What breaks most · 1991 to 2002 model years
Chevrolet Van problems by year
Owners have filed 194 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Van across model years 1991 to 2002. Three years stand out: 1996 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1997 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2000 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 1991, 1992 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 1996, 1997, 2000
- Fewest complaints: 1991, 1992, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 1941991 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 199628 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 2011 fires · 27 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 73kMedian 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (3) | |
| 19 | 2 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 20 | 6 | 0 | Engine and cooling (5) | |
| 28 | 4 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (11) | |
| 27 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (7) | |
| 16 | 1 | 0 | Equipment and infotainment (4) | |
| 15 | 1 | 0 | Steering (3) | |
| 22 | 3 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (10) | |
| 14 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (6) | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | Tires (3) |
What fails on the 1996 Chevrolet Van
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 39% |
11 | 2 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 11% |
3 | 0 | Shop all engine and cooling parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 11% |
3 | 0 | Shop all suspension parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 11% |
3 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
3 | 1 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 11% |
3 | 1 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seats | 7% |
2 | 0 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
2 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
-
Fuses keep blowing out with ABS, resulting in two electrical fires. Dealer contacted and stated short in wiring. Repairwork done. Provide further information. *ak
-
While driving speedometer reads improperly,problem is intermittent, also brake rotors are faulty, possible manufacturing flaw. Please provide further details. *ak
-
While traveling and when depressing brakes noticed a grinding noise and vibration in front end with extended stopping distance. Please provide further information. Dealer has repaired fleet vehicles four to five times, and each problem returned . Please provide further information.*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 Van years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1996, 1997, 2000 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet Van. The 1996 alone has 28 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Chevrolet Van problem?
On the 1996 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Van problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet Van complaints that include mileage is about 73,000 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.