IllustrationBOTH MY 1996 AND 1997 CHEVROLET C1500'S HAVE EXPERIENCED FAILED FUEL INJECTORS. THE 1997 CHEVROLET NEEDED 6 NEW FUEL INJECTORS AT APPROXIMATELY 13,000 MILES. THE 1996 CHEVROLET HAD ONE INJECTOR REPLACED AT 48,500 MILES. BOTH VEHICLES WERE PURCHASED USED.
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 reportsWHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES ON WET OR DRY PAVEMENT, PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *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…
Read full complaint
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.
I HAVE HEARD OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS. THE BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS FELT "SPONGY" BUT THE DEALER HAS ALWAYS SAID THERE IS NO PROBLEM DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD.
THE TAILATE CABLE BROKE DUE TO HAVING RUSTY BOLTS THAT HOLD TAILGATE CABLE TO BED OF TRUCK. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL TO WORK PROPERLY WHILE IN USE. WIPERS WOULD STOP ON ITS OWN. THIS CAUSES THE DRIVER TO HAVE POOR VISIBILITY. TOOK TO DEALER & HAD THE CIRCUIT BOARD MODULE REPLACED. *AK *YC
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL TURN ON / OFF INTERMITTENTLY, CAUSING A LOSS OF VISIBILITY. VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED UNDER RECALL DUE TO VIN. *YC
WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF OPERATION. SOMETIMES WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL COME OUT, AND SOMETIMES THEY WILL NOT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. TRUCK NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL # 98V150001 WINDSHIELD WIPER WIRING DUE TO VIN. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON VEHICLE'S MAKE AND MODEL, HOWEVER THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. MANUFACTURER AND DEALER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
FACTORY COMPUTER DEFECT CAUSED TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT OR NOT SHIFT IN AN ERRATIC MANNER, IT ALSO CAUSED INTERNAL TRANSMISSION COMPONENTS TO HEAT UP AND FAIL. *ET
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.