Model year record

1981 Chevrolet C20

1 recall campaign on file for this model year. 1 owner complaint on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 81V148000

Service brakes, hydraulic: fluid

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic: fluid
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
17
Reported to NHTSA
1981-12-14
Owners notified
1981-12-17

Defect description

THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE FLUID USED IN CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE BRAKE FLUID BOILING POINT REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 116, "MOTOR VEHICLE BRAKE FLUIDS". BRAKING EFFICIENCY MAY BE REDUCED AND VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE INCREASED, ESPECIALLY WHEN HARD OR FREQUENT BRAKING RAISES BRAKE FLUID TEMPERATURE.

Manufacturer remedy

SUSPECT HYDRAULIC BRAKE FLUID WILL BE BLED FROM THE BRAKE SYSTEM AND REPLACED WITH GM DELCO SUPREME NO. 11 OR AN EQUIVALENT, WITHOUT CHARGE.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Tires: tread/belt1

The 1980 model has about a fifth as many complaints as this one. The 1982 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.