GMC SAVANA · model year

2001 GMC SAVANA

23 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2001GMCSAVANA carries 23 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 8 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 2001 SAVANA is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor with 2 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission:cooling unit and lines (2) and air bags (2). 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 2001 SAVANA. 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.

23
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

23 filings

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

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR2
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES2
AIR BAGS2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY1
VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT1
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS1
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS1
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS1

Recent Complaints

20250724ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I don't know sometimes wrong with the electrical issue before I got to dive into it I had got some damages from death or vandalism

20250724ENGINE

I don't know sometimes wrong with the electrical issue before I got to dive into it I had got some damages from death or vandalism

20250724LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

I don't know sometimes wrong with the electrical issue before I got to dive into it I had got some damages from death or vandalism

20120620AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 GMC SAVANA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE AIR BAGS SUDDENLY DEPLOYED AND ALL OF THE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS CORRODED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 151,000.

Mileage: 144,000

20061107OTHER:SCHOOL BUS STOP ARM ASSEMBLY

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE DOOR ON THE SCHOOL BUS WAS OPENED, THE STOP SIGN ARM DID NOT DEPLOY AUTOMATICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.

Mileage: 8,708

20060501EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS

SINCE YOU JUST ISSUED THE RECALL ON GM PICKUP TRUCKS, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY GMC SAVANA 15-SEATER 2001 VAN. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2001. IT NOW HAS AROUND 56,000 MILES ON IT. PROBLEM: SOMETIMES THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON, IN WHICH CASE THE CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK. SOMETIMES THE FRONT PASSENGER ELECTRIC WINDOW DOESN'T WORK DURING THESE TIMES. I LEARNED ABOUT THE RECALL FROM MSNBC, READING THE NEWS ONLINE. SINCE YOU DIDN'T HAVE "INTERNET" ON YOUR REFERRAL SOURCE CHOICES, I SAID "NEWSPAPER" AS BEING THE CLOSEST THING. *JB

Mileage: 54,000

20060501VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

SINCE YOU JUST ISSUED THE RECALL ON GM PICKUP TRUCKS, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY GMC SAVANA 15-SEATER 2001 VAN. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2001. IT NOW HAS AROUND 56,000 MILES ON IT. PROBLEM: SOMETIMES THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON, IN WHICH CASE THE CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK. SOMETIMES THE FRONT PASSENGER ELECTRIC WINDOW DOESN'T WORK DURING THESE TIMES. I LEARNED ABOUT THE RECALL FROM MSNBC, READING THE NEWS ONLINE. SINCE YOU DIDN'T HAVE "INTERNET" ON YOUR REFERRAL SOURCE CHOICES, I SAID "NEWSPAPER" AS BEING THE CLOSEST THING. *JB

Mileage: 54,000

20060323LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

THE REAR LEFT DOOR WILL NOT OPEN, THE LATCH IS BROKEN. I OWN THREE GMC VANS ALL OF WHICH THE LEFT REAR DOORS WILL NOT OPEN. *NM

Mileage: 80,000

20050421AIR BAGS

PURCHASED 2001 GMC SAVANNA 2500 VAN ON 3-31-05 ( NO WARRANTY); NOTICED "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT AND AIR BAG LIGHT WERE ON. HAD VAN SERVICED ON 4-6-05. MECHANIC CLEARED UP ALL PROBLEMS EXCEPT THE SCAN TOOL COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE AIR BAG MODULE. WHEN THE MECHANIC STARTED THE ENGINE BACK UP, THE ENGINE WAS ON FOR APPROX. 5 - 10 SECONDS, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WENT OFF! LUCKILY NO ONE WAS SITTING THERE AT THE TIME. *NM

Mileage: 47,796

20050313ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINES STALLS FREQUENTLY. DEALER SAYS THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM.*AK

Mileage: 20,000

20041112FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL

NO WARNING FAILURE OF STANADYNE PN [XXX] (GM NUMBER) OR MFG #[XXX]. VEHICLE IS 2001 GMC VAN [XXX]. THE FUEL SOLENOID DRIVER (FSD) IS LOCATED ON THE INJECTOR PUMP AND IS USED TO DRIVE THE FUEL SYSTEM. ITS FAILURE IS CAUSE BY HEAT OR LACK OF COOLING OF THE TWO 500 WATT TRANSISTORS. FAILURE IS ABRUPT WITH OUT WARNING AND CAUSES LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL DUE TO STALLING. AFTER COOL DOWN VEHICLE CAN BE RESTARTED. FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED 5/22/2003 AT 39630 MILES AND WAS REPAIRED UNDER CLAIM NUMBER 1-105619528. THE SECOND FAILURE (OF THE REPLACED PART) OCCURRED AT 65779 MILES AND WAS NOTED IN REPAIR TICKET 1-273605803. THE UNIT WAS NOT REPAIRED BY GM BUT WAS REPLACED BY THE OWNER (ME). THE PART DID NOT FAIL AT DEALER WHO ONLY DROVE THE VEHICLE 8 MILES. STALLING OF VEHICLE CAUSES LOSS OF CONTROL SINCE THE DIESEL MOTOR DRIVES THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. PART FAILURE DOES NOT SET ANY COMPUTER CODES READABLE AT DTC11 CONNECTOR. BASED ON INTERNET INVESTIGATION

