1996 Chevrolet K1500 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 8about this part
- Share
- 9%of 94 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 108,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 1996 Chevrolet K1500, 9% of the 94 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 108,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Transmission failure due to faulty sun shell I'm writing to inform you of a serious transmission problem which needs to be addressed. For the second time in 3 and a half years, I've had a GM 4l60-e transmission rebuilt because of the sun shell shearing off and damaging internal parts inside the housing on two separate vehicles. After doing a little research and finding 3 neighbors who had the same problem, it was clear there was a pattern. …”
NHTSA complaint #10182978, filed 2007-02, 111,000 miles“I was driving down the highway at 65 MPH and my transfer case on my four wheel drive threw itself into 4 low. Which caused my truck to skid out of control . I managed to gain control of my vehicle and pull of onto the shoulder where I disconnected the box that controls the transfer case. This gave me two wheel drive which got me home. But I am afraid to hook the box back up in fear of killing myself or others if this should happen at high speed again.”
NHTSA complaint #10106078, filed 2005-01, 182,900 miles“At 70,000 miles the transmission on my 1996 chevy z71 went out, which also took the transfer case out. The truck was always maintained on time and babied. I have owned it since it was new. Of course the warranty is up so I am stuck with the bill. I have been researching online and I am not the only one with the same problem. These problems seem to be very common among 96-98 owners. Calling GM does nothing. Please force them to do something about this problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10011066, filed 2003-03, 70,207 miles“While taking off from a stop sign intersection the driveshaft broke. When the driveshaft broke it snapped in the middle, not the u joints, it cracked the transmission housing and put a dent in the gasoline tank.we were in process of getting the transmission rebuilt, and gettin a driveshaft made out of steel.”
NHTSA complaint #10186078, filed 2007-03, 105,000 miles“Srta transmission failed four times prematurely. The second failed due to burned gears. The third failure was due to cracking of reverse gear. The fourth failure was due to the third gear not shifting.”
NHTSA complaint #565707, filed 2002-05Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 1996 Chevrolet K1500
26 complaintsBrakes
14 complaintsTires
10 complaintsFuel system
9 complaintsSeats
8 complaintsElectrical system
6 complaintsEngine cooling
6 complaintsSeat belts
4 complaintsAir bags
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsVehicle speed control
3 complaintsEquipment
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Chevrolet K1500
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology