Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
17 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
Not available median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1987 model year. Data updated: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
Power Train:Automatic Transmission is the most frequently named component, appearing in 4 of 17 complaints (23.5%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 3 | 17.6% |
| Braking behavior | 3 | 17.6% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 4 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder | 2 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 |
| Vehicle Speed Control:Linkages | 2 |
| Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood | 1 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | 1 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 1 |
| Seats | 1 |
Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 4; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder: 2; Vehicle Speed Control: 2; Vehicle Speed Control:Linkages: 2; Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 1; Seats: 1
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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. 17 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 7 |
| 1996 | 4 |
| 1997 | 1 |
| 1999 | 2 |
| 2000 | 3 |
1995: 7; 1996: 4; 1997: 1; 1999: 2; 2000: 3
Power Train:Automatic Transmission leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 3 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 3 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 provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
WATER PUMP REPLACED TWICE.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 481814 at NHTSA ↗
VEHICLE HAS SEVERE SWAYING PROBLEM. *SKD
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 482631 at NHTSA ↗
TRANSMISSION FAILED IN REVERSE GEAR. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 500884 at NHTSA ↗
BRAKES MASTER CYLINDER FAILED. *DSH
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 502315 at NHTSA ↗
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.(OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 509997 at NHTSA ↗
CRUISE CONTROL RESUMED BY ITSELF, CAUSING ACCELERATION AND AN ACCIDENT.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 518403 at NHTSA ↗
SEAT ASSEMBLY THAT ALLOWS SEAT TO MOVE FORWARD AND BACKWARD HAS BROKEN, NOT ALLOWING THE SEAT TO LOCK IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION FOR SHORTER DRIVERS.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 707309 at NHTSA ↗
MY FATHER'S 1987 CAPRICE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED ALONG WITH ITS GARAGE. FIRE ERUPTED FROM UNDER HOOD AS ENGINE WAS BEING STARTED. HE WAS FORTUNATE TO ESCAPE. I, HIS SON, HAVE A 1988 CAPRICE WITH THE SAME 305 CID ENGINE AND THE SAME 4-BARREL CARB; AND I HAVE BEEN NOTICING GAS FUMES DURING OPERATION OF THE CAR FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. MY QUESTION: IS THERE SOME PROBLEM WITH ENGINE FIRES IN CAPRICES WITH THIS ENGINE/CARB COMBINATION? HAVE THERE BEEN ANY RECALL CAMPAIGNS? *AK
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 736704 at NHTSA ↗
2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
Reported: 1987-10-26 (October 26, 1987)
MANUAL VALVE LINK IN THE TRANSMISSION MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY FORMED.
Consequence: THE VALVE LINK COULD SEPARATE RESULTING IN A GEARSELECTION DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THE DRIVER SELECTS. ALSO, CAR COULD BE STARTEDWITH TRANSMISSION IN GEAR ALLOWING VEHICLE TO MOVE IN AN UNANTICIPATEDDIRECTION.
Remedy: REPLACE THE MANUAL VALVE DETENT LEVER LINK.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Reported: 1989-06-16 (June 16, 1989)
A SMALL NYLON BUSHING IN THE CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BAIL MAY SLIP OUT OF PLACE, CAUSING INTERMITTENT AND UNEXPECTED INCREASES IN ENGINE SPEED OR DIESELING (ENGINE RUN ON WITH IGNITION OFF).
Consequence: SERVO ROD ASSEMBLY COULD CATCH ON ENGINE COMPONENTS ANDRESULT IN A STUCK THROTTLE WITH POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: INSTALL A NEW BUSHING IN CRUISE CONTROL SERVO BAIL.
NHTSA campaign record ↗Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
17 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
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.
| Component | 2003 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Electrical System:Horn | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%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. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%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. | 0UnavailableNo examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Seat Belts:Front:Retractor | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 0UnavailableNo 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.
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No usable records for this analysis. | ||||
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
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.
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
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.
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.
2013: 6 complaints · 2014: 10 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2014 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | 12 | 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.
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Power Train:Automatic Transmission | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder | Vehicle Speed Control | Vehicle Speed Control:Linkages | Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood | Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Master Cylinder | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control:Linkages | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Seats | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
1 patterns with matching reports.
1 mentions · 5.9% of complaints
Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).
BRAKE FAILURE, REPLACE OF THE MASTER CYLINDER, EXPERIENCE LIGHT COME RED, AND PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. TT
\b(brake fail\w*|brakes fail\w*|brake pedal|braking distance|unintended braking|phantom braking)\b