1989 Chevrolet Corsica problems & reliability
64 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 Chevrolet Corsica. 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.
8 complaints report injuries (10 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts → | 18 | 28% |
| Electrical System → | 14 | 22% |
| Unknown OR Other | 7 | 11% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 8% |
| Wheels | 4 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 5% |
| Seats | 3 | 5% |
| Steering | 3 | 5% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1989 chevrolet corsica equipped with cooper lifeliner touring sle tires, line size 205/70/r14. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph when one of the front tires blew. The contact installed the spare tire abd proceeded driving 65 mph. Moments later, the second front tire blew and another…”
Tires · filed Apr 11, 2011
“The headlights have failed to work 4 times on the vehicle. Due to this failure at night the driver had to hold the brightest on while driving until they also failed which could have resulted in an accident while trying to find somewhere safe to pull over. The dimmer switch has been replaced 4 times since I bought the…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Jul 20, 2004
“While driving between 45 -50 mph, the right rear wheel bent out. This occurred because of the failure described in the wheel recall 91v2130000, but this vehicle was not included due to vin. *ak”
Wheels · filed Jun 10, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FR.SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILS
Engineering Analysis EA92025 · opened Jul 16, 1992 · closed Jul 8, 1993
- STICKING THROTTLE
Engineering Analysis EA92024 · opened Jun 26, 1992 · closed Jan 31, 1994
- SEAT BREAKS FROM TRACK
Preliminary Evaluation PE92048 · opened May 12, 1992 · closed Sep 28, 1992
- PARK BRAKE HANDLE FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE92043 · opened Apr 22, 1992 · closed Aug 31, 1992
- STICKING THROTTLE
Preliminary Evaluation PE92021 · opened Feb 24, 1992 · closed Jun 26, 1992
- HINGE PIN FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA92003 · opened Jan 17, 1992 · closed Sep 9, 1992
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1989 Chevrolet Corsica 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 1989 Chevrolet Corsica?
- · 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.