AI Damage1999 Chevrolet Sonoma: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Chevrolet Sonoma filed 4 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 4
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 50% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 25% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel system 25% of all complaints
- 4 Parking brake 25% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (50% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (25% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (25% of all).
- Parking brake: 1 complaints (25% of all).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
While driving vehicle was involved in a head on collision. Upon impact, neither of the air bags deployed.
07-2007 went to have a fuel injection service done on the truck and the truck kept shutting off. Could not hold pressure. Filled the tank last night and when slowing or stopped the tank reads empty.
Dt: from the date of purchase the parking brake failed. Brakes have been readjusted several times. Vehicle is inspected each year, and owner has to repair the brake so it can pass inspection. This cost large amounts of money, and gm won't cooperate with him.
The abs braking pump continues to run while the vehicle is turned off. The dealership is aware of the problem.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 15,521 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 42% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Sonoma has 2 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 4, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Chevrolet Sonoma?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, air bags, fuel system. Total complaints: 4. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rollaway, parking brake (25%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Chevrolet Sonoma?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Chevrolet Sonoma from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.