Chevrolet Caprice Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
904 NHTSA complaints (1983–2014).Complaint rate: 2397.9 per 1,000 vehicles.
Compare Chevrolet Caprice vs:
Should I buy a Chevrolet Caprice?
Quick answer from 904 NHTSA complaints · 1983–2014
Most Chevrolet Caprice years show comparable, moderate complaint volumes. No specific year stands out as dramatically worse than its siblings. The most commonly reported issue is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Any year within the data range should perform similarly — focus inspection on the individual VIN history rather than avoiding a specific year.
- 2011 Chevrolet Caprice· 2 complaints
- 2013 Chevrolet Caprice· 9 complaints
- 2014 Chevrolet Caprice· 14 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1991–1996 Chevrolet Caprice (95 crash-related complaints). The 2013 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Chevrolet Caprice Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 73 | 15.1% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 52 | 48.1% |
| Electrical System:Horn | 34 | 0.0% |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch | 28 | 0.0% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components | 27 | 7.4% |
| Air Bags:Frontal | 25 | 88.0% |
| Seat Belts:Front:Retractor | 22 | 4.5% |
| Tires:Tread/Belt | 21 | 0.0% |
| Automatic Transmission | 21 | 9.5% |
| Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | 20 | 5.0% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983NO DATA | — | 8 | 0 | 4 | View → |
| 1984NO DATA | — | 8 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 1985NO DATA | — | 8 | 0 | — | View → |
| 1986NO DATA | — | 41 | 1 | 2 | View → |
| 1987NO DATA | — | 20 | 0 | 4 | View → |
| 1988NO DATA | — | 16 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1989NO DATA | — | 19 | 2 | 2 | View → |
| 1990NO DATA | — | 6 | 1 | — | View → |
| 1991NO DATA | — | 170 | 30 | 3 | View → |
| 1992NO DATA | — | 133 | 26 | 1 | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | — | 63 | 9 | 4 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | — | 185 | 17 | 11 | View → |
| 1995AVOID | — | 111 | 12 | — | View → |
| 1996 | — | 87 | 1 | — | View → |
| 1997NO DATA | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 2011NO DATA | — | 2 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2013NO DATA | — | 9 | 0 | 2 | View → |
| 2014GOOD | — | 14 | 0 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (904 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Chevrolet Capriceaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
Buying a Chevrolet Caprice?
Check the specific VIN for hidden accidents, title issues, and full vehicle history — just $4.99.
Check VIN Free