IllustrationWINDSHIEILD WIPERS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK CONSUMER IS STATING THAT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM WAS COVERED BY A RECALL FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED THROUGH MAY 1996; HIS VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN JUNE OF 1996. *YD
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 reportsVEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BRADSHAW CHEVROLET ON 03/06/2002. SERVICE MANAGER STATED THERE WAS NO CAMPAIGN CURRENTLY UNDER WAY TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE WIRING, AS I CAN WIGGLE THE CONNECTION AND THE WIPERS WILL BEGIN WORKING. THE BRAKES SEEM TO TAKE AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF PEDAL PRESSURE TO STOP, ES…
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VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BRADSHAW CHEVROLET ON 03/06/2002. SERVICE MANAGER STATED THERE WAS NO CAMPAIGN CURRENTLY UNDER WAY TO REPAIR MY VEHICLE UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM IS IN THE WIRING, AS I CAN WIGGLE THE CONNECTION AND THE WIPERS WILL BEGIN WORKING. THE BRAKES SEEM TO TAKE AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF PEDAL PRESSURE TO STOP, ESPECIALLY UNDER EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE WRITER @ KEVIN WHITTAKER THAT THERE WAS NO CAMPAING FOR RECALL DUE TO DEFECTS. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK DEALER STATED THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN RECALL REGARDING THIS CONDITION. *TT
WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN THE WIDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING AND COME ON THEMSELVES AFTER THE UNIT SEEMS TO COOL DOWN. THIS HAPPENED TO ME TWICE IN ONE DAY WHILE DRIVING AND IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO WRECK MY VEHICLE.I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF GM IS DOING A RECALL ON A VEHICLE WITH THE VIN # THAT MINE HAS. *AK
WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR PROPERLY. VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER. DEALER CONTACTED.*AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS CURRENTLY CHANGING CORRECTLY, HOWEVER NOW THERE IS A FLUID LEAK, DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE CONSUMER FOR THESE REPAIRS. *SLC
INJECTION PUMP HAS FAILED TWICE, CAUSING CONSUMER TO PUSH VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC. FIRST TIME GMC PUT A NEW PART ON AND VEHICLE LOST BRAKES WHEN PULLING OUT INTO A INTERSECTION. GMC IS NOT CONSIDERING ASSISTING CONSUMER BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY MILES, AND MONEY WILL NOT BE SPENT TO INVESTIGATE. NEW PART IS FAILING FASTER…
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INJECTION PUMP HAS FAILED TWICE, CAUSING CONSUMER TO PUSH VEHICLE OUT OF TRAFFIC. FIRST TIME GMC PUT A NEW PART ON AND VEHICLE LOST BRAKES WHEN PULLING OUT INTO A INTERSECTION. GMC IS NOT CONSIDERING ASSISTING CONSUMER BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY MILES, AND MONEY WILL NOT BE SPENT TO INVESTIGATE. NEW PART IS FAILING FASTER THAN THE OLD. *AK
THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, AND APPEARS TO FAI WHEN EITHER CD PLAYER OR DEFROSTER IS USED. WHEN BOTH ARE DISCONTINUED AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME PASSES,WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK PROPERLY.*AK
Z71 TRUCK TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 55,000 MILES. GM STATES THAT MY VEHICLE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION & THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I DID TO CAUSE THE FAILURE. GM SERVICE BULLETIN (DOC. #225207) STATES THAT THE VCM CAN CAUSE ERRATIC LINE PRESSURE WITH THE 4L60-E TRANSMISSION. ALTHOUGH THE BULLETINS ARE FOR TECH. INFO ONLY, THIS …
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Z71 TRUCK TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 55,000 MILES. GM STATES THAT MY VEHICLE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION & THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I DID TO CAUSE THE FAILURE. GM SERVICE BULLETIN (DOC. #225207) STATES THAT THE VCM CAN CAUSE ERRATIC LINE PRESSURE WITH THE 4L60-E TRANSMISSION. ALTHOUGH THE BULLETINS ARE FOR TECH. INFO ONLY, THIS SERVICE BULLETIN DOCUMENTS A KNOWN PRE-EXISTING DEFECT THAT CAN "LEAD" TO PREMATURE TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO THE VCM COMMUNICATING INTERMITTENT, ERRATIC, UNSTABLE LINE PRESSURE. THE BULLETIN ADDRESSES THE PROBLEM & POTENTIAL "FAILURE OR DAMAGE" VERSUS BEING INFORMATIVE & TOOLS NEEDED FOR THE JOB. BECAUSE CONSUMERS ARE NOT NOTIFIED OF BULLETINS, THEY END-UP PAYING FOR THESE REPAIRS OUT OF POCKET, NEVER KNOWING THEY STEM FROM FACTORY DEFECTS & COULD BE REPAIRED FOR LITTLE OR NOTHING. NOTIFICATION PRECLUDES ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS & EXPENSE THAT COULD BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY OR HIDDEN WARRANTY (SO CALLED GOOD WILL PROGRAM).*AK
LADY RAN STOPLIGHT - I T-BONED HER IN THE DRIVER DOOR AT 45 MPH. MY AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. *AK
CONSUMER'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING 45 TO 50 MPH. UPON IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS.*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.