Owners have filed 126 complaints on the Chevrolet Celebrity, covering 1984–1990. The system named most often is Steering (32 reports). Worst years by volume: 1988, 1987, 1989; cleanest: 1990, 1984, 1985. 9 reports describe a crash, 2 a fire, 2 a death. On average the car was 9.1 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Chevrolet Celebrity
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 126 Celebrity complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 32 Read
Power steering rack and pinion seal failed, causing all the power steering fluid to leak out twice/binding
Rack and pinion failed
Computer command failed, causing vehicle stall
Electrical System 16 Read
Electrical system problem. Please describe. Tt
Consumer was driving and car started to smoke and caused a fire
Electronic control unit failed 4 times
Engine And Engine Cooling 14 Read
Engine stalls upon coming to a stop
The roof rack had separated with two bikes attached to it while in motion, and had flown off of the vehicle. The thin fabrication of the heater core tubing allowed leakage into the vehicle which can cause prolonged inhalation of toxic fumes, and the sensor that hits on the camshaft has a small magnet affixed to it…
While approaching an intersection the engine stoped, when started again the car jumped forward, causing an accident
Service Brakes 12 Read
Received a soft pedal, went to floor with no braking effect; caused accident. Tt
Following replacement of the rear drums, shoes and wheel cylinders, only moderate brake pedal pressure will cause the rear wheels to lock up and skid. In wet conditions the rear end can fishtail leading to potential disaster. Problem was never noticed in previous 9 years of ownership. The front disc brakes appear to…
Front brake hoses are cracked, could eventually break through, resulting in loss of braking power
Seat Belts 9 Read
Consumer was in accident and driver and passenger side seat belt came out of the buckle. Tt
Shoulder portion of shoulder/lap belt did not hold driver upon rear end collision; occupant went backwards;hit headrest;then forward;smashed into steering wheel
Repetitive engagement between teeth of retractor locking mechanism and edges of webbing during extension/retraction caused 1/2 inch tear in driver's side seat belt webbing during a collision. The shoulder belt failed, causing driver to be ejected from vehicle. Driver sustained fatal injuries
Latches/locks/linkages 7 Read
Hood latch has failed, unable to open or close hood. Tt
The rear latch in the back will not stay closed and unlatches while driving. Tt the rear latch opens on highway or on bumps, getting worse as time passes
While driving, trunk ajar will illuminate followed by a popping sound/rattling in rear. Please describe details. Tt
Power Train 6 Read
The contact owns a 1990 chevrolet celebrity. While driving 15 mph, the contact was unable to see which gear he was driving in and crashed into the rear of a vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by an insurance adjuster who determined that the shift indicator was unclear and was the cause of the crash. The vehicle is…
Speedometer gives inaccurate readings
When driving and stopping at light the car vibrates , car sometimes wouldn't down shift . Please describe
Tires 6 Read
1989 chevy celebrity suffered a tire blowout. Consumer lost control and spun off the right side of the roadway then struck an embankment. *nj the consumer suffered injuries. Ohio traffic crash report # 19-0473-91 updated 04/15/10
Purchase date 3/16/2000 felt bump and I stop car .tire was completely riped apart (there should be a recall for this line also) (DOT number: u9ka tiresize: p195/75r14)
This tire failed 3 times, each time due to stud penetration. We purchased these tires from les schwab in november of 2000. The three stud penetrations occured on 2-1-01, 2-7-01 and 2-8-01. Each time we took the tire back to les schwab, they patched the area where the stud(s) had penetrated free of charge as stated in…
Celebrity years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Exterior Lighting | 1 | — | |
| 1989 | Electrical System | 4 | 1 | |
| 1988 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 1987 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1986 | Electrical System | 2 | 1 | |
| 1985 | Engine And Engine Cooling | — | — | |
| 1984 | Seats | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 106 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.2 |
| Worst single series | 4 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 9.1 years |
A model average of 1.2 hides a worst series at 4. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Celebrity?
By complaint volume, 1988, 1987, 1989 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Celebrity years are the cleanest?
1990, 1984, 1985 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Chevrolet Celebrity have?
126 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1984–1990. Of those, 9 describe a crash and 2 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.