U.S. public vehicle records

1990 Chevrolet C20: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

5 owner complaints analyzed

3 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1990 model year. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline is the most frequently named component, appearing in 2 of 5 complaints (40.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Engine operation	1	20.0%

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.

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Fuel System, Gasoline

Suspension:Rear

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 2; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline: 1; Suspension:Rear: 1; Vehicle Speed Control: 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: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

No usable failure mileage is recorded. 5 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

1997

1998

2000

2003

1995: 1; 1997: 1; 1998: 1; 2000: 1; 2003: 1

Pattern summary

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline leads the component reports. 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.

Examples from the source records

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

Owner report 10006847 · 2003-02-13 (February 13, 2003)

*OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT* THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE IN MOTION.*JG *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10006847 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 542700 · 1998-11-23 (November 23, 1998)

ENGINE FIRE (OHIO CRASH REPORT).

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 542700 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 557968 · 2000-12-07 (December 7, 2000)

WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE AND PULLED OVER, HE OPENED THE HOOD AND THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE UNDERCARRIAGE COMPARTMENT AREA WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE, THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING AND BURNING, THE FIRE WAS POSSIBLY CAUSED BY THE ENGINE OR FUEL SYSTEM FAILURE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 557968 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 810793 · 1997-04-08 (April 8, 1997)

WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS ENGAGED IT WILL SHUT ITSELF OFF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 810793 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 967478 · 1995-06-22 (June 22, 1995)

THE REAR END WAS MAKING NOISE THE END CASE SNAP CONSUMER TOOK HOME AND IT HAS AIR BUBBLE IN THE WELD. TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 967478 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.

90V015000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Hoses, Lines/Piping, And Fittings

Reported: 1990-01-29 (January 29, 1990)

ON C AND K MODELS, FEED AND OR RETURN FUEL LINES CAN CONTACT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT LINKAGE CORDON SHAFT. IN ADDITION, ON K MODELS LINES MAY ALSO CONTACT FRONT PROPSHAFT. IN EITHER CASE THE FUEL LINES COULD BE DAMAGED RESULTING IN A FUEL LEAK.

Consequence: A HOLE COULD BE RUBBED THROUGH THESE FUEL LINES, ALLOWING FUEL LEAKAGE NEAR EXHAUST CROSSOVER PIPE; THIS COULD RESULT IN AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE THAT COULD SPREAD TO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT.

Remedy: INSTALL NEWLY DESIGNED FUEL LINE ROUTING BRACKET TO PREVENT CONTACT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE FUEL LINES.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

90V108000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Pedals And Linkages

Reported: 1990-06-04 (June 4, 1990)

LOOSE PIVOT BOLT HOLDING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO ITS SUPPORT BRACKET COULD DISENGAGE FROM THE NUT.

Consequence: THIS COULD CAUSE LOSS OF BRAKING ACTIVITY THAT COULDRESULT IN A TRUCK CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy: RETORQUE BRAKE PEDAL PIVOT BOLTS TO SPECIFICATIONS TO PREVENT LOOSENING.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

93V016000 · Power Train:Automatic Transmission

Reported: 1993-02-01 (February 1, 1993)

UNANTICIPATED HEAT IN THE TRANSMISSION CAN FORCE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID OUT OF THE VENT TUBE.

Consequence: THE VENTED TRANSMISSION FLUID CAN CATCH FIRE IF EXPOSEDTO A SOURCE OF IGNITION.

Remedy: INSTALL A LONGER TRANSMISSION VENT HOSE ROUTED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

