Pin holes in steel brake lines causing complete brake failure. Fortunately vehicle was sitting when brake petal was applied for starting. When pressing brake to start vehicle, petal went completely to floor. When checking under vehicle to analyze problem, pin holes leaks were observed in various places from front to rear in steel lines. I fear what may have happened had the vehicle been in motion, around pedestrians, and/or, on the road.
The worst 1996 Chevrolet Astro problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Suspension60
- Visibility60
- Brakes36
- Fuel system19
- Transmission19
- Engine18
- Steering16
- Airbags15
- Body15
- Electrical13
- Seat belts9
- Acceleration7
- Locks6
- Lights5
- Tires5
- Seats4
Specific symptoms reported on the 1996 Chevrolet Astro
Wipers 52Brake failure 14Ball joint 9No deployment 8Fuel pump 8ABS 7Power steering loss 7
Recalls 4
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer
- What is wrong
- On certain minivans, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles with certain model-engine combinations, the windshield wiper motor may fail due to cracked solder joints on the controller circuit board. The windshield wipers could work intermittently or not at all.
- Risk
- If this were to occur during bad weather, driver visibility would be reduced, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the wiper motor circuit board and cover. Owner notification began on june 19, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, gmc at 1‑800‑462‑8782, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 03V159000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front: warning light/devices
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: mini vans. Some of these vehicles fail to comply with requirements of fmvss no. 208, "occupant crash protection." the "fasten safety-belt" audible warning occasionally may not come on or may terminate in less than four seconds as required by the standard.
- Risk
- This does not meet the requirements of the standard.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new alarm module. Owner notification began june 27, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or gmc at 1‑800‑462‑8782.
Recall number 01V123000 · Recall details
Child seat
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: mini vans equipped with integrated dual child seats. Some of these vehicles may be missing a seat belt retractor clutch spring and/or pawl spring in the child seat. If the clutch spring was missing, the seat belt would lock in the retracted position and could not be used. If the pawl spring was missing, the seat belt restraint would continually play out and would not lock.
- Risk
- These conditions could increase the occupant's risk of injury in the event of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the seat belts on the child seats, and if necessary, replace the child seat.
Recall number 99V009000 · Recall details
Seat belts: rear/other
- What is wrong
- The outboard safety belt webbing on the right-hand rear bucket seat can separate during a vehicle crash.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the vehicle occupant would not be properly restrained and personal injury could result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a protector on the rear seat cushion frame.
Recall number 97V057000 · Recall details
See all 4 recalls for the 1996 Chevrolet Astro
Defect investigations
Windshield wiper failure
As a result of this, and the precedinginvestigation, rq99-003, gm has expanded the population of safety recall 98v‑150 (replacement of the windshield wiper control module) to include an additional 1.77 million vehicles.included are various 1994-1997 my m/l vans, s/t trucks and suvs, & c/k trucks and suvs.see attached technical report for details.
EA02006
Technical service bulletins for the 1996 Chevrolet Astro 51
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy...
- Fuel system, gasoline
- This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Equipment
- This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
- Engine and engine cooling
- General motors: on all 1988-2009 full size chevrolet/gmc pickups, utilities and vans, the brake pedal will...
1996 Chevrolet Astro fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.3L 6‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 19-20 | 16-17 |
| 4.3L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 14-15 | 17-20 | 15-16 |
What 1996 Chevrolet Astro owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I just got home & was backing around to where I park when the brake pedal started vibrating. I did manage to park. The next day the vibrating stopped when a grating noise was made. Suddenly the brake pedal came way up. It does have some brakes but they are hard to depress. Suddenly my power steering is gone. There was no indication of problems with either beforehand. This van just passed inspection in mid-august, and has always been taken care of.
1996 chevy astro lf torsion bar broke. Luckily it happened after my wife went on an 800 mile trip. Dealer replaced with newly designed shorter bar. Front now a lot lower than original. Dealer did not require or insist the other one be fixed at this time. They adjusted the camber of the wheel to offset the lower lf of the car. After reading other complaints on this board it was clearly a design flaw and should be remedied by gm. They knew--or at least found out about it--otherwise they would not have redesigned the part. They should pay for replacements on both sides. What does it take?
1996 chevrolet astro with transmission failure. Consumer believes that the part that failed was the sunshell. He heard that if this part fails, the reverse and some forward gears will be lost.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 chevrolet astro. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact found a recall notice inside the vehicle from when it was purchased. The recall letter pertains to the ignition coil wire. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 180,000.
Electrical failure. Repeated in a 1996 chevy astro. Leading to starter engage while engine running.
Dt: 1996 chevrolet astro. The vehicle began to smoke on august 11, 2005. The smoke was coming from the dashboard. The vehicle was being driven when this occurred. The consumer stated the switch or the plug for the rear air conditioner blower melted. Also, melted the first six inches of the wiring harness. The vehicle is still drivable. The consumer was able to pull the vehicle over and turn it off. He checked to make sure there were no flames. This problem has not yet been repaired.
The torsion bar snapped in half. This bar was inadequate to the vehicle, and gm has a modified version for this. The bar broke while the consumer was driving the vehicle. The consumer was going 10 MPH, when this happened and this caused the left front to drop down about 8 to 10 inches and was a violent drop. There were no problems before this. There were no wrecks involved. The consumer had to take in to the midas dealer and have the torsion bars on the left and right replaced with the new modified version. The front shock also broke, as a result of the bar breaking. The total of fixing this was $1,000.00 at the consumer's expense. *tt *sc
I was driving down the interstate at 65 miles per hr. And all of a sudden I saw white smoke coming from the back of my van, it looked like the van was on fire, I lost all power to the van, and had no pick-up or speed. I had to divert the van to the shoulder of the highway. When I looked under the hood I found that the transmission cable had come unattached, and I had transmission fluid all over the ground. There were no warning signs whatsoever. Transmission fluid sprayed all the way to my back windshield of the van.
While driving passenger's side door came off due to defective plastic.
Compare the 1996 Chevrolet Astro
Other model years
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005
Questions about the 1996 Chevrolet Astro
Is the 1996 Chevrolet Astro reliable?
Owners have filed 263 complaints about the 1996 Chevrolet Astro, 4.2 times a typical Astro model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1996 Chevrolet Astro?
Suspension, with 60 complaints, typically around 83,000 miles. Next is visibility (60).
How many recalls does the 1996 Chevrolet Astro have?
4 recalls, covering visibility, seat belts and child seat.
What year does the Chevrolet Astro have bad suspension?
The Chevrolet Astro model years with the most suspension complaints are 1995 (75 complaints), 1996 (60 complaints) and 1994 (40 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1996 Chevrolet Astro get?
Official estimates for the 1996 Chevrolet Astro range from 15 to 17 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.3L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 15 city and 19-20 highway.
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