1999 GMC Jimmy SLS from North America - Comments

I bought my 1999 Jimmy new in December of 1998. It didn't get "full time use" until 2000. It sat for months at a time because I was living over seas until 2000.

I have had the same standard Jimmy failures... ball joints and bearings, water pump, intake manifold gasket, alternator, and tension pulley. I have 87,000 on it know, and I have just replaced the 4WD controller module. It seems water gets into the module location (passenger side kick panel).

Has anyone had a problem with the tailgate hinges rusting?

I was thinking of trading it in on a Tahoe, but I think I'm going to keep it for the long haul... its paid for, and runs great.

Compare thoughts? justme60657@hotmail.com.

Bought my 99 Jimmy in Feb of 1993 used, 46K miles. Prior to taking the car had belt and hubs replaced, humming. Purchased an extended warranty, best thing I could have done.

Have had the hubs replaced again, rear end went, ball joints, and that pesky rear wind shield wiper has to lubricated multiple times during the year. Hinges are OK, as well as rotors and no squealing brakes. It appears that the heater is beginning to get clogged, amount of heat this winter is minimal.

I think I will trade it before the other "good" things begin to happen. Probably will not look at GM, Ford, or Chrysler. My wife's Honda has had zero problems up to this year.

The vehicle has a nice ride and has been fairly reliable. I guess I would be more upset if I did not have the warranty. So far out of pocket including the warranty over 4 years about $1600.

Wish the best of luck to all you Jimmy owners.

I bought my 1999 Jimmy SLT last month. It had 126,000 miles on it. It looks fantastic and is completely loaded -I LOVE the heated leather seats and sunroof! I drove it off the lot feeling like I got a great deal and a complimentary full tank of gas to boot...20 minutes after I drove it off the lot it stalled - actually ran out of gas - turns out that the sensor in the gas tank was broken and I did not have a full tank of gas... truck started to run rough after that. The dealer fixed the sensor and replaced the fuel pump free of charge, but total charges would have been $750.00.

Last week, exactly one month and 3,500 miles later, truck went into "limp mode" (stuck in second gear) with service engine light on. I took it to a mechanic who told me I was low on transmission fluid; $147.00 for diagnostic and "labor". Seemed to be fixed. Next day, same problem and code, so I took it to a GM dealership... they said I needed a new ignition switch; $322.00. Seemed to be fixed. Next day, same problem and code, GM said I needed a new shift solenoid; $266.00 (they didn't charge me for labor). Three days later, transmission is fine, but car started stalling and hesitating badly. Towed to the GM dealership. Problem? They said I had two corroded wires that were not connecting with the ignition coil...$300.00. I drove the car home from the dealer tonight - still not running right - feels a little rough and it's still hesitating a bit; have a sneaking suspicion that I will be back at the GM shop very soon.

At the present time, the only other thing I'm noticing are the doors sagging a bit, and wondering if I'm going to have to replace the hinges??? Luckily, the ball joints were replaced before I bought it.

I really like this truck for its looks and the way it handles, but I'm feeling a little skeptical about our future relationship... especially after reading all of the similar problems with other owners. I just want to go skiing this weekend!!! For what it's worth, I bought a brand new Nissan Altima back in 2002...the first time my Altima and I needed a tow truck it had 3,000 miles on it, and gave me a lot of grief with its MANY quirks until I got rid of it... to get my JIMMY!!!

I bought my 1999 Jimmy 7 months ago. It has 107800 miles. Everything needs to be lubricated frequently (doors, hood pop, rear wipers, tailgate.) I already had it in the shop because of electrical problems. Now the thing won't start. I just filled the tank up and then it wouldn't turn on at the gas station. I'm thinking fuel filter or fuel pump are shot. I'm going to fix it, drive it for another year and sell it before things really start to go down hill.

Wow. I'm reading these comments and see that things haven't improved much since I bought my 97 Jimmy brand new. I have had the same problems mentioned here (fuel gauge, 2 ignition switches, radiator leaks, water pump failures, replaced numerous alternators and batteries, etc..) GM just can't get anything right can they. However, the body and paint still looks brand new.

BTW - The stuck key problem means the ignition switch is bad. I've had 2 replaced already. It finally started to loose power when driving and triggered a check engine light.

Has anybody had a battery last more than 3 years? It seems to eat batteries for some reason.

I bought my 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE in April of 2004, then it has 64k and now it has 124k. I have had all of the same problems that are mentioned beforehand. Oil Lines, brakes, all ball joints, both front wheel bearings, the fuel gauge is broken, my door hinges just went, the rear window wiper is broken, the heater doesn't work, and the 4WD grinds sometimes. Other than that no major probelms. These are just annoyances rather than problems.

