONT STABILIZER BAR SNAPPED IN TWO PLACES, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BECOME INOPERATIVE. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK *SC *JB
Mileage: 171,000
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES ABS LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD, AND REMAINS ON UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
ABS SYSTEM FAILED. DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, THEY STILL HAD BRAKES. *AK ABS FAILED WHEN CONSUMER PRESSED ON THE BRAKES TO AVOID COLLISION WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THE LOSS OF ABS WAS CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF INTERNAL BRAKE MODULE. CONSUMER DECLINED REPLACEMENT BECAUSE WHEN HE WAS QUOTED BY THE DEALER OF THE EXPENSE FOR REPAIR, COST WAS $1300, AND WAS TOLD THAT VEHICLE WILL STILL HAVE THE SAME BRAKING CAPABILITY EVEN WITHOUT ABS. IN ADDITION, RECALL ON DIPSTICK, TO INDICATE TRANSMISSION RESEVOIR. IF DIPSTICK IS SHORTER, IT WOULD CAUSE TRANSMISSION TO SLIP. *LA
Mileage: 68,500
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
THE VEHICLE MAKE A POPPING NOISE, AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE LEFT FRONT END WAS ALMOST SITTING ON THE TIRE DUE TO BOTH TORSION BARS WERE BROKE. *YH
DRIVERS SIDE FRONT TORTION BAR BREAKS CAUSING THE FRONT END TO DIVE VERY HARD AND HIT BOTTOM OF FRAME EXTREMELY HARD CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO THE FRONT END HITTING THE BOTTOM OF TRAVEL.*AK
DEFECTIVE BRACKET THAT HOLDS REAR SPRINGS TO REAR AXLE BROKE,CAUSING REAR END TO FALL, WHICH ALMOST RESULTED IN A CRASH, CONSUMER STATED THAT THE ONLY THING KEEPING THE REAR FROM LEAVING THE VAN WAS THE REAR SHOCKS. . *AK *SLC
PAINT IS PEELING. NO SAFETY DEFECT. *AK
AFTER AWHILE TORSION BAR BROKE DOWN, THERE WAS NO WARNING. CONSUMER SAID THAT DEALER SHOULD HAVE NOTICED THE PROBLEM.*AK
VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN DRIVEWAY. CAME OUT & NOTICED VEHICLE WAS LAYING ON THE GROUND DUE TO BROKEN TORSION BAR . VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP & SERVICED. BULLETIN ON TORSION BAR FROM MANUFACTURER. TORSION BAR WAS REPAIRABLE.*AK
NO SUMMARY
ABS BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE SYSTEM, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THE ABS SYSTEM FAULTY. NLM
THE ABS SYSTEM FAULTY. NLM
PIECE OF WIRING THAT HELD UP SPARE RUSTED THROUGH. IF CONSUMER WERE TO TRAVEL ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS AND TIRE FELL OFF, THERE WOULD HAVE PROBABLY BEEN SOME INJURIES.*AK
WHEN BRAKING ON ICY ROAD THE BRAKES WILL TOTALLY DISENGAGE EVEN IF SOME WHEELS ARE ON DRY PAVEMENT
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.