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

Data completeness

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

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 5 records

80.0%Valid incident date4 / 5 records

100.0%Valid filing date5 / 5 records

80.0%Ordered incident and filing dates4 / 5 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	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	2000	2001
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	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.	425.0% ODI 841805 WHEN APPLYING BRAKES THERE IS A VIBRATION IN THE PEDAL, AND BRAKES BUILD UP AND WON'T RELEASE UNTIL OWNER BLEEDS THE BRAKES. THIS HAPPENS DURING ANY BRAKING SITUATION. DEALER/MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. ALSO, OWNER FOUND OUT THAT THE BRAKE FLUID GOES THROUGH THE RUBBER FLEX LINE SLOWLY. THE CLAMP AROUND THE RUBBER FLEX LINE IS VERY TIGHT WHICH CAUSES THIS PROBLEM. OWNER REPAIRED BRAKE PROBLEM HIMSELF. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK Look up ODI 841805 at NHTSA ↗	325.0% ODI 536991 ANTI LOCK BRAKES LOCKED UP SEVERAL TIMES, TWO ACCIDENTS FROM LOCK UP. Look up ODI 536991 at NHTSA ↗	321.4% ODI 802468 ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM WENT OUT AND CONSUMER COULD NOT STOP, HIT THE TAIL END OF ANOTHER PICKUP AND BROKE WINDSHIELD.*AK Look up ODI 802468 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 879373 ONGOING / INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WITH RIGHT FRONT WHEEL LOCKING UP. VEHICLE BEEN IN DEALER SHOP ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND UNABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM . PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK Look up ODI 879373 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	133.3% ODI 802475 DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLES COME LOOSE . PLEASE DESCRIBE .*AK Look up ODI 802475 at NHTSA ↗	133.3% ODI 976189 PURCHASE TRUCK NEW THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE NOT LOCKING . TT Look up ODI 976189 at NHTSA ↗	1100.0% ODI 979310 DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE HAS FAILED, UNABLE TO LATCH SEATBELT. TT Look up ODI 979310 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	116.7% ODI 517412 THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILED. Look up ODI 517412 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	18.3% ODI 963889 SEAT BELT HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, WILL LOCK UP UNEXPECTEDLY. TT Look up ODI 963889 at NHTSA ↗	17.1% ODI 979028 ALL SEAT BELTS IN THE VAN ARE LOOSE . TT Look up ODI 979028 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Tires:Tread/Belt	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.	16.3% ODI 873645 WAS TRAVELING 65MPH & HEARD A RUMBLING IN REAR. PULLED OVER & TIRES WERE STILL INFLATED. HAD EXITED THE HIGHWAY & PULLED OVER AGAIN BECAUSE OF NOISE. CHECKED THE TIRES AGAIN & THIS TIME NOTICED TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM RIGHT REAR TIRE. THE WAS BALD. TOOK VEHICLE TO TIRE SHOP & BOUGHT ANOTHER TIRE. DO NOT HAVE TIRE. GENERAL, AMERITECH ST, P225/75R15 WITH 30,000 MILES ON IT.*AK Look up ODI 873645 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Air Bags:Frontal	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.	18.3% ODI 960989 HAD A FRONTAL COLLISION, AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. TT Look up ODI 960989 at NHTSA ↗	214.3% ODI 980719 DURING IMPACT, DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK Look up ODI 980719 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	133.3% ODI 964051 GAS TANK LEAKS CREATING POTENTIAL RISK OF FIRE. TT Look up ODI 964051 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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
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.	212.5% ODI 832749 HAD RECEIVED RECALL (#93V016000). HAD THE WORK DONE ON TRANSMISSION. OWNER NOT SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS. DOES NOT FEEL REPAIRS DONE CORRECTLY. *AK Look up ODI 832749 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Seat Belts:Front:Anchorage	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.	16.3% ODI 890053 DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS LOCATED TOO FAR BEHIND DRIVER. THIS CAUSES IT TO RUB AGAINST DRIVER'S NECK. THEN, NECK BECOMES CHAFFED. *AK Look up ODI 890053 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	17.1% ODI 602307 SEAT BELTS FALL BETWEEN CHAIR AND FOLDING ARM REST, RENDERING SEAT BELTS USELESS. Look up ODI 602307 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.
Structure:Body:Door	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.	214.3% ODI 971898 PASSENGER SIDE DOOR COMES OPEN WHEN MAKING A TURN. TT Look up ODI 971898 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable 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
No usable records for this analysis.

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

2000: 0 complaints · 2001: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
2000	0	0	0
2001	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
2000	0	0	0
2001	0	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	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	Fuel System, Gasoline	Suspension:Rear	Vehicle Speed Control
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	—	0	1 ODI 557968 WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE AND PULLED OVER, HE OPENED THE HOOD AND THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE UNDERCARRIAGE COMPARTMENT AREA WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE, THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING AND BURNING, THE FIRE WAS POSSIBLY CAUSED BY THE ENGINE OR FUEL SYSTEM FAILURE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC Look up ODI 557968 at NHTSA ↗	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	0	—	0	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline	1 ODI 557968 WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER SMELLED SMOKE AND PULLED OVER, HE OPENED THE HOOD AND THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE UNDERCARRIAGE COMPARTMENT AREA WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE, THERE WAS FUEL LEAKING AND BURNING, THE FIRE WAS POSSIBLY CAUSED BY THE ENGINE OR FUEL SYSTEM FAILURE. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *SLC Look up ODI 557968 at NHTSA ↗	0	—	0	0
Suspension:Rear	0	0	0	—	0
Vehicle Speed Control	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.

Fuel smell or leak mentions

1 mentions · 20.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 557968

Look up ODI 557968 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

\b(fuel leak\w*|gas leak\w*|gas(?:oline)? smell|smell\w* (?:of )?(?:fuel|gas))\b

Stalling or loss of power

1 mentions · 20.0% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 810793

WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS ENGAGED IT WILL SHUT ITSELF OFF, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL. *AK

Look up ODI 810793 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule

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