I bought my 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE in April of 2004, then it has 64k and now it has 124k. I have had all of the same problems that are mentioned beforehand. Oil Lines, brakes, all ball joints, both front wheel bearings, the fuel gauge is broken, my door hinges just went, the rear window wiper is broken, the heater doesn't work, and the 4WD grinds sometimes. Other than that no major probelms. These are just annoyances rather than problems.

Love our Little 1999 GMC Jimmy! Bought it in 2000 from the dealer used. Yes it's had many of the same problems the other posts have mentioned. We have fixed many of the items ourselves to keep the costs down. Even though it's had its share of problems it's a great little SUV. Most the problems are age/mileage related and even though we take great care of our vehicles these things just happen. Not too much different with our 95 Yukon or 2000 Honda. Every vehicle has it weaknesses - learning what they are before we buy can help. It's always new car payment vs repairs - That's why my VW Van had to go after 12 years - loved it, but repairs were too high even though the veh was in excellent condition.

1996+ GMC Jimmy owners start checking you hard tube brake lines regularly for rusting. Especially pay close attention to anywhere the tubes are running along the frame rails and are attached by plastic clips. One particular area of extreme rust is directly above the drivers side rear tire on top of the frame rail. You can clearly see this spot perfectly if you either pull the plastic shield out a little and peek behind it, or pop out the 6 plastic retainer clips along the frame and remove the plastic shield all together. If you see three badly rusted tubes in the area of the clip take your vehicle in ASAP and have the rusted section cut out and a replacement section installed. The brake fluid tube is going to be the one closest to the back of the tire. One day the line will split or crack thru and your brake will go to the floor. Depending on your speed and traffic conditions you may have enough time to stop...once. Every press of the brake there after that will be spraying fluid out, increasing your stopping distance.

I own a 1999 GMC Jimmy.

I have had this truck for a few months, and I have already had to change in a new fuel pump, U-joints, ball joints, catalytic converter, and now after all that, I now am only getting 10 miles to the gallon.

I've had this all done right, but it's still not working right. So if you're thinking about buying a GMC Jimmy, don't do it, it's not a very good choice!!!

Wow! Felt like I was the only one who had these problems... love my 99 Jimmy, bought it a year old in 2000 and now have 81K on it... the same problems as everybody else, but haven't had gas gage problems yet...

The last straw though is the heater core problem...8 1/2 hours of book time to replace, however I need it to run the defroster...

I will not buy another GMC product, a shame because I have never bought a foreign car, but next spring or summer I will trade my Jimmy in... I have sold my last two cars by myself when I replaced them, but always felt I was selling a well taken care of used car... not sure I can sell this one myself and look at myself in the mirror the next morning while I shave...

Our '99 slt has had all these problems: Broken seat recliners, door hinges, trans rebuild, alternator, 1 electric problem made it spit and sputter, iac sensor, 02 sensor, oil lines, gas needle, rear wiper, cat conv., muffler, window motors, water pump gasket, both front wheel bearings (twice, and going for a third). It's got 17X,000 miles on it. Now it has a problem with multiple cylinder misfire, and it gets about 10-12 mpg; black smoke everywhere in passing gear, despite complete tune up. A tech told me maybe MAF sensor ($180); a roll of the dice. Was a nice truck; now it's an embarrassing 4 door tomato. If I had a license and full coverage, it would be oak tree bound. If you can help please e-mail san_doobis@hotmail.com.

Bought a 1996 Jimmy used with 35000 kilometers on the odometer. Replaced all brake hubs and drums, and ball joints. Mechanic says the front end is undersized for this vehicle. Now the plastic gears in the rear wiper have stripped for the third time. At times I've shut the rear wiper off only to have it bounce off the park shelf and continue wiping until it finally settles and shuts off.

Also the 4WD module died and cost $800 to replace. Now have 85,000 kilometers on it; a good vehicle otherwise.

Our 1997 Jimmy has been a pretty good ride. But six months ago, at 90,000 miles, the rear bearings started humming, fixed for $1400 and the fuel gauge stops at 1/2. Have to replace the alternator now. Bought one on eBay for $60. Had it garaged all its life so body is all good. Nice looking, and fun to drive. Hope it still has some good life in it.

I recently bought a 1999 4.3 lt. x2. beautiful truck, immaculate inside and out. with in two days it started stuttering, almost stalling. after a trip to the local Chevy dealer it needed a $500 motherboard put in it. cleared it up clean as day. (appariently the injectors were messed up from a messed up board). now, 5 months later one of the valves (rockers) start tapping on the right hand side. it picked up a rough idle (its loud). I replaced 5 of the 6 spark plugs (i just learned how to do the steering wheel post one), put a new fuel filter on, and added enough injector additive to kill a bull. maybe valve adjustment? ANYBODY WITH SOME IDEAS?.. I brought up the "motherboard" computer issue because it seems like it could solve a couple of peoples problems... could the loudness be an intake/exhaust gasket?? thanks for your time, like everyone here I love the truck, power to boot, so i'd like to keep it.