AI Damage1991 GMC C1500: common problems
Owners of the 1991 GMC C1500 filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 20% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 20% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 20% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 20% of all complaints
- 5 Visibility 20% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Seat belts: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Service brakes: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Tires: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Visibility: 1 complaints (20% of all).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 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.
Windshield wipers often stop working without warning. Very dangerous situation when it is raining. You can sometime pull on the wiper blades to get the wipers to start working again but sometimes this doesn't work either.
For the record I wanted to inform you that I had one wilderness at iii come apart on me at approx 70 mph it was a rear tire and caused no accident but the seperated tread did do damage to my fender.
While driving at any speed and applying the brakes, brake pedal went straight to the floorboard and did not stop vehicle.consumer had to pump the brakes due to the abs system which kicked in, and caused the brakes not to work.
Driver's buckle failed to latch properly. Dealer notified and replaced buckle on 10-21-94 with approximately 20,000 miles of wear. At approximately 40,000, on 5-17-99, buckle failed to latch again. Dealer notified and refused to correct problem.seeking help from nhtsa in this matter.
While driving vehicle the engine caught on fire. (ohio state police report)
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 14,283 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 39% most complained about).
On average one model year of the C1500 has 13 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 5, below average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1991 GMC C1500?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, seat belts, service brakes. Total complaints: 5. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 GMC C1500?
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 1991 GMC C1500 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 1991 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 2026-11-06.