2003 GMC Safari (gmc)

Routine

Owners filed 6 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Hydraulic2
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip › Abs Warning Light1
000
Service Brakes, Air › Antilock1
000
Service Brakes1
000
Air Bags1
102

What owners reported

Newest filings
Service Brakes
Filed Apr 17, 201480,000 milesWV

MY ABS SYSTEM IS THE SAME AS THE OTHER COMPLAINTS. I WILL PRESS ON THE BRAKES AND IT ACTS LIKE I HAVE NO BRAKES. I TOOK IT TO A REPAIR SHOP YESTERDAY AND THEY SAID THE PART WOULD COST $1,310.00 FOR ONE PART ALONE. WHY HAVEN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL ON THIS SITUATION. BEFORE SOMEONE DOES GET HURT.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Oct 19, 201164,100 milesNY

ABS SYSTEM DEFECT. WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO STOP, AT VERY LOW SPEED (ABOUT 5 MPH) ABS ENGAGES, ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO NEED FOR IT. THIS CAUSES A "FLOATING" SENSATION, MAKING CONTROL OF THE STOPPING POINT UNCERTAIN, UNLIKE NORMAL BRAKING. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS. MOST RECENTLY, CAR IS PULLING TO RIGHT DURING THE STOP, WHEN ABS ENGAGES. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Jul 15, 201189,263 milesMI

BACKING UP MY BOAT TO LAUNCH IT, THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. SLOWED IT DOWN AND ENDED UP THROWING IT IN PARK TO KEEP THE BOAT, TRAILER, AND VAN FROM ROLLING INTO THE WATER. GOT TOWED OUT AND A FRIEND PULLED THE BOAT HOME FOR ME. THE MECHANIC SHOWED ME THE RUSTED DRIVERS SIDE STEEL BRAKE LINE THAT HAD RUPTURED. HE ALSO TOLD ME ALL OF THE OTHER LINES HAD CONSIDERABLE RUST AND THAT ALL OF THEM SHOULD BE REPLACED DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS. THE ENTIRE STEEL BRAKE LINE HAS BEEN REPLACED AND I DID SAVE THE RUSTED LINES FOR NOW. *TT

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip › Abs Warning Light
Filed Nov 12, 200732,589 milesMI

ON VACATION ABS LIGHT WOULD COME ON DURING DRIVING. WHEN BRAKING, JUST BEFORE COMING TO A STOP, MORE TRAVEL IN THE PEDAL AND BRAKES CHATTERED. ABS LIGHT MIGHT BE ON OR OFF DURING BRAKING. WENT TO DEALER, RIGHT FRONT SENSOR ERRATIC. REPLACED RIGHT FRONT SENSOR. WORKS GOOD AGAIN. VAN HAS 32,000 MILES. *TR

Service Brakes, Air › Antilock
Filed Jan 19, 200767,000 milesMO

MY 2003 GMC SAFARI VAN HAS NOW TWICE HAD ITS ABS ACTIVATE IN A PARKING LOT SITUATION AT A SLOW SPEED CAUSING THE VAN TO TAKE AN EXTREMELY LONG TIME TO STOP. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO PERSON IN FRONT OF ME OR THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURED. THERE WAS NO WARNING BEFORE THE FAILURE. THE MANUAL STATES THAT IF THE ABS LIGHT GOES ON THAT THE SYSTEM IS NOT ACTIVE, BUT THE VAN IS STILL OK TO DRIVE-BUT NO LIGHT CAME ON. I HAVE TLKED WITH OTHERS WHO OWN GM CAR/VEHICLES AND THEY HAVE REPORTED SIMILIAR INSTANCES. DOES GM HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR BRAKES?

Air BagsCrash2 injured
Filed Oct 16, 200647,500 milesSC

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 42 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MINOR INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BY BOTH DRIVERS. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND AND WAS DEEMED TOTALED. THE DEALER WAS ALERTED.

6 of 6 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2003
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20051000Routine
20041000Routine
2003 — this page6000Routine
20023000Routine
20011000Routine
20005000Routine
19991000Routine
19982000Routine
19973000Routine
19963000Routine
19951000Routine
19941000Routine

Compare every Safari (gmc) year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.