FaultScore report
Owners have filed 23 complaints about the 2001 GMC Savana with NHTSA between 2001 and 2025. The largest single group is the transmission & drivetrain. Across this model's run it ranks 7 of 12 worst.
FaultScore 45/100
Higher is worse. Measured against the other years of the GMC Savana.
How this is worked out23
Complaints
0
Crashes reported
1
Fires reported
2
Injuries reported
54,000 mi
Median mileage at failure
Half of reported failures happened before this
22%
Failed under 36,000 miles
Inside a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
Click any bar to open that year's report.
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
0 crashes, 1 fires
Median failure at 50,000 miles
Median failure at 95,898 miles
Median failure at 20,000 miles
Median failure at 8,708 miles
Median failure at 80,000 miles
Median failure at 65,779 miles
Median failure at 54,000 miles
Median failure at 54,000 miles
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all complaints include one.
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single owner can see from inside their own car.
Reports where the owner recorded a crash, a fire, an injury or a death.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 12 HOURS. CONSUMER WAS AWAKENED BY HORN SOUNDING. VEHICLE WAS IN FLAMES, FIRE MARSHALL AND INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR STATED FIRE WAS CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL WIRING. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED.
NHTSA complaint #8015116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
FUME INHALATION FROM GEAR OIL BURNING. FAMILY BECAME ILL AT TIME OF INCIDENT. GMCWANTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND GIVE ME A 5 YEAR WARRANTY ... NO LIFE INSURANCE MENTIONED. BBB IS BEGINNING ARBITRATION, SINCE WE FEEL THE FUMES ARE UNSAFE AND WANT OUR MONEY BACK. CAN YOU HELP???
NHTSA complaint #764138 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
FUME INHALATION FROM GEAR OIL BURNING. FAMILY BECAME ILL AT TIME OF INCIDENT. GMCWANTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND GIVE ME A 5 YEAR WARRANTY ... NO LIFE INSURANCE MENTIONED. BBB IS BEGINNING ARBITRATION, SINCE WE FEEL THE FUMES ARE UNSAFE AND WANT OUR MONEY BACK. CAN YOU HELP???
NHTSA complaint #764138 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I don't know sometimes wrong with the electrical issue before I got to dive into it I had got some damages from death or vandalism
NHTSA complaint #11675891 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE
I don't know sometimes wrong with the electrical issue before I got to dive into it I had got some damages from death or vandalism
NHTSA complaint #11675891 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
I don't know sometimes wrong with the electrical issue before I got to dive into it I had got some damages from death or vandalism
NHTSA complaint #11675891 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 GMC SAVANA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE AIR BAGS SUDDENLY DEPLOYED AND ALL OF THE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR WAS CORRODED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 151,000.
NHTSA complaint #10462377 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
OTHER:SCHOOL BUS STOP ARM ASSEMBLY
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHEN THE DOOR ON THE SCHOOL BUS WAS OPENED, THE STOP SIGN ARM DID NOT DEPLOY AUTOMATICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHERE THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10172819 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
SINCE YOU JUST ISSUED THE RECALL ON GM PICKUP TRUCKS, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY GMC SAVANA 15-SEATER 2001 VAN. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2001. IT NOW HAS AROUND 56,000 MILES ON IT. PROBLEM: SOMETIMES THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON, IN WHICH CASE THE CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK. SOMETIMES THE FRONT PASSENGER ELECTRIC WINDOW DOESN'T WORK DURING THESE TIMES. I LEARNED ABOUT THE RECALL FROM MSNBC, READING THE NEWS ONLINE. SINCE YOU DIDN'T HAVE "INTERNET" ON YOUR REFERRAL SOURCE CHOICES, I SAID "NEWSPAPER" AS BEING THE CLOSEST THING.
