CHEVROLET M SERIES · model year

1996 CHEVROLET M SERIES

1 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1996CHEVROLETM SERIES carries 1 consumer safety complaint in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 2 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 M SERIES is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 1 filings. 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 1996 M SERIES, 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.

1
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

1 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP1

Recent Complaints

20000725CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

IT WAS A RAINING DAY, PICKED UP DAUGHTER AT A HOUSE ON THE DOWNPART OF A HILL. CAR WAS IN PARK, TOOK THE CAR OUT OF PARK TO DRIVE DOWN THE HILL, MY FOOT NEVER TOUCHED THE ACCELERATOR DUE TO BEING ON THE DOWN PART OF THE HILL, MY BRAKES STARTED TO PULSATE VIGOROUSLY , I KNEW NOT TO PUMP THE BRAKES BUT I ALSO KNEW THAT MY VAN WAS NOT STOPPING, THERE WAS A CAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL AT A STOP SIGN, I HAD BOTH FEET ON THE BRAKES, THEY PULSATING SO HARD I COULDN'T KEEP MY LEGS STILL, I WENT TO TURN MY STEERING WHEEL THINKING IF I TURNED INTO THE BUSHES I WOULD AVOID HITTING THE CAR AND GOING INTO THE MAIN STREET. MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. I KNEW AT THIS POINT I WOULD HIT THE CAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STREETK, (MY CAR WAS NOT STALLED BECAUSE I LOOKED ON DASH BOARD TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS NOT WARNING SIGNALS0I PUSHED THE CAR INTO MAIN STREET HE TURNED AND I WENT STRAIGHT AHEAD INTO A HOUSE, I THREW THE CAR IN PARK AFTER I HIT THE CAR AND THE VAN STILL MOVED FORWARD INTOTHE HOUSE.

Compare 1996CHEVROLETM SERIES to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1996 CHEVROLET M SERIES have?
The 1996 CHEVROLET M SERIES has 1 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 CHEVROLET M SERIES?
The most-complained component for the 1996 CHEVROLET M SERIES is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1996 CHEVROLET M SERIES 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.