2003 Chevrolet S10 problems
NHTSA has received 230 complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet S10, and 18% of them involve brakes. After that come body & structure (14%) and wipers, windshield & visibility (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 230 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 25 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 49,000 miles 170 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 | 45 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 29 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 18 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 25 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 18 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 17 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Among the 170 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 49,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 54,000 miles (35 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 25 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 15 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Chevrolet S10 with enough data (137 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
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.
My husband was involved in a car accident in the brooklyn battery tunnel on 8/23/05. The front of his vehicle hit into the rear of another car. His airbag never deployed. My husband died at the scene of the accident. Although he did have his seat belt on, his head did break the windshield. Geico car insurance totaled the vehicle. I want to be sure that this does not happen to anyone else.
I was going through a green light at an intersection,when another vehicle ran the red light at a high speed. The vehicle hit the front center of my bumper and the airbags did not deploy and the seat belts did not hold. I was headed south,and the other vehicle was headed west,when it hit me. It turned me into the westward direction. When I came to, my head was hanging out the window and my son(who was in the passengers seat )was on top of me. He was thrown across the console,our seat belts did not hold.
The third door handle has broken twice in one week , all under normal operation, part was replaced but broke instantly.
Bought 2003 s-10 v6 one year ago.(11/2009) truck has less than 45000k on it brakes on the vehicle squeal and lock up all the time. I have had my brakes worked on 4x's by a GM certified mechanic, the problem still is not fixed. I have turned rotors, changed brake pads, loosened back brakes, etc. Nothing works! If it is raining outside vehicle is unsafe to drive due to skidding into car in front of you.