AI Damage1991 GMC Jimmy: common problems
Owners of the 1991 GMC Jimmy filed 118 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 118
- involving a crash
- 16
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 67% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 14% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 6% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 3% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 3% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 3% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 3% of all complaints
- 8 Engine and cooling 2% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 79 complaints (67% of all), 15 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 16 complaints (14% of all).
- Electrical system: 7 complaints (6% of all).
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (3% of all).
- Steering: 3 complaints (3% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 4.3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 6.2 L · diesel · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: AWD, RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 118 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 79 | 15 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 3 | 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.
Brakes failed to stop me from rearending another veh. Slid into them.
The brakes failed completely while driving to work when the vehicle was less than 6 months old. I recently read a comsumer reports article dated nov. 1997 that exactly describes the brake failure that resulted in an accident with significant damage to both vehicles.
Anti-lock brakes failed, pedal went almost to floor, causing accident.
The vehicle lost control due to a suspension problem and it flipped over several time. Please describe. Tt
Spare tire mount swings away from tailgate and would drop down. Whenever a bump or crack is hit, mount would come open unexpectedly. Spare tire on tailgate would be in traffic once it swings outward. Spare tire was bolted on tailgate by a latch. Have been in touch with dealership and manufacturer.
Stuck in mud: ran car at high throttle, turned car off, tried to restart. Car caught fire.
Rear axle broke causing vehicle accident/ rollover, resulting in injury to consumer (attorney for consumer- requesting information). Mjs
Rear axle broke resulting in vehicle accident (attorney for consumer). Mjs
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 3,170 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 9% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Jimmy has 119 complaints (23 years in the data). This year has 118, about average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
- Jimmy 19845 sources
- Jimmy 19856 sources
- Jimmy 19863 sources
- Jimmy 19876 sources
- Jimmy 198815 sources
- Jimmy 198913 sources
- Jimmy 199011 sources
- Jimmy 1992122 sources
- Jimmy 1993216 sources
- Jimmy 1994334 sources
- Jimmy 1995499 sources
- Jimmy 1996407 sources
- Jimmy 1997274 sources
- Jimmy 1998238 sources
- Jimmy 1999137 sources
- Jimmy 2000211 sources
- Jimmy 2001100 sources
- Jimmy 99997 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1991 GMC Jimmy?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, seat belts, electrical system. Total complaints: 118. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (19%), seat belts (8%), smoke, burning smell, fire (5%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 GMC Jimmy?
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 Jimmy 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 2026-11-05.