IllustrationWINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. PLEASE ADD ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
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.
15 crash reports3 fire reports12 injury reports
What owners actually said
229 reportsTHE BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED WITHOUT WARNING CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKING ABILITY. *MJS
THE BELT TENSIONER CAME APART, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND NO AIR CONDITIONING. *MJS (ORIGINAL REPORT 557308)
THE BELT TENSIONER CAME APART, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND NO AIR CONDITIONING. *MJS (ORIGINAL REPORT 557308)
THE BELT TENSIONER CAME APART, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND NO AIR CONDITIONING. *MJS (ORIGINAL REPORT 557308)
WHILE TRAVELING ABS INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD FLASH. WHEN DEPRESSING BRAKES VEHICLE WOULD GO INTO EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 45MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. HE WAS HIT BY A T-BONE FASHION. UPON IMPACT, FRONTAL AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. THE DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED. DRIVER SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES. *AK
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
TIRES ON THE RIGHT SIDE HAVE CHUNKS COMING OUT BY THE TREAD. THE OTHER 2 TIRES ON THE LEFT SIDE ARE HAVING TREAD SEPARATION. THE STEEL BELTS ARE SHOWING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE DRIVER SIDE MAKES SLAPPING NOISES. TOOK TO FIRESTONE RETAILER & INFORMED WOULD NOT EXCHANGE TIRES FOR OTHER TIRES EVENTHOUGH THEY WERE BAD UNTIL PAYME…
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TIRES ON THE RIGHT SIDE HAVE CHUNKS COMING OUT BY THE TREAD. THE OTHER 2 TIRES ON THE LEFT SIDE ARE HAVING TREAD SEPARATION. THE STEEL BELTS ARE SHOWING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE DRIVER SIDE MAKES SLAPPING NOISES. TOOK TO FIRESTONE RETAILER & INFORMED WOULD NOT EXCHANGE TIRES FOR OTHER TIRES EVENTHOUGH THEY WERE BAD UNTIL PAYMENT WAS MADE FIRST. FIRESTONE, LT245/75R16 ON 1996, CHEVROLET, C1500 WITH 119,000 MILES.*AK THE FIRESTONE DEALER WANTED FULL RETAIL PRICE FOR REPLACEMENT OF DEFECTIVE TIRES. *YH
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.