CHEVROLET SILVERADO · model year

1985 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1985CHEVROLETSILVERADO carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 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 1985 SILVERADO is fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly with 2 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (1). 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 1985 SILVERADO, 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.

3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

3 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1

Recent Complaints

20000706FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

THE TANKS ARE SADDLE TANKS. THE PLASTIC DOESN'T GO ALL THE WAY UP ON THE TANKS A DESIGN FLAW. BOTH TANKS ARE LEAKING GASOLINE. *AK

19990211VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

WHEN ACCELERATING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE, ALL OF SUDDEN VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO A HIGHER SPEED. WHEN HITTING THE BRAKE PEDAL, SPEED WOULD NOT DECREASE. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ENGAGED AT THIS TIME. DRIVER HAD TO REALLY STAND ON THE BRAKES AND SHUT OFF THE IGNITION TO STOP TRUCK. NOTHING WAS FOUND TO BE WRONG WITH THE TRUCK WHEN TAKEN TO A SHOP. OWNER HAS NOT HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE DISENGAGING THE CRUISE CONTROL. *AK

19980908FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

FUEL TANK HAS PIN HOLES FROM A PLASTIC COVER THAT WAS PUT ON IT. THE TANK RUSTED AND HAS HUNDREDS OF TINY PINHOLES, ALLOWING GASOLINE TO LEAK. DEALER REPAIRED TANK FOR THE PREVIOUS OWNER AND CANNOT REPAIR AGAIN. *AK

Compare 1985CHEVROLETSILVERADO to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1985 CHEVROLET SILVERADO have?
The 1985 CHEVROLET SILVERADO has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1985 CHEVROLET SILVERADO?
The most-complained component for the 1985 CHEVROLET SILVERADO is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 1985 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 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.