IllustrationBRAKE PADS, CALIPERS AND ROTORS FAILED CONTINUALLY WITH EXCESSIVE WEAR. *ET
1994 Chevrolet Lumina
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1994 Chevrolet Lumina do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 126.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Lumina 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: 7 of 126 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
126 reportsBRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH. DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
ON THE DATE IN QUESTION, THIS CAR WAS DRIVEN ALL DAY WITHOUT A PROBLEM. UPON RETURNING HOME THAT NIGHT, ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY , I FIRST NOTICED THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE LIGHT COME ON. I PULLED INTO A REST AREA AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE WITH THE INTENT OF JUST RESTARTING IT TO RECYCLE THE SYSTEM. WHEN I WENT TO RESTART IT, AND AL…
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ON THE DATE IN QUESTION, THIS CAR WAS DRIVEN ALL DAY WITHOUT A PROBLEM. UPON RETURNING HOME THAT NIGHT, ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY , I FIRST NOTICED THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE LIGHT COME ON. I PULLED INTO A REST AREA AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE WITH THE INTENT OF JUST RESTARTING IT TO RECYCLE THE SYSTEM. WHEN I WENT TO RESTART IT, AND ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ENOUGH ELECTRICITY FOR THE INTERIOR AND UNDER HOOD LIGHTS, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH ELECTRICITY TO RESTART THE CAR. I CALLED AAA TO COME AND GET ME GOING. AAA DID COME AND RESTART THE CAR BY JUMPING THE BATTERY AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. ABOUT 3 MILES DOWN THE ROAD AS WE WERE EXITING THE INTERSTATE, OTHER DASH WARNING LIGHTS STARTED TO COME ON, AND THE SPEEDOMETER STARTED TO INDICATE I WAS TRAVELING AT 85MPH (ALTHOUGH I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 35). I THEN NOTICED THE HEADLIGHTS GOING DIM. BY THE TIME I COULD GET TO A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER I HAD LOST ALL ELECTRICITY. I HAD NO BRAKES, NO LIGHTS, AND NO POWER STEERING. ONCE AGAIN I CALLED AAA. THIS TIME THEY CAME AND TOWED ME HOME. SINCE THIS CAR IS MY SON'S AND IS NOT USED THAT OFTEN WHILE HE IS AWAY AT COLLEGE, NOTHING WAS DONE TO IT FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I THEN WENT OUT TO THE CAR AND TRIED TO START IT. SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH IT STARTED RIGHT UP. WITHIN A FEW SECONDS OF IT STARTING I NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. NO ATTEMPT HAS BEEN MADE TO START OR MOVE THE CAR SINCE. *AK
FILE#998884944 THROUGH CHEVY. FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT AND CHEVROLET SHOULD PAY FOR FIXING PROBLEM. WENT TO OTHER AUTO TECHNICIANS, AND TOLD THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM THAT DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL 100,00 MILES UNLESS CAR WAS ABUSED WHICH IT WAS NOT. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW CAN SOMEONE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THANK YOU. …
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FILE#998884944 THROUGH CHEVY. FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT AND CHEVROLET SHOULD PAY FOR FIXING PROBLEM. WENT TO OTHER AUTO TECHNICIANS, AND TOLD THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM THAT DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL 100,00 MILES UNLESS CAR WAS ABUSED WHICH IT WAS NOT. MY CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW CAN SOMEONE LOOK INTO THIS MATTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE THANK YOU. *AK
ABS LIGHT STAYED ON AND REPAIRS WERE MADE. PROBLEM OCCURRED THREE TIMES. WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED VEHICLE MAKES NOISE, AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE OCCURS. DEALER NOTIFIED ABOUT 14 TIMES OR MORE. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
DEFECTIVE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE SYSTEM CUTS OFF FUEL TO ENGINE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE STALL, LOSS OF POWER. DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS 4 TIMES. *AK
GAS TANK RUSTED.
WHILE DRIVING TO A STOP SIGN THE TRANMISSION WENT OUT. ALSO, THE RADIATOR WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE DEALER SAID THAT THERE WERE FAULTY PARTS ON THE VEHICLE. CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY WOULD'NT SERVICE THE VEHICLE. *AK
FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS/ROTORS WOULD R PREMATURELY. REPLACED BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.
INSTRUMENT PANEL REPLACED, IN MAY, DUE TO FAILURE OF TEMPERATURE, VOLT, RPM GAUGE, AND ALL LIGHTS. PRESENTLY, JULY, SAME GAUGES HAVE FAILED AGAIN AND THERE IS A ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL.
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.