CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO · model year

1985 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO

7 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1985CHEVROLETMONTE CARLO carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1985 MONTE CARLO is tires:tread/belt with 1 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (1) and exterior lighting (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1985 MONTE CARLO, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

7
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

7 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
TIRES:TREAD/BELT1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
SEAT BELTS1
SEATS1

Recent Complaints

20160708STRUCTURE:BODY

AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE SPRAY PAINTED, I NOTICED A BURST-LIKE OPENING IN THE PILLAR NEXT TO THE WINDSHIELD. I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE BUSINESS FOR REPAIR. HOWEVER, SOME MONTHS LATER THE BURST-LIKE OPENING REAPPEARED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. IS THERE A PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM? THREE GAUGES HAVE STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY. THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET. THE GAS GAUGE IS PARTIALLY OPERABLE. PART OF A LEVER THAT WORKS WITH THE SEAT BELT, HAS BROKEN OFF. I FOUND IT TO BE BENT OUT OF SHAPE, THEN IT BROKE OF. THE VEHICLE BEING STATIONARY. THE REAR SEAT IS OUT OF PLACE AND STUCK.

Mileage: 65,000

20160708SEAT BELTS

AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE SPRAY PAINTED, I NOTICED A BURST-LIKE OPENING IN THE PILLAR NEXT TO THE WINDSHIELD. I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE BUSINESS FOR REPAIR. HOWEVER, SOME MONTHS LATER THE BURST-LIKE OPENING REAPPEARED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. IS THERE A PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM? THREE GAUGES HAVE STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY. THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET. THE GAS GAUGE IS PARTIALLY OPERABLE. PART OF A LEVER THAT WORKS WITH THE SEAT BELT, HAS BROKEN OFF. I FOUND IT TO BE BENT OUT OF SHAPE, THEN IT BROKE OF. THE VEHICLE BEING STATIONARY. THE REAR SEAT IS OUT OF PLACE AND STUCK.

Mileage: 65,000

20160708SEATS

AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE SPRAY PAINTED, I NOTICED A BURST-LIKE OPENING IN THE PILLAR NEXT TO THE WINDSHIELD. I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE BUSINESS FOR REPAIR. HOWEVER, SOME MONTHS LATER THE BURST-LIKE OPENING REAPPEARED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. IS THERE A PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM? THREE GAUGES HAVE STOPPED WORKING SUDDENLY. THIS OCCURRED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET. THE GAS GAUGE IS PARTIALLY OPERABLE. PART OF A LEVER THAT WORKS WITH THE SEAT BELT, HAS BROKEN OFF. I FOUND IT TO BE BENT OUT OF SHAPE, THEN IT BROKE OF. THE VEHICLE BEING STATIONARY. THE REAR SEAT IS OUT OF PLACE AND STUCK.

Mileage: 65,000

20040212CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE EXITING THE TURNPIKE. THE BRAKE LIGHT ON THE DASH SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AND THE BRAKES BECAME INOPERATIVE. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE STRUCK A MEDIAN BARRIER AT A TOLLBOOTH. TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE'S MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE LINES REPLACED (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *PH *NM

20020225SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR AN INSPECTION AND WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT THE BRAKE LINE PROCEDURE THAT WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE WAS ILLEGAL, CONUSMER THEN CONTACTED THE BUSINESS THAT PERFORMED THE WORK AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROCEDURE THEY USED WAS CALLED COMPRESSION FITTINGS WHICH WAS USED ALL THE TIME, ALSO THE MARKER LIGHTS WERE OUT.*JB

20020225EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR AN INSPECTION AND WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT THE BRAKE LINE PROCEDURE THAT WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE WAS ILLEGAL, CONUSMER THEN CONTACTED THE BUSINESS THAT PERFORMED THE WORK AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PROCEDURE THEY USED WAS CALLED COMPRESSION FITTINGS WHICH WAS USED ALL THE TIME, ALSO THE MARKER LIGHTS WERE OUT.*JB

20001024TIRES:TREAD/BELT

PE00-020; WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 30 MPH, RIGHT REAR TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, STILL WITH AIR IN IT, CONSUMER HEARD A FLAPPING NOISE, TIRE WAS A FIRESTONE FIREHAWK SS P215/65R15 DOT 15101AT340. *SLC

Compare 1985CHEVROLETMONTE CARLO to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1985 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO have?
The 1985 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO has 7 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO?
The most-complained component for the 1985 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO is TIRES:TREAD/BELT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS and EXTERIOR LIGHTING.
Is the 1985 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 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 vintage: August 2026. 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.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1985 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.