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1996 Chevrolet Beretta

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 1996 Chevrolet Beretta do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 39.

About this comparison →
72Owner complaints

Model-year median: 39

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
37
199385
199493
199572
19961
19972
19981
1999
Compare all Beretta years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine And Engine Cooling
18Service Brakes, Hydraulic
16Electrical System
9Power Train
9Air Bags
5
All reported categories
Suspension
5Seats
4Vehicle Speed Control
4Exterior Lighting
3Fuel System, Gasoline
3Steering
3Visibility
3Structure
2Tires
2Engine
1Fuel/propulsion System
1Interior Lighting
1Parking Brake
1Seat Belts
1Service Brakes, Air
1Unknown Or Other
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 8 of 72 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports0 fire reports8 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

18 reports
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76,000 miles · Dec 22, 2003
Engine And Engine Cooling

MY 1996 CHEVROLET BERETTA HAS HAD CHRONIC LEAKING PROBLEMS AROUND THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD. FIRST IT WAS FROM VARIOUS BOLTS, THEN FROM THE MAIN GASKET EVEN THOUGH THE CAR ONLY HAS 75K MILES ON IT. I CALLED CAR SHOPS IN THE AREA AND EVERYONE I SPOKE TO SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE GM 3.1L ENGINES. IT'S RIDICULOUS …

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MY 1996 CHEVROLET BERETTA HAS HAD CHRONIC LEAKING PROBLEMS AROUND THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD. FIRST IT WAS FROM VARIOUS BOLTS, THEN FROM THE MAIN GASKET EVEN THOUGH THE CAR ONLY HAS 75K MILES ON IT. I CALLED CAR SHOPS IN THE AREA AND EVERYONE I SPOKE TO SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE GM 3.1L ENGINES. IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT THERE IS A FAULTY GASKET IN THESE CARS THAT COSTS ABOUT $600-800 TO REPLACE, BUT THERE IS NO RECALL. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10050930

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2003
Engine And Engine Cooling

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10032499

Mileage unknown · May 13, 2002
Engine And Engine Cooling

3 HEAD GASKET FAILURES ON THIS VEHICLE. 1ST REPAIR WAS UNDER WARRANTY ON 12/16/98 AT 27392 MILES. 2ND REPAIR WAS AFTER WARRANTY PERIOD, PAID BY MYSELF, ON 2/01 AT 62253 MILES. BOTH REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED AT VALLEY CHEVROLET SERVICE CENTER, 221 CONYNGHAM AVE, WILKES-BARRE, PA 18702. HEAD GASKET IS NOW LEAKING AGAIN AT 77000 …

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3 HEAD GASKET FAILURES ON THIS VEHICLE. 1ST REPAIR WAS UNDER WARRANTY ON 12/16/98 AT 27392 MILES. 2ND REPAIR WAS AFTER WARRANTY PERIOD, PAID BY MYSELF, ON 2/01 AT 62253 MILES. BOTH REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED AT VALLEY CHEVROLET SERVICE CENTER, 221 CONYNGHAM AVE, WILKES-BARRE, PA 18702. HEAD GASKET IS NOW LEAKING AGAIN AT 77000 MILES AND THE 1 YEAR WARRANTY ON THE LAST REPAIR EXPIRED IN FEBRUARY OF 2002, 3 MONTHS AGO. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET CORPORATION, AND HAVE A COPY OF THEIR EMAIL RESPONSE STATING THEY WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS REPAIR. THEY STATED THAT COVERED PROBLEMS OCCUR "EARLY" IN THE VEHICLES USAGE, (THE FIRST REPAIR WAS UNDER THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY PERIOD) AND THAT THIS VEHICLE IS TOO OLD AND HAS TOO MANY MILES FOR THEM TO TAKE RESPONSIBLITY AT THIS TIME.*AK

NHTSA ODI #761856

Mileage unknown · May 4, 2001
Engine And Engine Cooling

OIL SHOULD BE CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES, I HAVE TO ADD OIL EVERY 1000 - 1500 MILES, NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANYMORE, IT SHOULD NOT LEAK AFTER SEAL WAS REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ODI #744931

