IllustrationWHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION EXPLODED, RESULTING IN A VEHICLE FIRE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK WHEN EXPLOSION OCCURED THERE WAS A BAD SMELL OF TRANSMISSION FLUID. AFTER PULLING OVER THE VEHICLE, HEAVY SMOKE POURED OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD, AND THE VEHICLE BURNT COMPLETELY. *YH
1996 Chevrolet Silverado
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Silverado years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Chevrolet Silverado are substantially higher than the model-year median of 76.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 26 of 186 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility. Review the 73 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports3 fire reports11 injury reports
What owners actually said
186 reportsWHILE DRIVING IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS WINDSHIELD WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY BECOME INOPERABLE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL TO OPERATE ON OCCASIONS. I HAVE REVIEWED A NUMBER OF OTHER COMPLAINTS YOU HAVE RECEIVED CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. MY BROTHER ALSO HAS A 1996 CHEVROLET SILVERADO WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT WHEN RAINING IF THE WIPERS DO NOT WORK. I SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE THIS MODEL RECALLED BE…
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WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL TO OPERATE ON OCCASIONS. I HAVE REVIEWED A NUMBER OF OTHER COMPLAINTS YOU HAVE RECEIVED CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM. MY BROTHER ALSO HAS A 1996 CHEVROLET SILVERADO WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT WHEN RAINING IF THE WIPERS DO NOT WORK. I SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE THIS MODEL RECALLED BEFORE THE MANUFACTURER IS SUED FOR THE PROBLEM.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER NOTIFIED , AND INFORMED CONSUMET THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER MANUFACTURER'S RECALL DUE TO VIN. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN A HEAVY DOWNPOUR AND NEEDING WINDSHIELD WIPERS, THEY STOPPED WORKING, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. ALSO, RECALL 98V150001 DEALT WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK
CHEVROLET WAS CONTACTED APPROX. FEB. 20TH REGARDING THE AIRBAG FAILURE. THEY FILED A REPORT AND SAID SOMEONE WOULD CHECK THE TRUCK OUT. I CALLED AGAIN IN APRIL BECAUSE I HAD HEARD NOTHING AND THE VEHICLE WAS CLOSE TO BEING REPAIRED, AND WAS TOLD SOMEONE HAD DROPPED THE BALL AND THE COMPLAINT NEVER GOT TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPT. …
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CHEVROLET WAS CONTACTED APPROX. FEB. 20TH REGARDING THE AIRBAG FAILURE. THEY FILED A REPORT AND SAID SOMEONE WOULD CHECK THE TRUCK OUT. I CALLED AGAIN IN APRIL BECAUSE I HAD HEARD NOTHING AND THE VEHICLE WAS CLOSE TO BEING REPAIRED, AND WAS TOLD SOMEONE HAD DROPPED THE BALL AND THE COMPLAINT NEVER GOT TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPT. THEY ARE NOW TELLING ME THAT BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS REPAIRED THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THE ONLY WAY I CAN HAVE IT CHECKED IS TO PAY FOR IT MYSELF. I THINK THIS IS TOTALLY RIDICULOUS!!! WHAT HAPPENS IF GOD FORBID THERE BE ANOTHER ACCIDENT AND NEXT TIME SOMEONE IS KILLED???!!!*AK
THIS MODULE CONTROLS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AND IT "FREEZES UP" CAUSING THE WIPERS TO STOP. I WAS IN A HEAVY RAIN, AND HAD TO STOP. THE DEALER SAID THAT IT IS A RECALL ITEM ON S-10'S, BUT NOT FULL SIZE CHEVROLETS. THIS IS THE MOST UNSAFE DEFECT I HAVE EVER HEARD OF IN MY 54 YEARS OF LIFE, 38 DRIVING. CHEVROLET SHOULD BE ASH…
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THIS MODULE CONTROLS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, AND IT "FREEZES UP" CAUSING THE WIPERS TO STOP. I WAS IN A HEAVY RAIN, AND HAD TO STOP. THE DEALER SAID THAT IT IS A RECALL ITEM ON S-10'S, BUT NOT FULL SIZE CHEVROLETS. THIS IS THE MOST UNSAFE DEFECT I HAVE EVER HEARD OF IN MY 54 YEARS OF LIFE, 38 DRIVING. CHEVROLET SHOULD BE ASHAMED!!! IT FAILED ONCE TOO MANY TIMES, SO I BOUGHT THE PART AND FIXED IT MYSELF. I THINK THAT MAYBE CHEVRELOT SHOULD REVERT TO "VACUUM" WIPERS FROM THE 40'S AS THEY, ALTHOUGH SLOW AT TIMES, AT LEAST NEVER QUIT ON A DRIVER. *AK
FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED EVERY 20,000 MILES ON THREE OCCASIONS. CURRENTLY, AT 90,000 ROTORS NEED REPLACEMENT AGAIN. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT IT WOULD BE DONE AT THE EXPENSE OF CONSUMER. ALSO, LOWER END OF STEERING COLUMN GEAR REPLACED WITH A REBUILT PART UNDER WARRANTY. *AK *ML
METAL WITHIN BOTTOM LEFT CORNER OF DRIVER'S SEAT BROKE, CAUSING SEAT TO SINK/COLLAPSE DUE TO LACK OF SUPPORT IN THAT CORNER OF THE SEAT. THIS CAUSED PROBLEM WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK *ML
TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCES PROBLEM WITH LOSS OF 3RD. AND 4TH. GEAR. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.