U.S. public vehicle records

1988 Chevrolet K20: complaints, problems and recalls

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

1 owner complaints analyzed

6 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1988 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

Unknown Or Other is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Component breakdown

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

Unknown Or Other

Unknown Or Other: 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. 1 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.

1999

1999: 1

Pattern summary

Unknown Or Other leads the component reports. 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 705643 · 1999-04-15 (April 15, 1999)

I FEEL THE PAINT USED ON 1988 CHEYENNE PICKUP TRUCKS WAS INFERIOR. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL TRUCKS OF THE SAME MAKE, MODEL, YEAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 705643 at NHTSA ↗

Recall history

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

87V125000 · Vehicle Speed Control:Linkages

Reported: 1987-08-10 (August 10, 1987)

CRUISE CONTROL CABLE LOCK MECHANISM MAY SELF DISENGAGE CAUSING ERRATIC OPERATION OR THROTTLE NOT RETURNING TO IDLE.

Consequence: ENGINE SPEED WOULD NOT DECREASE; LOSS OF ACCELERATORCONTROL COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy: INSTALL A CLAMP AROUND THE LOCK TAB OF CRUISE CONTROL.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

87V126000 · Steering:Linkages:Tie Rod Assembly

Reported: 1987-08-10 (August 10, 1987)

ONE OR BOTH OF OUTER TIE ROD NUTS MAY BE LOOSE AND NOT CRIMPED.

Consequence: LOSS OF ONE OR BOTH NUTS COULD LEAD TO TIE RODDISENGAGING FROM STEERING KNUCKLE RESULTING IN POSSIBLE LOSS OF STEERINGCONTROL AND POSSIBLY A CRASH.

Remedy: REPLACE TIE ROD AND KNUCKLE AND SET TOE-IN.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

87V127000 · Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch

Reported: 1987-08-10 (August 10, 1987)

TRUCKS MAY HAVE CRACKED OR BROKEN DOOR STRIKER NUTS, WHICH DO NOT CONFORM TO FMVSS 206.

Consequence: IN A COLLISION, CRACKED OR BROKEN STRIKER NUT COULDALLOW DOOR TO OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY AND POSSIBLY CAUSE INJURY TO OCCUPANTS.

Remedy: REPLACE EXISTING DOOR STRIKER NUTS.

NHTSA campaign record ↗

87V128000 · Suspension:Front:Shock Absorber

Reported: 1987-08-10 (August 10, 1987)

INCORRECT FRONT SHOCK ABSORBER UPPER AND LOWER NUTS COULD LOOSEN.

Consequence: SHOCK ABSORBER COULD DETACH AND COME IN CONTACT WITHFRONT BRAKE HOSE; THIS CONTACT COULD RESULT IN A LEAK IN THE HOSE AND LOSS OFFRONT BRAKES.

Remedy: REPLACE FREE SPINNING NUTS WITH TORQUE NUTS.

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 ↗

93V119000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Rotor

Reported: 1993-08-02 (August 2, 1993)

SEVERE CORROSION DUE TO ROAD SALT AT THE JOINT OF THE STAMPED STEEL CENTER SECTION AND THE CAST OUTER SECTION CAN CAUSE THE SECTIONS TO SEPARATE.

Consequence: SEPARATION OF THE ROTOR SECTIONS CAN CAUSE LOSS OFBRAKING ABILITY IN THE AFFECTED WHEEL. THIS COULD RESULT IN INCREASED STOPPINGDISTANCE AND/OR LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND AN ACCIDENT.

Remedy: REPLACE THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WITH NEW ROTORS WITH A CORROSION PROTECTION COATING. HOWEVER, IF REPLACEMENT OF BRAKE LININGS ARE NECESSARY, IT WILL BE DONE AT OWNER'S EXPENSE SINCE BRAKE LININGS ARE NORMAL MAINTENANCE ITEMS.

