Hello to those GMC Jimmy owners. I am proud to say that I own a Jimmy 4x4. I recently turned sixteen and my parents gave me a 1990 Jimmy 4x4. It has 206,000 miles on it and requires only minor head work. It was used as a emergency vehicle before my family came upon it. I guess the 95's and up models are causing trouble, but mine has been nothing if not reliable. I'm just glad it isn't a Ford.
I bought a 1997 used GMC Jimmy 2 dr. Had 53,000 miles now it has 160,000. I have had nothing, but trouble with this SUV
Windshield wipers don't work, recalls, ball joints replaced every two years. ABS Brakes lock up or no brakes at all.
Sensor for gas tank $800.00. Twice now there is no power like the engine is not getting enough air brought it in and they can't find out whats wrong. Now the whole front end is gone. Wheel assembly have been replaced. I don't think I will
be buying another GMC. I think I will go back to my Honda's or Fords.
I own a 96 Jimmy. Bought it new in 95. The only major problem I've had with it is that the fuel injectors went bad at 122,000 miles, I had to change the alternator at 60,000 miles, and the water pump at 72,323 miles. I have had minor issues such as worn out radiator hoses, serpentine belts, plastic parts... all normal due to wear and tear.
I have always had GMC cars/trucks since I was in high school/college (76 Chevy Truck, 1987 Buick Grand National, and 1996 GMC Jimmy) and never had the type of major issues most are posting on this site.
I also have had my share of so-called foreign vehicles (VW and TOYOTA Truck). They also have had similar problems to my Jimmy. My Toyota had to have belts and hoses replaced, two radiators, an alternator, wiper motor, and fuel regulator.
I actually believe that buying a car, any car, is somewhat of a crap shoot. Besides, you really don't know where most cars are built these days. For example, a lot of VW's parts and chassis are built in Mexico. Ford uses Honda and Mazda parts. In fact, my friend just bought a 2004 Saturn VUE which is supposedly built on a Mazda Chasis, has some electrical components attributed to Jaguar, and of course GM Parts. So you never know. I mean Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have large productions in the US with American employees. Maybe they have better quality control procedures or something.
I have no complaints about my GM vehicle. Never had problems with them. Although I have had friends who have had problems, but they also have had problems with their BMWs and Nissans as well..so...
I have a 95 Jimmy SLT. This vehicle I bought about 2 months ago and it has been nothing, but worries from then in. I got it from a dealer and he assured me the truck was in excellent shape. NOT!!! The day time running lights do not work, but when the lights are on, the day time running light - light flickers on and off. The transmission shifts funny and at 120KMS on the highway, it starts to slip. Also, the rear wiper stopped working (after I just replaced motor). The horn does not work anymore. The vehicle rattles like crazy. The doors move up and down when I hit small bumps on the road. The passenger door no longer opens from the inside. The check engine light keeps coming on now and again and as of today, I have to crank the vehicle for a good minute straight to get it to start. Whats next???
I have a 96 Jimmy sls with 144,000 miles on it. We bought it used in 2002. I can only describe this vehicle as being a lemon. On a $5,200 vehicle we have had to put 4000+ dollars worth of repairs in it since the purchase date of December 2002. Transmission $1600.00 Radiator flushes to remove the sludge from the coolant 350.00X2, new catalytic converter 250.00, water pump, 2 new sets of rear brakes, various glitches. O2 sensor (never have been able to get that right) The cast of rental cars to replace the vehicle while its in the shop is close to $500.00 alone!
I maintain my vehicles and I resent the suggestion that all of this is improper maintenance on my part when ever I discuss this with my mechanic especially when reading that the SAME EXACT problems are occouring in hundreds if not thousands of vehicles across this nation. I would personally love to lead a class action lawsuit against GMC for selling a defective vehicle.
I bought my 96 Jimmy SLT 3 years ago and it hasn't been all that bad. The only troubles I have had is the dexcool clogged up my overflow tank and I just replaced my fuel pump. Other than that the truck has been great and seems not to lack at all in power. I work with a person who owned a 95 Jimmy SLT and had nothing, but trouble. I guess every car is differnt just like everybody else who posts messages. May God bless you all and long live your Jimmy.
I own a 1996 GMC Jimmy SUV. I bought it used at 52000 miles. The first problem off the bat was no ac $400.
At 85000 miles upper lower ball joints twice within two years. The first one a garage did for $500. They actually did it twice, so they say. They said the first set were defects, and they weren't from a dealer either. The following year I did it an found out the garage installed one upper incorrectly. My cost $200. The alternator was replaced twice, as was the battery. At 101000 miles a new radiator along with a system flush along with a thermostat. That worked for a year and half. Now the problems back. I can here the water passing through the heater core like its low.. But the radiator is full and the fill tank. Wife is complaining again no heat... I was told not to buy it.. to late. I should have listened. It was good for 30000miles. Guess what I'm doing on my day off again!!!