Mileage: 65,779

20041007STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

BOTH CABLES TO THE LIFTGATE BROKE DUE TO RUST AND CORROSION. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE TRUCK WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL.*AK *TC

Mileage: 50,000

20040914STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

WHILE OPENING THE MIDDLE DOOR TO THE MINI VAN THE DOOR SHEARED OFF . THE DOOR IS HANG OFF BY THE HINGES. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ON RECALL AND THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

20040707TIRES:TREAD/BELT

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, THE REAR TIRE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE PEELED AND THE TIRE BLEW OUT AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SWAY AND THE SWAY BAR TO BREAK. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE PASSENGER TIRES RUBBER PEELED AWAY FROM THE STEEL BELT. AS THE RUBBER WAS PEELING FROM THE TIRE, IT WAS HITTING THE SIDES OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING NUMEROUS SCRATCHES AND RUBBER MARKS AS WELL AS BREAKING PIECES OFF OF THE REAR PANEL. *AK *SC *JB

20040102ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

TROUBLE STARTING: TURN KEY, VEHICLE TURNS OVER FINE,THAN SHUTS OFF. BEEN TO DEALER SIX TIMES THEY CAN NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. AT FIRST THEY (DEALER) THOUGHT IT WAS THE KEY. ISSUED NEW KEY OEM. STILL PROBLEM EXSISTED.WHAT WE DO NOW WE FLIP THE KEY AND TRY TO START VEHICLE AND SOMETIMES IT WILL START.THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN BUT WHEN IT DOES IT'S FRUSTRATING. THE MOST RECENT PROBLEM HAPPENED BEFORE THE NEW YEAR 2004. BUT THIS TIME IT WAS BEING DRIVEN.THE LOSS OF ALL POWER IS SCARY BUT ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE. GMC WHY CAN'T YOU FIGURE THIS PROBLEM OUT.*AK

20031024VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WITH MY 2001 GMC SAVANNA. THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS VIBRATE SO BADLY THAT I HAVE A PROBLEM DURING THE DAY SEEING THE CORRECT IMAGES. AT NIGHT THE PROBLEM IS WORSE. I AM CONSTANTLY READJUSTED THE MIRRORS TO TRY TO AVOID "HEADLIGHT FLASH". I HAVE HAD GMC REPLACE THE MIRRORS. WHEN I ASKED FOR A SECOND REPLACEMENT, THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS COMMON AND THAT I "WOULD JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT." I DRIVE THIS VAN APPROXIMATELY 350 HIGHWAY MILES A WEEK. BECAUSE MY FIELD OF VIEW IS SO POOR DUE TO THIS DEFECT, I FEEL THAT MY SAFETY HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED. *LA

20030603SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY

DEALER HAS REPLACED THE REAR AXLE SET SEAL FOUR TIMES AT 1,000 , 20,000, 55,000 AND 60,000 MILES. DEALER HAS INSPECTED SEVERAL OTHERS, AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK

20020816POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION WILL NOT CHANGE GEAR OR WILL HESITATE AND JERK INTO GEAR. CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER CANNOT FIX PROBLEM.*AK

20020730FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 12 HOURS. CONSUMER WAS AWAKENED BY HORN SOUNDING. VEHICLE WAS IN FLAMES, FIRE MARSHALL AND INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR STATED FIRE WAS CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL WIRING. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED.*AK

20020717POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES

FUME INHALATION FROM GEAR OIL BURNING. FAMILY BECAME ILL AT TIME OF INCIDENT. GMCWANTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND GIVE ME A 5 YEAR WARRANTY ... NO LIFE INSURANCE MENTIONED. BBB IS BEGINNING ARBITRATION, SINCE WE FEEL THE FUMES ARE UNSAFE AND WANT OUR MONEY BACK. CAN YOU HELP???*AK

Compare 2001GMCSAVANA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2001 GMC SAVANA have?
The 2001 GMC SAVANA has 23 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 GMC SAVANA?
The most-complained component for the 2001 GMC SAVANA is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES and AIR BAGS.
Is the 2001 GMC SAVANA 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.