AI Damage1995 GMC Vandura: common problems
Owners of the 1995 GMC Vandura filed 34 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 34
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 47% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 12% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 4 Steering 9% of all complaints
- 5 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 6% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 3% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 16 complaints (47% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 4 complaints (12% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 3 complaints (9% of all).
- Steering: 3 complaints (9% of all).
- Visibility: 3 complaints (9% 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 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 5.7 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- 6.5 L · diesel · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 34 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 | 4 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 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.
Brakes were hit suddenly, vehicle jerked and brakes failed. Consumer veered around & hit a tree & mail box. Also, airbags didn't deploy. Dealer said problem did not meet the criteria of recall 99i00600/ manufacturer's recall g99046. They will send a investigator out 8-11-2000 or 08-12-2000.
Consumer was involved in a 40 mph frontal collision in which the driver's air bag did not deploy. Please give any further details.
Upon impact, during frontal crash at approx. 35mph, 12:00 on front bumper, airbag failed to deploy.
Normal driving. Tie-rod broke. Vehicle jumped two lanes-lost control of vehicle. No other autos on section of highway at that time.
Vehicle experienced a problem with the windshield wiper motor. Windshield wipers work intermittently, causing poor vision out of the windshield when raining. Gcm acknowledes that it has the same problem with its trucks.
Also, consumer stated that it was loud a squeal /noise at engine area while starting and acceleration, dealer replaced belt.
The vehicle has been taken in the the dealer5s shop on three occassions because of serpentine belt failure.the compressor went out on our vacation last may and we were stuck in alabama for three days with hotels and reapir costs.in feb, 2001 we took the vehicle back into dealer because of a roaring noise.we read on…
General amer teck st tires (p225 75 r15) experienced tread and steel belt separation, the separation resulted in damage to the vehicle, consumer requests reimbursement.
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 6,426 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 18% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Vandura has 8 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 34, 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.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1995 GMC Vandura?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, air bags, powertrain. Total complaints: 34. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (21%), airbags did not deploy (9%), jerking, harsh shifts (3%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1995 GMC Vandura?
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 1995 GMC Vandura 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 1995 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.