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

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

0.0%Usable mileage0 / 1 records

100.0%Valid incident date1 / 1 records

100.0%Valid filing date1 / 1 records

100.0%Ordered incident and filing dates1 / 1 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	1985	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998
Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer	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.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	120.0% ODI 709179 WINDSHIELD WIPERS UNRELIABLE. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. SEEMS TO BE CENTERED IN THE WIPER MOTOR CONTROLS UNDER THE HOOD. Look up ODI 709179 at NHTSA ↗	133.3% ODI 701740 THE WINDSHIELD WIPER BECAME VERY IRRATIC AND EVENTUALLY QUIT IN NOV 96. WARRANTEE WOULD NOT COVER IT SO I REPLACED IT AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THE SECOND WINDSHIELD WIPER IS CURRENTLY DOING THE SAME AS THE FIRST, VERY IRRATIC AND QUITS ALL OF A SUDDEN, PUTTING MY LIFE IN A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. MY 95 BLAZER HAD A RECALL ON THE SAME EXACT WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE THAT I HAVE REPLACED. I HAD THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP CHEC THE PART NUMBER ON MY 94 CHEV PU, AND IT'S THE EXACT SAME AS FOR THE BLAZER, YET CHEVROLET SAYS THE VIN # ON MY PU IS NOT ON T… Look up ODI 701740 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 533792 INTERMITTENT FAILURE OF THE WINDSHIELS WIPERS. GENERALLY HAPPENS IN A RAIN STORM AND AFFECTS VISIBILITY. Look up ODI 533792 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
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.	0Unavailable 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.	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 708975 THE BRAKES ON THIS VEHICLE IN MY OPINION DO NOT WORK PROPERLY. I HAVE NUMEROUS INCIDENTS WHERE THE TRUCK FAILS TO STOP IN A TIMELY FASHION OR DISTANCE. ONE OF THESE INCIDENTS HAS RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE I REAR ENDED A VEHICLE SOON AFTER I BOUGHT THE TRUCK. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER AND BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS SEEKING RESOLUTION. THE LATEST OF THESE INCIDENTS OCCURRED WITH MY FAMILY IN THE TRUCK AND A CAR BACKED OUT AND STOPPED FORCING ME TO USE TWO FEET ON THE BRAKE TO TRY TO STOP THE VEHICLE, IF THE CAR HAD … Look up ODI 708975 at NHTSA ↗	250.0% ODI 817900 WHEN COMING TO AN INTERSECTION AND PRESSING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL THE TRUCK JUST KEEPS GOING, NO MATTER HOW HARD DRIVER PUSHES DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. *AK Look up ODI 817900 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 965449 LOCATION OF PLASTIC TOO CLOSE TO GAS TANK. CAUSING IT TO RUST. TT Look up ODI 965449 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable 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.	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 8013189 WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND MECHANIC STATED WIRE HARNESS IN FUEL TANK BEGAN TO MELT, RESULTING BURNT CONNECTOR AND MELTED A MELTED WIRE.AK. MJ Look up ODI 8013189 at NHTSA ↗	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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 964676 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE, REPLACED THREE TIMES. TT Look up ODI 964676 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 969697 WHEN DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION GEAR LOCK INTO SECOND GEAR . TT Look up ODI 969697 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.
Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner	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.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	240.0% ODI 980918 60/40 SPLIT SEAT HAS NO LATCH ON THE CENTER PASSENGER SIDE OF THE SEAT, CAUSING TO SEAT TO ROCK BACK AND FORTH. *AK Look up ODI 980918 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.
Steering	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.	0Unavailable 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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 970225 AFTER IT HEATS UP IT WILL DIE AND EVERYTHING HAS GONE OUT. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT Look up ODI 970225 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.
Electrical System:Ignition	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.	0Unavailable 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.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	150.0% ODI 970225 AFTER IT HEATS UP IT WILL DIE AND EVERYTHING HAS GONE OUT. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT Look up ODI 970225 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.
Electrical System:Starter 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.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	133.3% ODI 971656 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE, STARTER ON VEHICLE HAS FAILED, UNABLE TO START VEHICLE. TT Look up ODI 971656 at NHTSA ↗	0Unavailable 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.

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

1997: 2 complaints · 1998: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
1997	1	1	2
1998	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
1997	3	1	0
1998	0	0	1

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	Unknown Or Other
Unknown Or Other	—

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

0 patterns with matching reports.

No narratives match the published patterns.