GMC P Series Recalls

The GMC P Series has 18 recalls spanning the 1975–1993 production run, with the most serious being a 1993 model year defect where loose or missing fasteners on the intermediate steering shaft can cause it to separate completely, leaving the driver with no steering control and no warning.

The next most recent recall affects 1992 models and involves an emissions compliance issue tied to incorrect engine control module programming. Stepping back to 1989, certain P3 models with i-beam front suspensions and automatic transmissions have a shift lever that can slip from park into reverse without the driver lifting the selector, potentially setting the vehicle in motion unintentionally.

The 1985 model year carries the heaviest cluster of recalls. Two separate wheel issues affect these vehicles: front steel wheel discs on P3-42 chassis can develop circumferential cracking and shed the rim inboard, and a crack through the weld between the wheel disc and rim can propagate until the rim separates entirely, both without prior warning. On the suspension side, the left-hand lower control arm on G3 and P3 models can crack from the rear flange toward the ball joint mount and eventually break free, and on P30 and P35 models with i-beam front axles and 16-inch wheels, the tie rod end can contact and groove the tire sidewall during combined cornering and braking, leading to tire failure. A brake line issue also affects 1985 P6 models, where a body support bracket can wear through nearby brake lines and cause partial brake system failure, extending stopping distances.

Going further back, 1983 P20 and P30 vehicles have a three-piece fuel filler hose that can separate in a rear collision and allow fuel to leak beyond safe limits. The 1982 model year has a fan blade assembly on P30 and P35 vehicles that can fatigue and break at the hub while the engine runs, throwing fragments that can injure anyone near an open hood. On 1980 P30 models with heavy-duty rear axles, the rear brake hose and pipe assemblies can chafe against the axle housing, eventually failing and causing loss of rear braking.

The 1979 model year includes a body-specific issue on P10, P20, and P30 vehicles with Gruman Olson bodies, where an incorrectly made engine cover protrudes past the toe board and can block the driver's foot from moving from the accelerator to the brake pedal. The 1978 model year has two recalls on similar Gruman Olson-bodied vehicles: seat belt anchor bolts that can loosen from vibration and fail to restrain the driver in a crash, and speedometers calibrated in miles rather than kilometers as required for the Canadian market. The 1977 model year has a fuel tank vent plug on P30 vehicles that may have melted during storage in high heat before body installation, removing the protection against fuel tank over-pressurization, along with a labeling compliance issue where weight ratings were listed in pounds rather than kilograms. The earliest recall covers 1975 models, where front suspension ball joints on P20, P30, and P3 variants can fail and cause one side of the front suspension to collapse without warning, and where dual rear wheel side rings may not seat properly on the rim, risking wheel failure.