Total Complaints
38 filings
CHEVROLET CELEBRITY · model year
38 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1986CHEVROLETCELEBRITY carries 38 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 2 fires, 4 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1986 CELEBRITY is electrical system:ignition with 4 filings, followed by steering:rack and pinion (3) and steering (3). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1986 CELEBRITY, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
38 filings
Crashes Reported
5 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 4 |
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION | 3 |
| STEERING | 3 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING | 2 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 2 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 2 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| SUSPENSION:FRONT | 1 |
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD | 1 |
I WENT TO AUTO RECALLS .ORG AND FOUND RECALL ON MY 1986 CHEVY CELEBRITY 33,000 MILES. CONTACTED DEALER KOOL CHEVROLET 3770 PLAINFIELD NE GRAND RAPIDS MICHIGAN 49505 (616)-364-9431 THEY SAID THEY COULD ONLY TRACE VIN NUMBERS BACK TO 1990.WAS REFERRED TO GM 1-800-222-1020 (SERVICE REQUEST 71-693324446) I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL AND I SHOULD TAKE IT IN AND PAY TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER TOLD ME THE SAME THING. I AM THE SECOND OWNER HAVING PURCHASED IT IN THE LAST YEAR. MIKE RUSSELL *TR
Mileage: 33,000
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1986 CHEVEROLET CELEBRITY STATION WAGON. THE VEHICLE HAS GOODYEAR DOUGLAS TIRES, SIZE 195/75R14. THE CONTACT TOOK HIS VEHICLE TO A TIRE STORE FOR A ROUTINE REPLACEMENT OF THE FRONT TIRES. ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, WHEN PURCHASING TIRES FROM WAL-MART, THE TIRES DID NOT FIT CORRECTLY DUE TO IMPROPER LUBRICATION AND MOUNTING. AS A RESULT, THE TIRES MADE A THUMPING SOUND WHEN DRIVING. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 350,000.
Mileage: 350,000
RECLINING BUCKET SEAT RECLINED ON ITS OWN. *AK
THE CONSUMER HAD CRUISE CONTROL INSTALLED ON VEHICLE, SHORTLY AFTER THE ADDITION, THE CRUISE CONTROL ACCELERATED THE ENGINE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED, THIS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE BRAKE SWITCH. *SLC
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREET HEARD A NOISE, STEERING CAME LOOSE. PULLED INTO A SERVICE STATION, AND THE LOWER A FRAME ON THE LEFT FRONT WHICH IS BOLTED INTO THE CRADLE BROKE. MOUNT WHERE THE A FRAME BOLTS IN HAD CRACKED WHICH CAUSED THE A FRAME TO COME LOOSE AT THAT POINT. SINCE IT WAS NOT ATTACHED STEERING WAS NOT EFFECTIVE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREET HEARD A NOISE, STEERING CAME LOOSE. PULLED INTO A SERVICE STATION, AND THE LOWER A FRAME ON THE LEFT FRONT WHICH IS BOLTED INTO THE CRADLE BROKE. MOUNT WHERE THE A FRAME BOLTS IN HAD CRACKED WHICH CAUSED THE A FRAME TO COME LOOSE AT THAT POINT. SINCE IT WAS NOT ATTACHED STEERING WAS NOT EFFECTIVE.*AK
AFTER MARKET CRUISE CONTROL UNIT INSTALLED, SHORTLY AFTER THE INSTALLATION THE CRUISE CONTROL ACCELERATED THE ENGINE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED DUE TO DEFECTIVE BRAKE SWITCH, DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH ALL AFTER MARKET CRUISE CONTROL UNITS. MJS
AFTER MARKET CRUISE CONTROL UNIT INSTALLED, SHORTLY AFTER THE INSTALLATION THE CRUISE CONTROL ACCELERATED THE ENGINE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED DUE TO DEFECTIVE BRAKE SWITCH, DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH ALL AFTER MARKET CRUISE CONTROL UNITS. MJS
THE 86 CELEBRITY HAS DEFECTIVE ROTORS AND DRUMS. THE ROTORS DO NOT LAST MORE THAT A FEW THOUSAND MILE AND VEHICLE STARTS TO JERK WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THE BRAKES SOMETIMES LOCK UP WITHOUT WARNING.
FRAME HAS RUSTED OUT DUE TO THE LACK OF UNDERCOATING UNDER VEHICLE. OWNER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR SAFETY. *AK
INSIDE DOOR HANDLES BROKE, DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM INSIDE. *AK
POWER STEERING FAILURE.
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION, AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT TO DISENGAGE, WHICH MEANT THAT THE DRIVER DID NOT HAVE ANY PROTECTION AROUND HER. DRIVER WAS HURT. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISION, AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER. ONCE THE VEHICLE START ROLLING, THE SEAT BELT DISENGAGED ITSELF. *AK
REPETITIVE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN TEETH OF RETRACTOR LOCKING MECHANISM AND EDGES OF WEBBING DURING EXTENSION/RETRACTION CAUSED 1/2 INCH TEAR IN DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WEBBING DURING A COLLISION. THE SHOULDER BELT FAILED, CAUSING DRIVER TO BE EJECTED FROM VEHICLE. DRIVER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. *AK
INSIDE DOOR HANDLES BROKE; DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE. *AK
COMPUTER FAILURE.
RACK AND PINION LOCK STEERING SYSTEM LOCKS IN POSITION.
WHEN DRIVING AND STOPPING AT LIGHT THE CAR VIBRATES , CAR SOMETIMES WOULDN'T DOWN SHIFT . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1986 CHEVROLET CELEBRITY; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.