IllustrationPASSENGER'S SEAT WILL NOT STAY LOCKED IN POSITION, CAUSING THE SEAT TO MOVE FORWARD AND BACKWARD WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. *AK
1996 Chevrolet Silverado
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Silverado years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Chevrolet Silverado are substantially higher than the model-year median of 76.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 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: 26 of 186 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 73 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports3 fire reports11 injury reports
What owners actually said
186 reportsWINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO BECOME IMOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
DURING BLIZARD ROAD CONDITIONS ON WAY TO WORK 4-WHEEL DRIVE DID NOT ENGAGE. I THINK THIS GAVE ME A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND SHOULD BE HANDLED AS A SAFETY ISSUE. *AK
WHILE DOING SOME REPAIR WORK AND BY THE VEHICLE BEING IN THE DRIVEWAY, CONSUMER NOTICED A TRANMISSION FLUID COMING FROM THE VEHICLE, AND THE TRANMISSION RUBBING ACROSS THE EXHAUST PIPE. TRANMISSION FLUID WAS GETTING ON THE EXHAUST PIPE. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. *AK
WHENEVER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THEY WOULD EITHER PULL TO RIGHT OR LEFT. SOMETIMES THE BRAKES WOULD GRAB WHEN APPLIED. AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. TOOK TO DEALER & MECHANIC COULD NOT LOCATE WHAT CAUSES THE PROBLEM. *AK
DRIVER'S INSIDE DOOR HANDLE HAS A WEAK METAL PART THAT FAILS WHEN THE DRIVER PULLS ON THE HANDLE TO OPEN THE DOOR. TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER MUST ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW AND UNLOCK THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE.
BRAKES FAILED. WHEN STOPPING BRAKES MADE A HISSING ( LIKE AIR RELEASING ).
BOTH DOORS OF VEHICLE WILL NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE. DEALER NOTIFIED AND WILL NOT REPAIR WITHOUT COST TO THE CONSUMER. CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT THIS CONDITION IS NOT CONSIDERED TO BE A NORMAL CONDITION WEAR FOR 65000 MILES. *AK
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WON'T LOCK.
BRAKES: WHEN DRIVING AND NEEDING TO STOP, APPLIED THE BRAKES,THEY LOCKED UP BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL. HAVE TO PUT PEDAL COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR, AND IT TAKES A WHILE FOR THE VEHICLE TO STOP. *AK
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.