AI Damage1991 GMC Safari: common problems
Owners of the 1991 GMC Safari filed 39 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 39
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 41% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 18% of all complaints
- 3 Seat belts 10% of all complaints
- 4 Seats 10% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 7 Equipment 8% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 16 complaints (41% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 7 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 4 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 4 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (8% 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
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 39 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 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
The seatbelts will not remain stable. Passengers must repeatedly remove and reattatch them to remain secure.
The consumer state's while driving about 60mph coming off a ramp the vehicle would'nt stop and the consumer applied the brakes, and vehicle still wouldn't stop, causing the consumer to make a right a turn and hitting the median. Vehicle flipped over and came to a stop.
Driving at approximately 40-45 consumer hit tree. Defect in driver's power seat, caused the seatback to fall onto passenger who was sitting behind driver.
Transmission slipping, dealer found no problems. Front brakes worn to sensors, dealer has replaced rear brake drums replaced, front caliper dragging. Consumer states frost coming out of vents at times. Oil pressure display unstable and intermittent, dealer replaced oil pressure sending unit replaced.
Poor abs brake performance, complete brake failure was experienced during a panic stop situation.
Loss of brake action due to instant fluid loss. Brake line ruptured due to extreme and isolated corrosion in brakeline located area of gasoline tank (forward of rear axle on driver's side.) no notice or prior events leading to failure.
1991 safari hood came up while driving and shattered the windshield.
Currently, my transmission slips into neutral when the transmission shifts from 2nd to drive. It went from happening once a month to approximately 4-6 times a day. The transmissions shops I've seen say I need an overhaul again. I hate this gmc automatic transmission.
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 6,011 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 16% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Safari has 52 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 39, below average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
Other years of this model
- Safari 19867 sources
- Safari 198711 sources
- Safari 19887 sources
- Safari 198918 sources
- Safari 199035 sources
- Safari 199259 sources
- Safari 199361 sources
- Safari 1994119 sources
- Safari 1995195 sources
- Safari 1996139 sources
- Safari 1997135 sources
- Safari 199889 sources
- Safari 199961 sources
- Safari 200068 sources
- Safari 200139 sources
- Safari 200225 sources
- Safari 200318 sources
- Safari 20045 sources
- Safari 20054 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1991 GMC Safari?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, powertrain, seat belts. Total complaints: 39. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (10%), warning lights, check engine (10%), rust, corrosion (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 GMC Safari?
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 Safari 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.