CHEVROLET 1500 · model year

1994 CHEVROLET 1500

46 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1994CHEVROLET1500 carries 46 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injury, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1994 1500 is visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor with 18 filings, followed by visibility:windshield wiper/washer (14) and exterior lighting:brake lights:switch (4). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1994 1500, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

46
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

46 filings

Crashes Reported

2 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR18
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER14
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH4
SEATS2
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER2
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT1
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:WINDSHIELD:ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT1
VISIBILITY:REAR WINDOW WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR1
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR1

Recent Complaints

20060808EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

1994 CHEVROLET PICKUP...BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BUT IS NOT RESOLVED !! I HAVE REPLACED THIS PART TWICE,AND HAVE ALSO HAD THE FREE REPLACEMENT BY CHEVROLET....WITHIN 6 MONTHS THE PART WILL FAIL AGAIN. THE PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED. FURTHERMORE,IF YOU HAVE THE CRUISE APPLIED AND THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILS TO LIGHT WHEN THE BRAKE IS APPLIED THE CRUISE WILL NOT RELEASE !!! THE RAMIFICATIONS ARE CLEAR....... THIS SITUATION NEEDS TO BE RE-ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY!! *NM

Mileage: 50,000

20050203EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

TOOK MY 1994 CHEVROLET P/U TO MILLINGTON CHEVROLET FOR BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH RECALL. (HAD TO TAKE OFF WORK TO DO THIS) AFTER RECEIVING MY VEHICLE BACK I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO PERUSE THEIR HANDIWORK AND WAS SURPRISED TO FIND THEY HAD NEGLECTED TO REVERSE THE POLARITY OF THE ORANGE AND WHITE WIRES PER THE RECALL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE BRAKE LIGHTS STARTED TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE FIRST TIME I REALIZED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WAS WHEN I TAPPED MY BRAKES TO COME-OFF CRUISE. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I APPLIED THE BRAKE AGAIN, THIS TIME HARDER, AND THE VEHICLE DOWNSHIFTED AND STARTED PULLING HARDER!! I QUICKLY DISENGAGED THE CRUISE WITH THE ON/OFF CONTROLLER ON THE STALK, NARROWLY PREVENTING A DISASTER. *JB

20050125SEATS

THE SEAT BOLTS BROKE, WHICH CAUSED THE SEAT TO RECLINE BACK AND FORWARD. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON 4 OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. *JB

Mileage: 60,000

20041206VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON AND OFF ON THEIR OWN. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE WIPERS WILL NOT COME ON. *TC

Mileage: 64,000

20040817EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

THE DEALER WHERE THE CONSUMER PURCHASED THE VEHICLE LIED ABOUT HAVING FIXED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH IN 1998 IN RESPONSE TO THE RECALL. (NAR) *PH *CB

20040817VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

THE DEALER WHERE THE CONSUMER PURCHASED THE VEHICLE LIED ABOUT HAVING FIXED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH IN 1998 IN RESPONSE TO THE RECALL. (NAR) *PH *CB

20040816VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

03 V 159 000/WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR: WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY WHEN OPERATING DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB

Mileage: 80,000

20040629CrashSEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

AFTER BEING INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION BOTH OF THE FRONT SEATS WERE KNOCKED INTO FULL RECLINING POSITION. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE SEATS FOUR YEARS AGO. RECENTLY, THE CONSUMER SAT IN THE SEAT AND AGAIN THE SEAT FELL INTO THE RECLINING POSITION. *AK A BOLT IN THE RECLINER HAD BROKEN. *SC *JB

Mileage: 156,000

20040623VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN IT WAS RAINING WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. RECALL 03V159000 WAS ISSUED, HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK

Mileage: 98,000

20040601SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SLOW DOWN CONSUMER HEARD A GRINDING NOISE IN THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL. A MECHANIC EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT LEFT FRONT ROTOR CRACKED. *AK

Mileage: 182,000

20040311VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

WHILE USING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS THEY STOPPED FUNCTIONING DURING MOVEMENT. *AK THE CONSUMER NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER ALTHOUGH THEY INDICATED THAT THEY SENT TWO. *NM

20040109VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP ON SIX SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK (INTERMITTENT PROBLEM) *SC

Mileage: 6,200

20031230VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON AND OFF ON THEIR OWN. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. PLEASE ADD ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM

20031228VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

WINDSHIELD WIPER WORK ONLY WHEN THEY CHOOSE --HAVE CHECKED AND RECALL NOT AVAILABLE FOR MY 1994 CHEVROLET FULLSIZE P\U THEY HAVE STOPPED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE DRIVEING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAUSING DANGER TO ME AND MY FAMILY AS WELL AS OTHERS ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT NEEDS ATTENTION. *AK

Mileage: 172,000

20031218VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

INTERMITTENTLY WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOME INOPERABLE WHILE SNOWING, OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVER'S VIEW. DEALER STATED THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. *AK

Mileage: 145,000

20031113SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A PROBLEM WITH THE BOLTS THAT ENGAGED THE SEAT TO THE FRAME. RECALL REPAIRS WERE DONE, BUT THE FOUNDATION OF THE SEAT BROKE. CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT SINCE RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED THE WORK WAS COMPLETED, AND THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE. *AK

Mileage: 80,000

20031028VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. *AK

Mileage: 94,000

20031015VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY. *AK

20030924VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

I HAVE A 1994 CHEVY SILVERADO THAT HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE WIPERS STOPPING DURING RUNNING. THERE IS A RECALL BUT THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT DID NOT QULIFY FOR THE RECALL. SEEING AS THIS PROBLEM IS CLEARLY ON THIS TRUCK IT SHOULD BE UNDER THE RECALL.

Mileage: 125,000

20030911VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

WHILE TRAVELING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY.*AK

Compare 1994CHEVROLET1500 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1994 CHEVROLET 1500 have?
The 1994 CHEVROLET 1500 has 46 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 1 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1994 CHEVROLET 1500?
The most-complained component for the 1994 CHEVROLET 1500 is VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR with 18 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER and EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH.
Is the 1994 CHEVROLET 1500 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.