Total Complaints
11 filings
CHEVROLET CHEVROLET · model year
11 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1996CHEVROLETCHEVROLET carries 11 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 1996 CHEVROLET is power train:axle assembly:axle shaft:seal with 2 filings, followed by tires (1) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (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 49 investigation files overlapping the 1996 CHEVROLET, and 1 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.
Total Complaints
11 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT:SEAL | 2 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 1 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| SEATS | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
MY CHEVY MALIBU IS HAVING POWERSTEERING ISSUES. IT FREEZES UP WHILE TRYING TO TURN CORNERS. THIS CAR HAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE POWERSTEERING FLUID IS AT A GOOD LEVEL AND THERE ARE NO LEAKS IN THE SYSTEM. *TR
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR GAS TANK, BUT WAS ADVISED BY DEALERSHIP THAT PARTS WERE NOT IN STOCK. *JB
MUFFLER FAILED.
REAR SEAT LATCH LOCKED IN CLOSED POSITION.
ARM REST FAILED CAUSING IT TO INTERMITTANTLY FALL OFF.
THE 6 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION WITH THE OPTION CALLED SKIP SHIFT, DISTRACTS FROM THE DRIVER.
FRONT BRAKES FAILED. QCAW
AXLE SEAL FAILED.
HORN DOESN'T WORK WHEN IT SHOULD. BRAKES STOP SO QUICKLY THAT IT CAN CAUSE A CAR TO OVERTURN. THEY SEEM TO LOCK UP.
TWO GENERAL TIRES FAILED, OWNER REPLACED ALL TIRE ON VEHICLE.
REAR MAIN SEAL LEAKING.
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
Momentary Increased Steering Effort
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.