1990 GMC Pick UP: common problems

Owners of the 1990 GMC Pick UP filed 8 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and tires. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 8
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 25% of all complaints
2 Tires 25% of all complaints
3 Engine and cooling 13% of all complaints
4 Seat belts 13% of all complaints
5 Steering 13% of all complaints
6 Structure 13% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 2 complaints (25% of all).
Tires: 2 complaints (25% of all).
Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (13% of all).
Seat belts: 1 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Steering: 1 complaints (13% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 8 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

tires: bulges, blowouts1 · 13%
vibration1 · 13%
windows, sunroof1 · 13%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	2	0
Tires	2	0
Engine and cooling	1	0
Seat belts	1	1
Steering	1	0
Structure	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Upon impact my head was snapped backeards and actually went through the rear window, shattering it and causing a concussion severe enough to cause me to to be unable to continue to work. There was no head restraint or bumper or pad extending hugh enough from the back of the seat to cussion the head.
Seat belts · crash · 2001-02-12 · NHTSA complaint #740423
While driving rear driver's side tire blew out. Consumer managed to pull over to change the tire. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. 2500 model, goodyear, workhorse, lt245/75r16.
Tires · 2004-08-02 · NHTSA complaint #10084033
While driving the truck applied the brakes and the pedal goes to the floor and the truck will not stop when this happens.
Service brakes · 1997-12-15 · NHTSA complaint #819093
Anti-lock brake system doesn't work as well as it should, owner said that when applying the brakes, they go all the way to the floor and not fully stopping the truck.
Service brakes · 1997-02-14 · NHTSA complaint #808978
Metal bar fell off vehicle, striking another vehicle. (ohio state police report)
Structure · 1996-12-31 · NHTSA complaint #511510
While driving the vehicle came to a stop, started to make a turn into intersection, steering whieel came off column, the wheels locked up; lost control of vehicle; had vehicle towed.
Steering · 1996-09-09 · NHTSA complaint #802089
Vibration of oil line & transmission fluid line causes a hole to wear into the oil line. Tt
Engine and cooling · 1995-06-20 · NHTSA complaint #967263

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19951
19963
19972
20011
20041

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 11,896 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 32% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Pick UP has 11 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 8, below average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1990 GMC Pick UP?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, tires, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 8. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: tires: bulges, blowouts (13%), vibration (13%), windows, sunroof (13%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1990 GMC Pick UP?

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 1990 GMC Pick UP 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 1990 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.