Total Complaints
27 filings
CHEVROLET CHEVROLET TRUCK · model year
27 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1988CHEVROLETCHEVROLET TRUCK carries 27 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 3 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 1988 CHEVROLET TRUCK is power train:automatic transmission with 4 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (3) and engine and engine cooling:engine (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 1988 CHEVROLET TRUCK, 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.
Total Complaints
27 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 4 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 2 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 2 |
| SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | 1 |
1500 BOTH ANCHORS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE ARE BROKEN. THEY WILL NOT HOLD THE SEAT BELTS IN PLACE.
1500 - THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT WILL NOT WORK.
WHILE DRIVING APPLIED BRAKES AND BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, FOUND FLUID ON THE LEFT WHEEL, AND BRAKE PEDAL HAD ROTTED OUT. DEALER CONTACTED AND REFERRED TO MANUFACTURER, NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND WAS NO LONGER COVERED. *AK
TRANSMISSION JUMPS INTO LOW GEAR ON OCCASIONS.
ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS SINCE OWNERSHIP, SENSOR LIGHT COMES ON
SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT REPAIRS ON WORN BALL JOINTS REFUSED.
LOWER BALL JOINT FAILED.
SERPENTINE BELT FAILED.
CRANKSHAFT PULLEY FAILED.
SEAT BELTS DO NOT FIT PROPERLY.
BRAKES MAKE GRINDING NOISES.
TRANSMISSION FIRE. *SD
BRAKES OCCASIONALLY FAIL TO WORK PROPERLY. *DSH
HEAT/DEFROST UNIT FAILS TO DEFROST WINDOW, RESULTING IN LOSS OF VISIBILITY.
ENGINE BLOCK CRACKED. *SD
TRANSMISSION CAUGHT FIRE DUE TO LEAK. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT) *DSH
OVERHEATED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKED THROUGH BREATHER VENT AND SPILLED ONTO CROSS MEMBER EXHAUST PIPE, CAUSING FIRE. *SKD
BALL JOINTS FAILED. *SKD
EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, ALSO BRAKE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON.
DISTRIBUTOR CAP REPLACED.
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 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.