Total Complaints
3 filings
Chevrolet Silverado · model year
1985 Chevrolet Silverado
3 NHTSA complaints. 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
- Complaints
- 3
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1985 Chevrolet Silverado posts top-10% complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 9%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1985 Silverado is fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly with 2 filings, followed by vehicle speed control (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 Silverado, 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.
3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1985 Chevrolet Silverado
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
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
EA25007Engineering AnalysisOpen
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
PE23022Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
PE20016Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
EA20002Engineering AnalysisClosed
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
PE20011Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Fuel Line Leak
Vehicle Safety Guides
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.
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 Silverado; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.