1986 Chevrolet Celebrity problems & reliability
33 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 9 | 27% |
| Electrical System | 7 | 21% |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 15% |
| Structure | 4 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 6% |
| Seats | 2 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I went to auto recalls .org and found recall on my 1986 chevy celebrity 33,000 miles. Contacted dealer kool chevrolet 3770 plainfield ne grand rapids michigan 49505 (616)-364-9431 they said they could only trace vin numbers back to 1990.was referred to gm 1-800-222-1020 (service request 71-693324446) I was told there…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jan 9, 2009
“Tl*the contact owns a 1986 cheverolet celebrity station wagon. The vehicle has goodyear douglas tires, size 195/75r14. The contact took his vehicle to a tire store for a routine replacement of the front tires. On more than one occasion, when purchasing tires from wal-mart, the tires did not fit correctly due to…”
Tires · filed Jul 11, 2008
“The consumer had cruise control installed on vehicle, shortly after the addition, the cruise control accelerated the engine when the brakes were depressed, this happened because of a defective brake switch. *slc”
Exterior Lighting · filed Dec 19, 2000
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SUB-FRAME ABSORBER FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE94048 · opened Jun 21, 1994 · closed Dec 30, 1994
- FRONT BRAKE DISC/HUB SEP
Preliminary Evaluation PE91120 · opened Aug 30, 1991 · closed Nov 4, 1991
- POWER ST. ASSIST
Engineering Analysis EA87006 · opened Dec 16, 1986 · closed Sep 19, 1988
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.