CHEVROLET CHEVETTE · model year

1986 CHEVROLET CHEVETTE

6 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1986CHEVROLETCHEVETTE carries 6 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 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 1986 CHEVETTE is vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal with 1 filings, followed by fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump (1) and power train:automatic transmission (1). 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 1986 CHEVETTE, 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.

6
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

6 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS1

Recent Complaints

19970717SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

BRAKES FAILED AFTER RECALL REPAIR.

19970313FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

FUEL PUMP FAILURE, CAUSING INTERMITTENT STALLING; ALSO REPLACED CARBURETOR/TRANSMISSION/ENGINE. *AK

19970313POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

FUEL PUMP FAILURE, CAUSING INTERMITTENT STALLING; ALSO REPLACED CARBURETOR/TRANSMISSION/ENGINE. *AK

19970313ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

FUEL PUMP FAILURE, CAUSING INTERMITTENT STALLING; ALSO REPLACED CARBURETOR/TRANSMISSION/ENGINE. *AK

19970313VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

FUEL PUMP FAILURE, CAUSING INTERMITTENT STALLING; ALSO REPLACED CARBURETOR/TRANSMISSION/ENGINE. *AK

19970224VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

VEHICLE OFTEN LOSES POWER AND UNABLE TO GO ABOVE 20 MPH, UNLESS GOING DOWNHILL. HAPPENS PRIMARILY WHEN CRUISING ON HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN AND THERE IS LITTLE RESPONSE FROM THE ACCELERATOR. PROBLEM CANNOT BE DETERMINED.

Compare 1986CHEVROLETCHEVETTE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1986 CHEVROLET CHEVETTE have?
The 1986 CHEVROLET CHEVETTE has 6 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1986 CHEVROLET CHEVETTE?
The most-complained component for the 1986 CHEVROLET CHEVETTE is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Is the 1986 CHEVROLET CHEVETTE 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.