2002 Chevrolet S10 problems
NHTSA has received 249 complaints about the 2002 Chevrolet S10, and 29% of them involve body & structure. After that come brakes (9%) and latches & locks (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 249 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 29% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 22 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 20 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 45,000 miles 156 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 34 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 30 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 40 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 18 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 12 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 156 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 45,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 53,000 miles (55 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 22 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 20 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 9th most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Chevrolet S10 with enough data (178 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Car was a total loss. No airbags. Demolished beyond belief. Large amount of plastic used in making car. Very bothered by this accident, and am seeking information to see if this is something that has happened to other small pick-up trucks. Concerned for teenagers/people's safety.
The truck was in a head-on collision with a large tree at freeway speeds. Vehicle was hit in center of bumper with sufficient force to push engine into bulkhead and distorting dashboard and interior. Vehicle was totaled. My father was killed in the accident. Police reported he was not wearing a seat belt. Our concern was why wasn't the air bad deployed during crash. The air bag warning light was not illuminated shortly before the crash.
I have a 2002 chevrolet s10 zr2. It has had many problems in the front end, it was eventually discovered to have numerous cracks and broken welds, mostly on the right side. At this point GM has offered a 70/30 split on repairs, which we reluctantly agreed to because we needed the vehicle repaired. Now that the frame has been haphazardly repaired by a different dealer, because the dealer that we purchased it from refused to look at it, we feel that it is still a safety hazard and we are trying to get it repaired…
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet s-10. When the vehicle is started, the ABS indicator light remains illuminated. The park, neutral, and drive indicator lights illuminate while the vehicle is in park. When the vehicle is placed into drive, the lights dim. In addition, the fuel gauge shows that the vehicle is empty even when it is full of gasoline. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 107,000.