Although I feel badly about a number of people who've complained about problems with their Jimmy's, I've had 5 of them... yes that's 5... and have only had the transfer case fork go out on one of them. The rest has been basic maintenance like tires, shocks, belts and things of that sort. I'm an accountant by trade and far from a mechanic, but I do insist on changing my fluids regularly with the synthetic stuff and do my own work when I can. When you open up your differential case and see dust like the fellow who started this series of opinions... how can you say you maintain a vehicle properly. Any vehicle, especially a 4x4 will need more service than a car and in particular... the folks who complain about expensive repairs at 120, 140 160,000 miles should really get a grip. These things don't last forever. I live in Canada and know all about hard winters, but it's usually the folks who drive these things like they were sherman tanks and think that they're indestructible are the ones who complain about high repair bills. Coincidence?
Hello all.. I own a 1997 GMC Jimmy and it has been nothing, but trouble since the day it was purchased.. (5-97) I have in the last year have spent close to what I paid for it when it was brand new.. It goes through front brake pads like no tomorrow. I have had the cooling system flushed three different times due to the wonderful product known as Dex cool. For those of you who called the owners of the 95-96 Jimmy's stupid your vehicle is newer and GM learned of their mistakes in the prior years and they were corrected for the most part for the 1998+ model years... That is why you don't have the problems like these people have had with their vehicles.. Sure maintenance has a lot to do with vehicle life. But maintenance cannot prevent the problems stated with these vehicles.. GM knew of these problems and did the very minimum to remedy these complaints.. I know that every car maker has it's lemons.. I think that it is great that some of you have had luck with these vehicles I hope they run for you forever.. But for some of us these cars have been awful and quite costly..
I first commented here on March 23rd 2003 - and since then my problems have continued. I finally buried my car last week when the radiator and the transmission decided to mate... again hundreds (1100 to be exact) miles from home, and I was left stranded, unable to rent a car because I am so in debt because of the repairs.
The failure which I talked of in my March '03 post was actually my engine blowing up - $4,000. Since then, again, I have not gone more than 4 months without another significant repair, including more radiator problems. Granted, at this stage I had 150,000 - but the engine was only 30,000 miles old, and I'd just had the transmission repaired this past winter and they said it still looked really solid. My total cost of repairs on this vehicle in 6 years exceeds $14,000. I still owe on the car due to various circumstances - $6,500 in fact - so now I have a giant loan to pay off, and no car. I will never buy GM again.
What really makes me the most angry is the $2,000+ I've sunk into this piece of crap in the past 7 months for nothing - including a brand new catalytic converter in January and new fuel pump exactly 1 month ago (together totaling $1500 because the parts are completely overpriced) - I might as well have thrown my money into the fireplace. I refuse to sink any more into that vehicle, it is dead and buried. Maybe the junkyard can salvage the newer parts, of which there were many...
My vehicle has been very well maintained - because every time I was due for an oil change or other regular service, something broke and had to go to the shop anyway.
Hi
I am the owner of a 1996 gmc that my daughter purchased new it now has 95,568 miles and I replaced the brakes at 75,000 and now the water pump at 95,000. doesn't anything last forever these days??
Hi: I too have a 96 SLT Jimmy it has 155000 km and I change the oil every 3 mths myself. I have replaced the upper and lower ball joints 3 times, a/c don't work, O2 sensors replaced, fuel pump, and the dexcool caused my head gaskets to wear out so I had to get that fixed as well as a new radiator. brake lines had to be replaced as well as the part that the lower ball joint goes into, seems it wasn't tapered enough. Now the engine is ratteling and I am told it needs a timing chain at 1200.00 I have already spent 5000 dollars on this thing, I think I won't fix it, just get rid of it. I always liked GM, as a matter of fact I have a 51 GMC 1/2 ton pickup. But this time I will be going japanese, to heck with the big 3.
I also own an 1996 jimmy slt as faR as I can say I love the truck. I had to put a new a/c unit in it around 12,000 miles ago, and yes the brakes seem to go out a little fast, but it's a simple repair. around 900 miles ago my 4x4 went out, but I just took out the front drive shaft and put 20'' rims on it. know I have to replace the upper control arm bushings, but in all my truck has over 220,000 miles on it as was just appraised at 5500.00 dollars for a loan.
I have 1997 GMC jimmy SLT, I bought this truck 2 years ago, since then I keep fixing different things. I changed the alternator, all 4 ball joints, shocks, center link, angle arms, water pump, distributer etc etc, and every day there is a new problem with the truck.
The engine runs fine, but all the other problems comes one after another. I have spent over $2500 so far. Before this truck I had another GMC and the problems were same. I also have a 1997 Corolla and in 5 years (no problem). I would never buy GM again in my life.
I have a 1996 GMC Jimmy and have had really good luck with it. It has 138,000 miles on it and hasn't needed anything more than maintenance. Brakes are wearable items, and the need to replace them generally depends on how the auto is driven. My girlfriend has a 2001 Jimmy, with 44,000 miles and has had nothing more than fluid changes done to it. Her father has a sonoma (same, but truck) it has 36,000 miles with not a problem one. Her mother drives a 2002 Blazer with 61,000 miles, no problems there either. It's something else to hear all of this negativity on these vehicles, I have to assume the others that have all these problems aren't treated too well. I sold an Oldsmobile with over 487,000 (nearly half a million miles) on it in January 2006, for 3,000.00, it treated me well for ten years. I had a New corolla, I had to go back to GM, I guess it's all personal preference.