1996 Chevrolet C/K Series Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1996 Chevrolet C/K Series, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes150.0%
- Engine150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
96 SILVERADO 4X4 REAR BRAKE LINE RUSTED THROUGH, REPAIRED. 6 MONTHS LATER FRONT CROSSOVER BRAKE LINE RUSTED THROUGH, REPAIRED. PUT NEW BRAKES/ROTORS ON FRONT, NEW SHOES ON REAR W/NEW WHEEL CYLINDERS AND NEW REAR BRAKE HOSE, OLD HOSE BURST. BLED SYSTEM, BUT PEDAL STILL SPONGY. BRAKES NOT WORKING. TAKES FOREVER TO STOP THIS TRUCK, DANGEROUS. I AM A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER, AND THIS TRUCK IS THE WORST. THE OTHER BAD ONES WERE CHEVY LUMINAS, WHICH WERE SIMILAR WITH SPONGY PEDAL AND EXTENDED STOP DISTANCES. THE TRUCK HAS A DELAY BETWEEN PEDAL PUSH AND BRAKING STARTING. EXCESSIVE PEDAL PRESSURE REQUIRED, DOESN'T DO MUCH GOOD. I TOWED A TRAILER WITH IT ONCE, AND WAS SCARED TO DEATH. ENGINE HAS LOTS OF POWER, BRAKES ARE USELESS. ANTILOCK SYSTEM IS DANGEROUS, CAUSES THE TRUCK TO SWERVE. GM KNOWS THIS SYSTEM IS "UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED" JUST LIKE THE OLD CORVAIRS WERE. RALPH NADER WHERE ARE YOU WHEN WE NEED YOU? NO ONE ELSE IN THE GOVERNMENT HAS DONE ANYTHING. THEY DON'T CARE OR ARE ON THE TAKE. OTHERWISE THIS BLATANT DEFECT WOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED! ALSO MY SISTER OWNS A YUKON, 1996, AND HER ANTILOCK SYSTEM ACTIVATED ALL THE TIME ON DRY ROAD, AND ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS. SHE TOOK IT TO A DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE BRAKE BOOSTER AND DID THE BRAKES. IT DIDN'T STOP THE ANTILOCK PROBLEM, SO I DISCONNECTED THE FUSE TO THE ANTILOCK SYSTEM AND IT STOPPED THE FAULTY ACTIVATION, BUT THE BRAKES ARE STILL SPONGY, AND THE TRUCK IS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. ANOTHER FRIEND WAS INJURED AND THE 1996 SUBURBAN WAS TOTALLED, AND THE CAR SHE HIT WAS TOTALLED AND THE DRIVER INJURED, WHEN SHE STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AND THEY DIDN'T WORK. SHE SAID THE PEDAL WAS SPONGY FOR AWHILE, AND THE TRUCK WAS HARD TO STOP. SHE WAS BEING CAREFUL BECAUSE OF THIS BUT SOMEONE STOPPED SHORT IN FRONT OF HER AND SHE SAID SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STOP BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT WORK. HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE HAVE TO BE HURT OR KILLED BEFORE THE NTSB MAKES A RECALL FOR THIS? WHAT GOOD ARE THEY IF THEY DO NOTHING?
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR TWO YEARS NOW AND LOVE THE POWER AND SMOOTH RIDE I GET FROM IT. THE TRUCK IS A 1996 CHEVY K2500 WITH A 6.5L DIESEL ENGINE. I HAVE PUT OVER $3,600 IN THIS VEHICLE IN THE LAST 18 MOS. THE ENGINE SHUTS DOWN AND YOU CANNOT STOP OR STEER THE VEHICLE THEN. THE MECHANICS SAY THAT THIS HAPPENS IN A LOT OF VEHICLES WITHMOST OWNERS END UP SELLING IT. IF THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THEN WHY DOESN'T CHEVROLET DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.THIS COULD BE A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE THIS TRUCK IS SO HARD TO HANDLE WHEN IT STALLS.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .