WHEN EVER IT RAINS OR IF I GO THROUGH THE CARWASH, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS VERY HARD. FEELS LIKE SOMEONE HIT YOU FROM BEHIND. SEEMS LIKE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION HARNESS GETS WET IS WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURS. *TR
1996 Chevrolet C1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most C1500 years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Chevrolet C1500 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 41.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all C1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
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: 14 of 229 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.
- Visibility. Review the 58 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seats. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
20 reportsTRANSMISSION THIS IS THE THIRD TIME FOR REBUILDING THIS TRANSMISSION EVERY TIME IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM,ROUGH SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND & NO SHIFT TO 3RD OR OVERDRIVE & EVERY REBUILD IS $1,000.00. NOT TO MENTION THE HOW UNSAFE THIS COULD BE . IS SOMEONE GOING TO HAVE TO GET KILLED AS A RESULT FROM THE FAILURE OF THESE TRANS…
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TRANSMISSION THIS IS THE THIRD TIME FOR REBUILDING THIS TRANSMISSION EVERY TIME IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM,ROUGH SHIFT FROM 1ST TO 2ND & NO SHIFT TO 3RD OR OVERDRIVE & EVERY REBUILD IS $1,000.00. NOT TO MENTION THE HOW UNSAFE THIS COULD BE . IS SOMEONE GOING TO HAVE TO GET KILLED AS A RESULT FROM THE FAILURE OF THESE TRANSMISSIONS BEFORE SOMEONE HAS THEM RECALLED? *NM
I HAVE A 1996 CHEVY 1/2 TON 2 WHEEL DRIVE TRUCK WITH LESS THAN 88000 MILES. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING WHILE GOING FROM 2ND TO 3RD AND NOW HAS NO 3RD OR 4TH. THIS ALL OCCURRED IN ONE DAY. IN READING FOR RECALLS AND TSB'S IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR SOME TIME AND GM CHOOSES NOT TO ADDRES…
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I HAVE A 1996 CHEVY 1/2 TON 2 WHEEL DRIVE TRUCK WITH LESS THAN 88000 MILES. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING WHILE GOING FROM 2ND TO 3RD AND NOW HAS NO 3RD OR 4TH. THIS ALL OCCURRED IN ONE DAY. IN READING FOR RECALLS AND TSB'S IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM FOR SOME TIME AND GM CHOOSES NOT TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. I CALLED TODAY AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE BY GM. I BARELY MADE IT BACK HOME WITH MY WIFE DUE TO THE PROBLEM. THIS KNOWN PROBLEM COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I WISH TO LODGE A FORMAL COMPLAINT AGAINST GM AND ASK THAT YOUR AGENCY CHECK INTO THE SEVERITY AND EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM AND HOW LONG GM HAS KNOWN ABOUT THE PROBLEM. *JB
TRANSMISSION FAILURE CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESS (GENERAL MOTORS SERVICE BULLETIN 667103). SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED 6/96, BUT CONSUMERS AREN'T NOTIFIED UNTIL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. FIVE COWORKERS ARE CURRENTLY HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS CAN BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST. TWO OF THESE WERE LEFT STRANDED WIT…
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TRANSMISSION FAILURE CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESS (GENERAL MOTORS SERVICE BULLETIN 667103). SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED 6/96, BUT CONSUMERS AREN'T NOTIFIED UNTIL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. FIVE COWORKERS ARE CURRENTLY HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. NAMES AND PHONE NUMBERS CAN BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST. TWO OF THESE WERE LEFT STRANDED WITH DISABLED TRUCKS. G.M. IS TAKING NO ACTION ON THIS.
TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT PROPERLY WHEN GOING FORWARD. CAN SHIFT INTO REVERSE FINE. WAS AT STOP SIGH & APPLIED GAS, TRANSMISSION STOPPED. MOTOR WAS STILL RUNNING. SHIFTED INTO REVERSE TO AVOID BEING HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. BEEN TO DEALERSHIP AT LEAST 4 TIMES, BUT MECHANIC CAN NOT LOCATE CAUSE OF P…
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TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT PROPERLY WHEN GOING FORWARD. CAN SHIFT INTO REVERSE FINE. WAS AT STOP SIGH & APPLIED GAS, TRANSMISSION STOPPED. MOTOR WAS STILL RUNNING. SHIFTED INTO REVERSE TO AVOID BEING HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. BEEN TO DEALERSHIP AT LEAST 4 TIMES, BUT MECHANIC CAN NOT LOCATE CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK
AT 50,000 MILES TRANSMISSION IS BEING REBUILT. WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR AT LOW SPEEDS, THERE IS ROUGH SHIFTING AND LOUD NOISES. MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *AK *ML
WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR, AT LOW SPEED, A LOUDER THAN NORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD AND A ROUGH SHIFT WAS FELT. TRANSMISSION WAS BEING REBUILT WITH ONLY 50,000 MILES. THE MECHANIC WASNOT SURE WHY THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMAT…
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WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR, AT LOW SPEED, A LOUDER THAN NORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD AND A ROUGH SHIFT WAS FELT. TRANSMISSION WAS BEING REBUILT WITH ONLY 50,000 MILES. THE MECHANIC WASNOT SURE WHY THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. MANUFACTURER WILL BE NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION CAUGHT ON FIRE. VEHICLE WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
COMPLETE FAILURE OF REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY. CARRIER BEARINGS LOST PRELOAD. REPLACEMENT OF RING GEAR, PINION, AXLE SHAFTS, CARRIER BEARINGS, PINION BEARINGS, AXLE BEARINGS & SEALS REQUIRED. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED AT THIS MILEAGE. REPAIR COST WAS $2105.00. CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL FAILURES OF THE C1500 PIC…
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COMPLETE FAILURE OF REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY. CARRIER BEARINGS LOST PRELOAD. REPLACEMENT OF RING GEAR, PINION, AXLE SHAFTS, CARRIER BEARINGS, PINION BEARINGS, AXLE BEARINGS & SEALS REQUIRED. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE FAILED AT THIS MILEAGE. REPAIR COST WAS $2105.00. CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL FAILURES OF THE C1500 PICKUP AXLES IN 1995, 1996 & 1997. ALSO MAYBE 1998. A FRIEND HAD (2) AXLES REPLACED ON HIS 1995 C1500 SUBURBAN UNDER WARRANTY. HE ALSO HAS NOISE IN HIS CURRENT SUBURBAN & IS TAKING IT IN TO BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. MINE HAD MADE NOISE BUT WAS NEVER LISTED AS A PROBLEM BY JOE SELF CHEVROLET.
PINION SEALS AND AXLE SEAL FAILED. NLM
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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