Total Complaints
90 filings
CHEVROLET CORSICA · model year
90 NHTSA complaints, 7 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1989CHEVROLETCORSICA carries 90 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 7 crashes, 3 fires, 15 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 1989 CORSICA is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 8 filings, followed by seat belts:front:anchorage (7) and unknown or other (7). 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 1989 CORSICA, 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
90 filings
Crashes Reported
7 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 8 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 7 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 6 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE | 5 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | 4 |
| SEAT BELTS | 4 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH | 3 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 3 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:HOOD:LATCH | 2 |
| WHEELS | 2 |
| SEATS | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1989 CHEVROLET CORSICA EQUIPPED WITH COOPER LIFELINER TOURING SLE TIRES, LINE SIZE 205/70/R14. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN ONE OF THE FRONT TIRES BLEW. THE CONTACT INSTALLED THE SPARE TIRE ABD PROCEEDED DRIVING 65 MPH. MOMENTS LATER, THE SECOND FRONT TIRE BLEW AND ANOTHER SPARE TIRE WAS INSTALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE FAILED TO WORK 4 TIMES ON THE VEHICLE. DUE TO THIS FAILURE AT NIGHT THE DRIVER HAD TO HOLD THE BRIGHTEST ON WHILE DRIVING UNTIL THEY ALSO FAILED WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT WHILE TRYING TO FIND SOMEWHERE SAFE TO PULL OVER. THE DIMMER SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE AND I AM TOLD BY THE PREVIOUS ORIGINAL OWNER THAT IT HAD BEEN REPLACED AT LEAST ONE OTHER TIME WHILE IN THEIR POSSESSION. THIS SEEMS TO BE A BIG PROBLEM THAT RENDERS THE VEHICLE EITHER INOPERABLE AT NIGHT OR UNSAFE TO DRIVE FOR RISK OF THE PART FAILURE AGAIN. *LA
WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 45 -50 MPH, THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BENT OUT. THIS OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE DESCRIBED IN THE WHEEL RECALL 91V2130000, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK
Mileage: 100,000
THE PAINT STARTED BUBBLING AND THEN COMING OFF IN SEVERAL PLACES ON THE CAR, BEGINNING WITH THE HOOD. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE A CLASS ACTION AGAINST GM BECAUSE I SEE MANY CORCICAS WITH THE PEELING PAINT. I WONDER WHAT KIND OF CHEAP OR DEFECTIVE PAINT THEY USED ON THESE CARS? THEY ALL HAVE THE PEELING PAINT FROM 1989 THRU 1996.
Mileage: 92,000
SHOULDER BELT SEPARATED FROM THE LAP BELT WHERE A RIVET HAD BROKEN LOOSE. *NM
GRAY PAINT PEELING FROM FRONT FENDERS. *NM
1989 CHEVEROLET CORSICA SILVER/GRAY PAINT IS PEELING AND CHIPPING OFF. I KNOW IT IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT I HAVE SEEN OTHER SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAD INFORMATION REGARDING ANY SOLUTIONS TO THIS PROBLEM.
THE DRIVER PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL WHEN THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, THE ENGINE ROARED, THE BRAKE WERE USELESS AND THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE LEVER BACK INTO PARK, THE CAR RACED 40 FEET OVER A CURB INTO A RETAINING WALL, THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, THE DRIVER WAS THROWN INTO THE STEERING WHEEL ALTHOUGH SHOULDER AND LAP BELT WERE IN USE, VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. NLM
THE DRIVER PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL WHEN THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, THE ENGINE ROARED, THE BRAKE WERE USELESS AND THE DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT THE LEVER BACK INTO PARK, THE CAR RACED 40 FEET OVER A CURB INTO A RETAINING WALL, THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE, THE DRIVER WAS THROWN INTO THE STEERING WHEEL ALTHOUGH SHOULDER AND LAP BELT WERE IN USE, VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. NLM
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
SEAT BELT RESTRAINT DID NOT LOCK IN A CRASH, I HIT THE STEERING WHEEL WITH MY CHEST AND RIGHT ARM, IT CRACKED MY STERNUM AND BADLY BRUSED MY RIGHT FOREARM.*AK
I HAVE REPLACED ALTENATOR IN MY CAR 3 TIMES WITH IN 30,000 MILES. I HAVE NO SIGNIFICANT DRAIN ON MY CAR EXCEPT A CD PLAYER.*AK
I HAVE REPLACED ALTENATOR IN MY CAR 3 TIMES WITH IN 30,000 MILES. I HAVE NO SIGNIFICANT DRAIN ON MY CAR EXCEPT A CD PLAYER.*AK
NONE
FUEL TANK IS LEAKING. *AK WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS HALF FULL, THERE IS A FUME COMING FROM THE FUEL PUMP AREA. *YH
THE TIRE SEPARATED WHILE DRIVING, PART OF THE TREAD WRAPPED AROUND THE AXLES AND GAS LINE, RIPPING IT FROM THE BODY AND AROUND THE AXLE, THE TIRE DID NOT BLOW.(YOKOHAMA MODEL 372 ALL SEASON P195 70R 14)*ET
I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND MY ADDRESS HAS ONLY CHANGED ONCE, NEVER HAVE I BEEN INFORMED OF THE RECALL ON THE FUEL TANK AND AM HAVING NO SUCESS FROM GMC IN GETTING THE OTHER 2 PROBLEMS RESOLVED FROM THE RECALLS OF THE WINDOW OR SEAT BELTS. DUE TO THE DEFECT IN THE SEAT BELT, I CANNOT LATCH THE SEAT BELT WHICH HAS BECOME A CHARGEABLE LAW, WHICH I HAVE RECEIVED A TICKET FOR NON CONMPLIANCE AND A WARNING TO REPAIR BEFORE MY COURT DATE ON JULY 14, 2000.
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.