Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 454 consumer complaints across the 17 model years of the Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck (1985–2003) that have at least 5 complaints. 1995 has the most, with 53. Across all years, the part named most often is brakes (104 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Chevrolet Truck years →
All Chevrolet Truck model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 40 | 51,829 | 0 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2002 | 37 | 49,695 | 0 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2001 | 21 | 54,750 | 0 | 2 | — | Stable |
| 2000 | 19 | 56,017 | 0 | 2 | — | Stable |
| 1999 | 35 | 69,000 | 0 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 33 | 116,000 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 48 | 60,500 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 49 | 142,500 | 0 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 53 | 160,000 | 0 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 35 | 151,667 | 0 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 13 | 92,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1992 | 13 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1991 | 13 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1990 | 11 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1989 | 14 | 80,441 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1988 | 15 | — | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1985 | 5 | — | 1 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Brakes104 27%
- Transmission and drivetrain52 13%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)49 13%
- Tires45 12%
- Steering41 10%
- Electrical system36 9.2%
- Fuel system34 8.7%
- Seats30 7.7%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2002: “The gear position sensor on the side of the allison transmission failed in traffic during rainy conditions causing the transmission to quit working. I was able to get to the side of the road and get the transmission to shift into default second and make it to a repair shop where I got the part replaced hopefully with an improved part. My truck is a 2002 Chevrolet k2500.”
NHTSA complaint #10185425, filed 2007-03, 93,000 miles1997: “I have a 1997 chevy tahoe that has had all of the required tune-ups and services. I recently lost my transmissions. I have never pulled anything with this truck. I searched the internet and found that almost 95 out of a 100 buyers have had this same problem. Why should the chevy corp. Be able to sell you something and months later that trans go out and all they have to say is it common.”
NHTSA complaint #10207939, filed 2007-11, 177,520 miles2003: “While driving on the freeway, my truck lost power which made me pull over quickly almost causing an accident..apparently I ran out of gas, while my fuel gauge was still showing a quarter of a tank...also other gauges on my cluster are not working like the speedometer. It is a 2003 chevy silverado and GM is charging over 600 dollars to repair, many owners are have the same problems.”
NHTSA complaint #10177433, filed 2006-12, 80,000 milesOther Chevrolet models
19,366 complaintsChevrolet Silverado 1500
18,111 complaintsChevrolet Impala
10,408 complaintsChevrolet Tahoe
10,060 complaintsChevrolet Equinox
9,208 complaintsChevrolet Silverado
8,790 complaintsChevrolet Blazer
8,199 complaintsChevrolet Suburban
8,170 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology