U.S. public vehicle records

Chevrolet P SERIES problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

16 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

64,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1965 to 1999 model years. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 3 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Power Train:Automatic Transmission is the most frequently named component, appearing in 3 of 16 complaints (18.8%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	4	25.0%
Transmission and shifting	3	18.8%
Engine operation	1	6.3%
Electrical and battery issues	1	6.3%
Steering behavior	1	6.3%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Suspension:Front:Control Arm

Electrical System

Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Radiator Assembly

Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.

Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System

Parking Brake:Conventional

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	3
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	2
Suspension:Front:Control Arm	2
Electrical System	1
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Radiator Assembly	1
Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.	1
Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System	1
Parking Brake:Conventional	1

Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 3; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 2; Suspension:Front:Control Arm: 2; Electrical System: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Radiator Assembly: 1; Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System: 1; Parking Brake:Conventional: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 3; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (3). 13 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

1996

1999

2000

2001

2002

2005

1995: 3; 1996: 5; 1999: 2; 2000: 1; 2001: 1; 2002: 1; 2005: 3

Pattern summary

Power Train:Automatic Transmission leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 4 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 3 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 505575 · 1996-06-17 (June 17, 1996)

REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP, CAUSING TWO ACCIDENTS. *SD

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 505575 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 8004900 · 2002-03-04 (March 4, 2002)

WHILE PARKED VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS WITHOUT WARNING. GOT TSB ON BRAKE PARK SYSTEM. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 8004900 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 501386 · 1995-07-26 (July 26, 1995)

TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SD

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 501386 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 865205 · 2000-07-11 (July 11, 2000)

TRANSMISSION DOES NOT HAVE A SECOND GEAR HOLDING POSITION . THIS IS CAUSING THE BRAKES TO FADE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 865205 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 842381 · 1999-07-14 (July 14, 1999)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 842381 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 501541 · 1995-12-20 (December 20, 1995)

FRONT BALL JOINTS ARE RIVETED TO FRAME, WHEN WORN THEY SHAKE VIOLENTLY, CAUSING STEERING PROBLEMS/LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *SD

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 501541 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1987

1989

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

1987: 0; 1989: 0; 1991: 0; 1992: 0; 1993: 0; 1994: 0; 1995: 0; 1996: 0; 1997: 0; 1998: 0; 1999: 0

First model yearSecond model year

Year-by-year records

Chevrolet P SERIES model-year comparison
Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Change in recalls
1965	0	1	Not available
1966	0	1	0
1967	0	1	0
1968	0	1	0
1969	0	1	0
1970	0	1	0
1987	1	0	Not available
1989	1	0	Not available
1991	1	0	Not available
1992	1	0	0
1993	1	0	0
1994	2	0	0
1995	4	0	0
1996	1	0	0
1997	1	0	0
1998	2	0	0
1999	1	0	0

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

16 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

18.8%Usable mileage3 / 16 records

93.8%Valid incident date15 / 16 records

100.0%Valid filing date16 / 16 records

93.8%Ordered incident and filing dates15 / 16 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1987	1989	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	125.0% ODI 501386 TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SD Look up ODI 501386 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 865205 TRANSMISSION DOES NOT HAVE A SECOND GEAR HOLDING POSITION . THIS IS CAUSING THE BRAKES TO FADE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK Look up ODI 865205 at NHTSA ↗	1100.0% ODI 10127494 · 64,000 mi TRANSMISSION FAILURE Look up ODI 10127494 at NHTSA ↗
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	250.0% ODI 501386 TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SD Look up ODI 501386 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Suspension:Front:Control Arm	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 501541 FRONT BALL JOINTS ARE RIVETED TO FRAME, WHEN WORN THEY SHAKE VIOLENTLY, CAUSING STEERING PROBLEMS/LOSS OF CONTROL/ACCIDENT. *SD Look up ODI 501541 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	125.0% ODI 506591 DRAG LINK FAILED. Look up ODI 506591 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 842381 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK Look up ODI 842381 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Radiator Assembly	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	125.0% ODI 843388 DESIGN OF THE THERMOSTAT IS INADEQUATE FOR A P72 CHASSIS. THIS CAUSES THE FAN CLUTCH AND WATER PUMP TO FAIL, AND VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT WHILE TRAVELING UP HILLS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK Look up ODI 843388 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 10125942 · 71,339 mi DT: CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN MARCH 1996 CONCERNING FRONT SEAT ASSEMBLY RECLINER. THE SEAT WASN'T HAVING ANY PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THE RECALL. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. IN 1998 THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT RECLINED ON ITS OWN. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. LAST WEEK THE SAME THING HAPPENED. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. IT WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY 30,000 MILES DRIVEN ON IT SINCE THE RECALL.AK THE CASSETTE BECAME STUCK IN THE TAP DECK. JB Look up ODI 10125942 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 501683 UPON REMOVING FOOT FROM GAS PEDAL FUEL TO ENGINE REDUCES, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLOW DOWN/LOSS OF CONTROL. *SD Look up ODI 501683 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Parking Brake:Conventional	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 8004900 WHILE PARKED VEHICLE ROLLED BACKWARDS WITHOUT WARNING. GOT TSB ON BRAKE PARK SYSTEM. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK Look up ODI 8004900 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	Too few reports for a range	64,000 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10127494 · 64,000 mi TRANSMISSION FAILURE Look up ODI 10127494 at NHTSA ↗
Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.	Too few reports for a range	71,339 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10125942 · 71,339 mi DT: CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN MARCH 1996 CONCERNING FRONT SEAT ASSEMBLY RECLINER. THE SEAT WASN'T HAVING ANY PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THE RECALL. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. IN 1998 THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT RECLINED ON ITS OWN. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. LAST WEEK THE SAME THING HAPPENED. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE. IT WAS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE VEHICLE HAD ONLY 30,000 MILES DRIVEN ON IT SINCE THE RECALL.AK THE CASSETTE BECAME STUCK IN THE TAP DECK. JB Look up ODI 10125942 at NHTSA ↗

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

1998: 1 complaints · 1999: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
1998	0	0	1
1999	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
1998	2	0	0
1999	1	0	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Power Train:Automatic Transmission	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	Suspension:Front:Control Arm	Electrical System	Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Radiator Assembly	Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.	Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System	Parking Brake:Conventional
Power Train:Automatic Transmission	—	1 ODI 501386 TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SD Look up ODI 501386 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	0	0	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	1 ODI 501386 TRANSMISSION FAILED. *SD Look up ODI 501386 at NHTSA ↗	—	0	0	0	0	0	0
Suspension:Front:Control Arm	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0
Electrical System	0	0	0	—	0	0	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System:Radiator Assembly	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0
Equipment:Electrical:Radio/Tape Deck/Cd Etc.	0	0	0	0	0	—	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System	0	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
Parking Brake:Conventional	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

2 patterns with matching reports.

Brake response concerns

1 mentions · 6.3% of complaints

Median mileage: 55,600 mi (1 usable records).

ODI 10122257 · 55,600 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, MY AUTO PARK BRAKE FAILED AND BURNED UP BUT THERE WAS NO FIRE. IT HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN 2000 MILES OF EACH OTHER. I WAS LEFT WITH NO PARKING BRAKE OR STOPPING ON A HILL AND EXITING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT THE VEHICLE ROLLING. THE FIRST REPAIR WAS DONE AT A CHEVROLET DEARLER THAT ONLY REPLACED A PREASURE SWITCH. THE SECOND REPAIR WAS AFTER THE FIRST TIME THE BRAKE BURNED UP. THE BRAKE AND VARIOUS OTHER PARKS WERE REPLACED. THE THIRD REPAIR WAS DONE BY THE SAME FACILITY THAT REPLACED THE BRAKE EARLIER AFTER THE SE…

Look up ODI 10122257 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

Stalling or loss of power

1 mentions · 6.3% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 842381

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK

Look up ODI 842381 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(stall\w*|loss of power|lost power|engine shut\w* off)\b