Total Complaints
6 filings
GMC SIERRA · model year
1988 GMC SIERRA
6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1988GMCSIERRA carries 6 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, 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 1988 SIERRA is tires:tread/belt with 2 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (1) and suspension (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 1988 SIERRA. 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.
6
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
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 |
|---|---|
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20040810TIRES:TREAD/BELT
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE, . AFTER PULLING OVER AND EXITING THE VEHICLE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT TIRE TREAD SEPARATED.*AK
20020312TIRES:TREAD/BELT
WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING FRONT TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE. UNIROYAL LARADO ALL SEASON. *AK CONSUMER STATES WHILE PULLING A 24 FOOT TRAILER, WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING FRONT UNIROUAL LAREDO TIRE 37000 MILES ON, SIZE LT 245/75R16C, DOT#AN11DAU143, TREAD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE. *YD
20010821VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THE ACC.ELERATOR BRACKET BROKE AT THE POWER STEERING PUMP/I ALSO HAD A CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN THAT USED THIS SAME BRACKET AND IT BROKE ON ME AT THE SAME EXACT SPOT. *AK
19990217FirePOWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION COOLING UNIT AND LINES MALFUCTIONED, CAUSING A LEAK IN THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH SPRAYED TRANSMISSION FLUID ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, CAUSING A FIRE. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
19981130SUSPENSION
ALIGNMENT KIT AND ADJUSTMENTS WERE NOT INSTALLED ON VEHICLE AT TIME OF PURCHASE.
19971223SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THEY BECOME HARD, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES. THE DEALER HAS INSPECTED THE BRAKES, THEY CANNOT BE REPAIRED. *AK
Compare 1988GMCSIERRA to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1988 GMC SIERRA have?▼
The 1988 GMC SIERRA has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1988 GMC SIERRA?▼
The most-complained component for the 1988 GMC SIERRA is TIRES:TREAD/BELT with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP and SUSPENSION.
Is the 1988 GMC SIERRA 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.