Total Complaints
23 filings
CHEVROLET C35 · model year
1993 CHEVROLET C35
23 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1993CHEVROLETC35 carries 23 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 1 fire, 0 injuries, 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 1993 C35 is structure:frame and members with 6 filings, followed by structure (2) and service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (2). 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 1993 C35, 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.
23
Complaints
2
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 6 |
| STRUCTURE | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 2 |
| SEATS | 1 |
| WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. | 1 |
| INTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20000921CrashTIRES:TREAD/BELT
PE00 020; WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A BANGING NOISE, TREAD FROM TIRE WAS BANGING AGAINST VEHICLE, AND VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING. DRIVER LOST CONTROL, AND VEHICLE WENT INTO AN ENBANKMENT. RIGHT FRONT TIRE TREND SEPARATED, AND VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. TIRE IS TBC INC 235-85R16. CONSUMER STATED THAT HE WILL CONTACT CHEVROLET. HE WASN'T HURT. *AK
19990316STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
WE OWN A 1993 CHEVROLET 1 TON DUALLY PICKUP TRUCK, AND TO THIS DATE WE ARE STILL PAYING ON A LOAN FOR THIS TRUCK. WHILE WASHING THE TRUCK 2 WEEKS AGO, I DISCOVERED THAT THE PICKUP BOX HAD BROKEN LOOSE FROM THE FRAME OF THE TRUCK. NOT KNOWING AT THIS POINT EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED, I GOT THE TRUCK TO A HOIST AND DID FURTHER INVESTIGATION, ONLY TO FIND THAT THE FRAMEWORD UNDER THE PICKUP BOX, WHICH IS PIA TO THE PICKUP BOX, HAVE BROKEN LOOSE. THESE ARE THE CROSSMEMBERS THAT ATTACH THE BOX TO THE FRAME, USING A J CLIP IN THE CROSSMEMBER, AND A BOLT FROM THE FRAME TO THE CROSSMEMBER. MY COMPLAINT IS WHAT HOLDS THIS BOX ON? IT DOES NOT RELIE ON ANY NUTS AND BOLTS TO HOLD THE BOX ON, BUT RELIES ON SPOT WELDS.BECAUSE THE BED IS NOT BOLTED ON, THE CROSSMEMBER IS. I USE THIS TRUCK AS A HAULER FOR MY CAMPER, AND INTERESTING ENOUGH, THE RV INDUSTRY SELLS THE HOLD-DOWNS THAT ATTACH A PICKUP CAMPER TO THE BOX. AT THIS POINT, THE ONLY THING HOLDING THE CAMPER ON THE TRUCK IS THOSE SAME SPOT WELDS,
19980818POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
THE HYDRAULIC SLAVE CYLINDER HAS BLOWN, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO BE INOPERABLE. THE OWNER HAS REPLACED THE CLYINDER THREE TIMES PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. THE DEALER WILL BE NOTIFIED. *AK
19970624POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
TRANSMISSION WON'T SHIFT INTO OVERDRIVE SOMETIMES. *AK
19961016POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DIFFERENTIAL UNIT
DIFFERENTIAL FLUID LEAK. *AK
19960603STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
SUB-MEMBERS AND FRAME BROKE IN HALF, BROKE WHILE DRIVING, *AK
19960402STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
FRAME BROKE ON THE FLAT BED, RAILWAY DRILLED HOLES IN THE FRAMES, RESULTING IN BREAKAGE. *AK
19960318VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES
PURCHASED TRUCK NEW AND THE MIRRORS MOVE OUT OF PLACE, DEALER TIGHTENED THEM, STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
19960221SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
TOTAL LOSS OF THE REAR BRAKES, EQUIPPED WITH REAR ABS BRAKES. *AK
19960221SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
TOTAL LOSS OF THE REAR BRAKES, EQUIPPED WITH REAR ABS BRAKES. *AK
19951207SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
AT 10,000 MILES BRAKE HEATS UP THE FRONT ROTOR AND WARP DISC DEALER REPAIR THIS PROBLEM FOUR TIMES CAN'T FIND PROBLEM . TT
19951129ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CAST IDLER PULLEY FAILS W/SERPENTINE BELT DESIGN. COMPONENT REPLACED (3) TIMES LOSING POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY. TT CONSUMER STATES THAT TENSIONER FAILS IN THE MIDDLE OF CASTING, THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE, SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AS DEALERS IN TWO DIFFERENT STATES WERE USED TO BUT REPLACEMENT PART, MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT CONSUMER WAS TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO .*JB
19951129STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
CAST IDLER PULLEY FAILS W/SERPENTINE BELT DESIGN. COMPONENT REPLACED (3) TIMES LOSING POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
19951128STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRAME IS CRACKED. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
19951108FireINTERIOR LIGHTING
TRUCK WAS PARKED ON THE STREET AND TRUCK CAUGHT ON FIRE . TT THE FIRE DEPATMENT INVESTIGATED THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY THE REAR DOME LIGHT. *YH
19950629STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
THE FRAME COMPLETELY BROKE ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE RUST WAS FOUND ON FRAME. TT
19950605STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
WHILE DRIVING CAR FRAME BROKE IN HALF STARTING BEHIND THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE. TT
19950501ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
HAS PROBLEM SINCE 1994 WITH ELECTRICAL SHORTS SUCH AS THE RADIO AND ELECTRICAL WIRING. TT
19950501EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
HAS PROBLEM SINCE 1994 WITH ELECTRICAL SHORTS SUCH AS THE RADIO AND ELECTRICAL WIRING. TT
19950308CrashWHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
VEHICLES REAR STUDS ON WHEELS BROKE INSIDE THE HUB ON DRIVERS SIDE REAR DUE TO METAL FATIGUE. TT
Compare 1993CHEVROLETC35 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 2 Open
EA25007Engineering AnalysisOpen
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
PE23022Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
PE20016Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
EA20002Engineering AnalysisClosed
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
PE20011Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Fuel Line Leak
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1993 CHEVROLET C35 have?▼
The 1993 CHEVROLET C35 has 23 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1993 CHEVROLET C35?▼
The most-complained component for the 1993 CHEVROLET C35 is STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP.
Is the 1993 CHEVROLET C35 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.