What breaks most · 1991 to 2003 model years
Chevrolet Chevrolet problems by year
Owners have filed 126 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Chevrolet across model years 1991 to 2003. Three years stand out: 2003 for electrical system complaints, 1998 for steering complaints and 2002 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 1992, 1993 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 1998, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 1992, 1993, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 1261991 to 2003, all trims
- Worst year
- 200327 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 91 fires · 8 injuries · 2 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 55kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 0Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 8 | 0 | 0 | Suspension (2) | |
| 9 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 18 | 3 | 0 | Steering (4) | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (4) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Steering (2) | |
| 13 | 2 | 0 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 27 | 1 | 0 | Electrical system (9) |
What fails on the 2003 Chevrolet Chevrolet
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 33% |
9 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 11% |
3 | 0 | Shop all exterior lighting parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 11% |
3 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Tires | 7% |
2 | 0 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel System, Other | 7% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Air bags | 7% |
2 | 1 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Speedometer of 2003 chevy tahoe, stopped working on the freeway. I had no way o making sure what my speed was. I was stopped by a police officer and explained my situation. The officer looked at my speedometer that way showing 60 mph at a dead stop. He gave me a warning and told me to get it fixed.
-
Vehicle tends to continue to have problems with the steering even after the steering computer chip was replaced. Vehicle swerves unexpectedly while being driven at about 50-55 mph. *ak the steering veared to the left or the right. Brake power booster pump went out leaving the vehicle brakeless. *tc
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We bought our astro van in 2001, it has been in the shop about 22 or 23 times. Most of them major things needing to be fixed or replaced.*ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet Chevrolet years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 1998, 2002 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Chevrolet. The 2003 alone has 27 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Chevrolet Chevrolet problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 9 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Chevrolet problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Chevrolet complaints that include mileage is about 55,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.