Recall Register

1988 Chevrolet C20: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1988 Chevrolet C20. The newest campaign is 93V016000. NHTSA received the report on 1 Feb 1993. The NHTSA record gives the component Power Train / Automatic Transmission. NHTSA has 3 complaints on file for this model year. 6 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 93V016000, in the NHTSA record

Install a longer transmission vent hose routed to the left side of the engine compartment of the vehicle.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 1,779,240 units in total.

  • 93V016000Power Train / Automatic Transmission
  • 87V136000Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
  • 87V126000Steering / Linkages / Tie Rod Assembly
  • 87V127000Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch
  • 87V125000Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages

  1. 93V016000Received . 1,702,880 units.

    Power Train / Automatic Transmission

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Unanticipated heat in the transmission can force the transmission fluid out of the vent tube.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    The vented transmission fluid can catch fire if exposedto a source of ignition.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Install a longer transmission vent hose routed to the left side of the engine compartment of the vehicle.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 93-C-07. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 87V136000Received . 63,196 units.

    Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Right and left hand brake hose may contact the wheel or tire in a full turn.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    If the hose makes contact with the wheel or tire it willeventually wear the hose to a point of rupture, resulting in a loss of thefront brakes. Loss of front brakes would increase the stopping distance whenminimum time is required and could result in a vehicle crash.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Install new repositioning brackets for the front brake hoses.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 87V126000Received . 2,750 units.

    Steering / Linkages / Tie Rod Assembly

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    One or both of outer tie rod nuts may be loose and not crimped.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    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, in the NHTSA record
    Replace tie rod and knuckle and set toe-in.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 87V127000Received . 1,521 units.

    Latches/Locks/Linkages / Doors / Latch

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Trucks may have cracked or broken door striker nuts, which do not conform to FMVSS 206.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    In a collision, cracked or broken striker nut couldallow door to open unexpectedly and possibly cause injury to occupants.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Replace existing door striker nuts.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  5. 87V125000Received . 8,893 units.

    Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Cruise control cable lock mechanism may self disengage causing erratic operation or throttle not returning to idle.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Engine speed would not decrease; loss of acceleratorcontrol could result in a crash without prior warning.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Install a clamp around the lock tab of cruise control.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

3 complaints, 4 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1988 Chevrolet C20: component mentions in complaints
ComponentMentions
Engine and Engine Cooling2
Structure1
Seat Belts1
Complaints that report a crash
1
Complaints that report a fire
0
Injuries in the complaints
1
Deaths in the complaints
0
Date of the newest complaint
6 Dec 1995

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1988 Chevrolet C20, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1995, with 3 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1988 Chevrolet C20
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
EA92041Engineering analysisFUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITYFuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly8 Dec 19929 Mar 1995
EA88035Engineering analysisPOOR BRAKE PERFORMANCEService Brakes, Hydraulic18 Jul 198831 Oct 1990
PE88044Preliminary evaluationPOOR BRAKING PERFORMANCEService Brakes, Hydraulic11 Apr 198818 Jul 1988
EA88018Engineering analysisBRAKE SYSTEMService Brakes, Hydraulic20 Jan 198831 May 1991
PE88019Preliminary evaluationREAR BRK LIGHTS STAY ONService Brakes, Hydraulic19 Jan 198831 Mar 1988
EA88016Engineering analysisHIGH TEMP & FUEL EXPVehicle Speed Control / Linkages19 Jan 198830 Jun 1988

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19671
  2. 19701
  3. 19713
  4. 19720
  5. 19742
  6. 19751
  7. 19762
  8. 19771
  9. 19780
  10. 19793
  11. 19801
  12. 19811
  13. 19821
  14. 19830
  15. 19840
  16. 19850
  17. 19870
  18. 19885
  19. 19892
  20. 19903
  21. 19911
  22. 19923
  23. 19933
  24. 19948
  25. 19956
  26. 19964
  27. 19972
  28. 19981
  29. 20001
  30. 20011

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1988 Chevrolet C20: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/chevrolet/c20/1988/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1988 Chevrolet C20?
1,779,240 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Chevrolet C20 have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 42 recall campaigns for the Chevrolet C20, model years 1967 to 2001. 5 of them name the 1988 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Chevrolet C20 name most often?
Engine and Engine Cooling: 2 of 4 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Chevrolet C20 open?
No. Each of the 6 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.