1991 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck: common problems

Owners of the 1991 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about tires and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 13
involving a crash: 1

What fails most often

1 Tires 31% of all complaints
2 Powertrain 15% of all complaints
3 Seat belts 15% of all complaints
4 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
5 Exterior lighting 8% of all complaints
6 Latches, locks, linkages 8% of all complaints
7 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
8 Structure 8% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Tires: 4 complaints (31% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 2 complaints (15% of all).
Seat belts: 2 complaints (15% of all).
Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (8% of all).
Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (8% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 13 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

headlights and tail lights1 · 8%
seat belts1 · 8%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 8%
tires: bulges, blowouts1 · 8%
transmission slipping1 · 8%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Tires	4	1
Powertrain	2	0
Seat belts	2	0
Engine and cooling	1	0
Exterior lighting	1	0
Latches, locks, linkages	1	0
Service brakes	1	0
Structure	1	0
Wheels	1	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Attorney writing on the behalf of 4 accidents in which he states were caused by tread separation on goodyear 16 inch load range e steel belted radial tires, this particular police report states that the left rear tire experienced tread separation, causing driver to lose control of the vehicle, vehicle experienced a…
Tires · crash · 2002-07-01 · NHTSA complaint #566277
While driving between 55 to 60 mph the passenger rear tire tread separated. It damaged the fender. Dealer and firestone were notified. Note consumer indicated this vehicle was cheyenne, 1991.
Tires · 2004-08-02 · NHTSA complaint #10083967
Fire started w/ spillage of transmission fluid onto engine. Dip stick did not have a locking mechanism. Dip stick was missing when the fire was out.
Powertrain · 2003-08-13 · NHTSA complaint #10032780
Engine noise : replace with new design cast iron exhaust manifold and stainless steel gasket per technical service bulletin #37-66-02b dated nov. 1996 and covering p models with 7.4l engines (vin n - rpol19) and cast iron exhaust manifolds for model yrs. 1982-1995.
Engine and cooling · 2002-08-08 · NHTSA complaint #765176
Goodyear wrangler at 16 inch tires experienced failure, one tire experienced tread separation, the other three tires experienced cracking, chipping, and peeling.
Tires · 2001-01-31 · NHTSA complaint #559047
The anti-lock breaks do not work. The front wheels will lock-up before the back will do anything. It is hard to stop. Went to the dealer they replaced the black box brain at my cost its no better. It has been this way for over 3 yrs. Now.
Service brakes · 1999-11-09 · NHTSA complaint #714541
Recall repair not able to be completed properly in addition to other repairs that were damages that were done during recall.
Seat belts · 1999-08-23 · NHTSA complaint #547531
Defecective rear seat belt, dealer first said part not ordered, than part finally in, than wrong part order.
Seat belts · 1998-06-19 · NHTSA complaint #511935

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19953
19961
19971
19981
19992
20011
20022
20031
20041

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 9,843 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 27% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Chevrolet Truck has 16 complaints (32 years in the data). This year has 13, below average.

What to check before buying

Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1991 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: tires, powertrain, seat belts. Total complaints: 13. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: headlights and tail lights (8%), seat belts (8%), smoke, burning smell, fire (8%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1991 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1991 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.