NHTSA complaint #10156546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
SINCE YOU JUST ISSUED THE RECALL ON GM PICKUP TRUCKS, I WOULD LIKE TO LET YOU KNOW I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY GMC SAVANA 15-SEATER 2001 VAN. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2001. IT NOW HAS AROUND 56,000 MILES ON IT. PROBLEM: SOMETIMES THE BRAKE LIGHT STAYS ON, IN WHICH CASE THE CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK. SOMETIMES THE FRONT PASSENGER ELECTRIC WINDOW DOESN'T WORK DURING THESE TIMES. I LEARNED ABOUT THE RECALL FROM MSNBC, READING THE NEWS ONLINE. SINCE YOU DIDN'T HAVE "INTERNET" ON YOUR REFERRAL SOURCE CHOICES, I SAID "NEWSPAPER" AS BEING THE CLOSEST THING.
NHTSA complaint #10156546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
THE REAR LEFT DOOR WILL NOT OPEN, THE LATCH IS BROKEN. I OWN THREE GMC VANS ALL OF WHICH THE LEFT REAR DOORS WILL NOT OPEN.
NHTSA complaint #10153531 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
AIR BAGS
PURCHASED 2001 GMC SAVANNA 2500 VAN ON 3-31-05 ( NO WARRANTY); NOTICED "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT AND AIR BAG LIGHT WERE ON. HAD VAN SERVICED ON 4-6-05. MECHANIC CLEARED UP ALL PROBLEMS EXCEPT THE SCAN TOOL COULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH THE AIR BAG MODULE. WHEN THE MECHANIC STARTED THE ENGINE BACK UP, THE ENGINE WAS ON FOR APPROX. 5 - 10 SECONDS, AND THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WENT OFF! LUCKILY NO ONE WAS SITTING THERE AT THE TIME.
NHTSA complaint #10118205 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
ENGINES STALLS FREQUENTLY. DEALER SAYS THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10114027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
NO WARNING FAILURE OF STANADYNE PN [XXX] (GM NUMBER) OR MFG #[XXX]. VEHICLE IS 2001 GMC VAN [XXX]. THE FUEL SOLENOID DRIVER (FSD) IS LOCATED ON THE INJECTOR PUMP AND IS USED TO DRIVE THE FUEL SYSTEM. ITS FAILURE IS CAUSE BY HEAT OR LACK OF COOLING OF THE TWO 500 WATT TRANSISTORS. FAILURE IS ABRUPT WITH OUT WARNING AND CAUSES LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL DUE TO STALLING. AFTER COOL DOWN VEHICLE CAN BE RESTARTED. FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED 5/22/2003 AT 39630 MILES AND WAS REPAIRED UNDER CLAIM NUMBER 1-105619528. THE SECOND FAILURE (OF THE REPLACED PART) OCCURRED AT 65779 MILES AND WAS NOTED IN REPAIR TICKET 1-273605803. THE UNIT WAS NOT REPAIRED BY GM BUT WAS REPLACED BY THE OWNER (ME). THE PART DID NOT FAIL AT DEALER WHO ONLY DROVE THE VEHICLE 8 MILES. STALLING OF VEHICLE CAUSES LOSS OF CONTROL SINCE THE DIESEL MOTOR DRIVES THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. PART FAILURE DOES NOT SET ANY COMPUTER CODES READABLE AT DTC11 CONNECTOR. BASED ON INTERNET INVESTIGATION USING FSD FAILURE AND GM IN THE GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE, MANY REPAIR SOLUTIONS ARE RECOMMENDED. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM SINCE GM ISSUED A WARRANTY EXTENSION, G00064D IN MAY 2003. ORIGINAL PART IS AVAILABLE. REPLACEMENT PART (THE SECOND FAILURE) IS AVAILABLE. *JB UPDATED 07/24/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #10098751 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
BOTH CABLES TO THE LIFTGATE BROKE DUE TO RUST AND CORROSION. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE TRUCK WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL.*AK
NHTSA complaint #10095332 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
WHILE OPENING THE MIDDLE DOOR TO THE MINI VAN THE DOOR SHEARED OFF . THE DOOR IS HANG OFF BY THE HINGES. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ON RECALL AND THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
NHTSA complaint #10092131 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, THE REAR TIRE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE PEELED AND THE TIRE BLEW OUT AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SWAY AND THE SWAY BAR TO BREAK. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE PASSENGER TIRES RUBBER PEELED AWAY FROM THE STEEL BELT. AS THE RUBBER WAS PEELING FROM THE TIRE, IT WAS HITTING THE SIDES OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING NUMEROUS SCRATCHES AND RUBBER MARKS AS WELL AS BREAKING PIECES OFF OF THE REAR PANEL. *AK *SC
NHTSA complaint #10081475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
TROUBLE STARTING: TURN KEY, VEHICLE TURNS OVER FINE,THAN SHUTS OFF. BEEN TO DEALER SIX TIMES THEY CAN NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. AT FIRST THEY (DEALER) THOUGHT IT WAS THE KEY. ISSUED NEW KEY OEM. STILL PROBLEM EXSISTED.WHAT WE DO NOW WE FLIP THE KEY AND TRY TO START VEHICLE AND SOMETIMES IT WILL START.THIS PROBLEM DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN BUT WHEN IT DOES IT'S FRUSTRATING. THE MOST RECENT PROBLEM HAPPENED BEFORE THE NEW YEAR 2004. BUT THIS TIME IT WAS BEING DRIVEN.THE LOSS OF ALL POWER IS SCARY BUT ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE. GMC WHY CAN'T YOU FIGURE THIS PROBLEM OUT.
NHTSA complaint #10051557 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR
THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WITH MY 2001 GMC SAVANNA. THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS VIBRATE SO BADLY THAT I HAVE A PROBLEM DURING THE DAY SEEING THE CORRECT IMAGES. AT NIGHT THE PROBLEM IS WORSE. I AM CONSTANTLY READJUSTED THE MIRRORS TO TRY TO AVOID "HEADLIGHT FLASH". I HAVE HAD GMC REPLACE THE MIRRORS. WHEN I ASKED FOR A SECOND REPLACEMENT, THEY SAID THAT THIS WAS COMMON AND THAT I "WOULD JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT." I DRIVE THIS VAN APPROXIMATELY 350 HIGHWAY MILES A WEEK. BECAUSE MY FIELD OF VIEW IS SO POOR DUE TO THIS DEFECT, I FEEL THAT MY SAFETY HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY COMPROMISED.
NHTSA complaint #10043521 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
DEALER HAS REPLACED THE REAR AXLE SET SEAL FOUR TIMES AT 1,000 , 20,000, 55,000 AND 60,000 MILES. DEALER HAS INSPECTED SEVERAL OTHERS, AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #10022214 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION WILL NOT CHANGE GEAR OR WILL HESITATE AND JERK INTO GEAR. CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER CANNOT FIX PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #8016543 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 12 HOURS. CONSUMER WAS AWAKENED BY HORN SOUNDING. VEHICLE WAS IN FLAMES, FIRE MARSHALL AND INSURANCE INVESTIGATOR STATED FIRE WAS CAUSED BY ELECTRICAL WIRING. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED.
NHTSA complaint #8015116 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
FUME INHALATION FROM GEAR OIL BURNING. FAMILY BECAME ILL AT TIME OF INCIDENT. GMCWANTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND GIVE ME A 5 YEAR WARRANTY ... NO LIFE INSURANCE MENTIONED. BBB IS BEGINNING ARBITRATION, SINCE WE FEEL THE FUMES ARE UNSAFE AND WANT OUR MONEY BACK. CAN YOU HELP???
NHTSA complaint #764138 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
FUME INHALATION FROM GEAR OIL BURNING. FAMILY BECAME ILL AT TIME OF INCIDENT. GMCWANTS TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND GIVE ME A 5 YEAR WARRANTY ... NO LIFE INSURANCE MENTIONED. BBB IS BEGINNING ARBITRATION, SINCE WE FEEL THE FUMES ARE UNSAFE AND WANT OUR MONEY BACK. CAN YOU HELP???
NHTSA complaint #764138 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THERE IS PULSATION AND VIBRATION UNDERNEATH VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.
NHTSA complaint #8003756 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
STEERING WHEEL WAS VIBRATING WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, DEALER FOUND WARPED ROTORS. DEALER ONLY WILLING TO PAY FOR PART, WANTS CONSUMER TO PAY FOR LABOR.
NHTSA complaint #882934 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.