Mileage unknown · Nov 13, 2000
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine CoolingTires

SERPENTINE BELT FAILED. NLM

NHTSA ODI #557261

Mileage unknown · Oct 30, 2000
Engine And Engine Cooling

CAVALIERS/SUNFIRES AND S-10 PICKUPS ARE COVERED BY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TO 100,000 MILES FOR THIS COMMON FAILURE. I AM TOLD THAT THE BERETTA IS NOT *AK

NHTSA ODI #735429

Mileage unknown · Oct 11, 2000
Engine And Engine CoolingService Brakes, Hydraulic

CONSUMER HAS MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. BRAKES & ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 17,495 MILES. DEALER SAID IT WAS NORMAL WEAR. ON OCTOBER 5TH, THE VEHICLE WAS IN FOR A LUBE JOB, AND DEALER NEVER DETECTED THAT HEAD GASKET & FREEZE PLUG WERE LEAKING. CONSUMER TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC TO BE CHECKED. VEHICLE HAS NOW 19,000 MIL…

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CONSUMER HAS MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. BRAKES & ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 17,495 MILES. DEALER SAID IT WAS NORMAL WEAR. ON OCTOBER 5TH, THE VEHICLE WAS IN FOR A LUBE JOB, AND DEALER NEVER DETECTED THAT HEAD GASKET & FREEZE PLUG WERE LEAKING. CONSUMER TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC TO BE CHECKED. VEHICLE HAS NOW 19,000 MILES.*AK

NHTSA ODI #872708

Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2000
Engine And Engine Cooling

VEHICLE HAS INTERMITENT LOSS OF POWER WHICH CAN OCCUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED FIVE TIMES; YET, THE PROBLEM IS RECURRING. THE ENGINE MAKES A TICKING NOISE, AND POWER DROPS TO ABOUT 35 MPH. DEALER REPLACED FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP, FUEL GUAGE, O2 SENSOR. THIS TIME, THE DEALER INSISTS THAT IT MUST BE A CLOGGE…

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VEHICLE HAS INTERMITENT LOSS OF POWER WHICH CAN OCCUR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED FIVE TIMES; YET, THE PROBLEM IS RECURRING. THE ENGINE MAKES A TICKING NOISE, AND POWER DROPS TO ABOUT 35 MPH. DEALER REPLACED FUEL FILTER, FUEL PUMP, FUEL GUAGE, O2 SENSOR. THIS TIME, THE DEALER INSISTS THAT IT MUST BE A CLOGGED CATALYTIC CONVERTER. IT IS DANGEROUS TO LOSE VEHICLE POWER ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, AND IT IS AGGRAVATING TO BE TOLD BY A DEALER THAT THE "PROBLEM" HAS BEEN "FIXED" FOR THE FIFTH TIME."

NHTSA ODI #727645

Mileage unknown · Jul 18, 2000
Engine And Engine Cooling

ENGINE HEAD GASKET FALIURE. ENGINE DAMAGE SEVERE. DEALER AND GM CONTACTED WITH NO RESULTS.*AK

NHTSA ODI #725655

Mileage unknown · Apr 26, 2000
Engine And Engine Cooling

VEHICLE IDLED AT ABOUT 3000 RPM FOR NO REASON. NO ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, AND NO FAULTY CODES WERE DETECTED. CONSUMER HAD AIR CONTROL VALVE REPLACED, BUT IT DID NOT FIX THE DEFECT. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK

NHTSA ODI #860981

Official recalls

1

98V027000 · Interior Lighting

Feb 17, 1998

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR THE INTERIOR LAMPS TO COME ON UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE THE VEHICLES ARE BEING DRIVEN. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 101, "CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE INTERIOR LAMPS COMING ON UNEXPECTEDLY COULD STARTLE A DRIVER CAUSING A MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL RUN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON THE LAMP CONTROL MODULE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE IT.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.