CHEVROLET PICKUP · model year

1990 CHEVROLET PICKUP

13 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 1990CHEVROLETPICKUP carries 13 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 1990 PICKUP is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 3 filings, followed by tires (2) and service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components (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 1990 PICKUP, 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.

13
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

13 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 SLIP3
TIRES2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS1
SEATS1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM1
STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM1
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR1
SEAT BELTS1

Recent Complaints

20040122SEAT BELTS

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WAS INOPERABLE. DEALER CLAIMED THAT SEAT BELT. # 10-590-D MANUFACTURED BY BENDIX, WAS NO LONGER MADE. *AK CONSUMER WAS NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL TO CHECK WITH HEMMINGS MOTOR NEWS FOR SEAT BELT PARTS INQUIRIES. *LA

Mileage: 42,253

20020822TIRES

THREE OUT OF FOUR TIRES SEPARATED IN ONE YEARS TIME, TOTAL OF 16000 MILES. *AK

20020503STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR

ADJUSTABLE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN SUDDENLY BECAME LOOSE. THE STEERING WHEEL SHIFTS FROM SIDE TO SIDE AS IF IT IS ABOUT TO SEPERATE AT THE JOINT AREA. IS THIS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT THE 1995 TRUCKS HAD WITH THE SHAFT NUT NOT BEING TORQUED TO PROPER SPECS?*AK

20010709STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM

WHILE STOPPING TO BACK VEHICLE IN DRIVEWAY VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. LEFT FRONT WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN, AND THE RIGHT FRONT WAS AT AN ANGLE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED IT WAS THE LEFT FRONT STEERING WHEEL SPINDLE. *AK

20010118CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

FRONT AND REAR BRAKES FAILED. *AK

20000918ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

THE POOR DESIGN OF THE OIL COOLING LINES HAVE CAUSED A DISCHARGE OF OIL ONTO THE HIGHWAY *AK.

20000913SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

GAS LINES HAVE RUSTED OUT, CAUSING FUEL LEAKAGE UNDERNEATH VEHICLE. ALSO, BRAKE LINES RUSTED OUT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

20000913FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

GAS LINES HAVE RUSTED OUT, CAUSING FUEL LEAKAGE UNDERNEATH VEHICLE. ALSO, BRAKE LINES RUSTED OUT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

20000901TIRES

WHILE DRIVING DOWN INTERSTATE SUDDENLY THE LEFT REAR TIRE EXPLODED . NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. *AK

20000220SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

BRAKES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SOFT. *AK

19990908SEATS

DEFECTIVE HIGH BACK SEAT DESIGN--LEFT BOLT THAT ATTACHES THE DRIVER'S HIGH BACK SEAT TO THE BOTTOM SEAT SHEARED OFF 3 TIMES.

19971024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE TRUCK KEPT ON GOING. THE TRUCK DID NOT HAVE ANY BRAKES. DRIVER HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKES VERY HARD BEFORE THE TRUCK WOULD STOP. *AK CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM OCCURS INFREQUENTLY, NOTICES PROBLEM HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE IS STOPPED FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER SITTING OVER NIGHT, DEALER CAN NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. *SLC

19971024SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS

APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE TRUCK KEPT ON GOING. THE TRUCK DID NOT HAVE ANY BRAKES. DRIVER HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKES VERY HARD BEFORE THE TRUCK WOULD STOP. *AK CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM OCCURS INFREQUENTLY, NOTICES PROBLEM HAPPENS WHEN VEHICLE IS STOPPED FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER SITTING OVER NIGHT, DEALER CAN NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. *SLC

Compare 1990CHEVROLETPICKUP to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1990 CHEVROLET PICKUP have?
The 1990 CHEVROLET PICKUP has 13 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1990 CHEVROLET PICKUP?
The most-complained component for the 1990 CHEVROLET PICKUP is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS.
Is the 1990 CHEVROLET PICKUP 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 1990 CHEVROLET PICKUP; 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.