Chevrolet Express

Where it stands out against its peers

• Power train: more complaints than 95% of 2020 cars — 56% of its 84 complaints, where an ordinary 2020 car has 17%.
• Structure: more complaints than 96% of 2020 cars — 18% of its 84 complaints, where an ordinary 2020 car has 4%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• POWER TRAIN — 47 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 7 owners reported this
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE — 5 owners reported this
• ENGINE — 5 owners reported this
• SERVICE BRAKES — 5 owners reported this, 5 involving a crash
• STRUCTURE — 5 owners reported this

Crash test

Crash-tested by NHTSA, the American road safety agency.

Specification

Recalls

Filed by the manufacturer with a regulator. A recall is repaired free of charge, whoever owns the car now.

62% of 2022 cars have more recall campaigns than this one, and an ordinary one has 3. More of them means more to check the service record for, not a worse car.

• 11V543000

  AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIR BAG WILL INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT.

  GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 29, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT GMC AT 1-800-462-8782 OR CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020.

• 12V112000

  IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, A LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

  GM WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING GEAR AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR PITMAN SHAFT. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON APRIL 4, 2012.

• 13V001000

  As a result, the vehicle may shift from Park with the ignition key removed or the ignition key in the OFF position. The vehicle may also shift out of Park without application of the brake pedal while the key is off. Either of these scenarios may cause the vehicle to roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible vehicle crash and/or injury.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace the steering column as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on January 21, 2013. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. Cadillac owners may call 1-866-982-2339. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463.

• 13V010000

  If the ignition key is removed while the vehicle is still on and/or the vehicle is not in Park, the vehicle may rollaway and the unintended movement of the vehicle may result in a possible crash or injury to pedestrians.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition lock cylinder and the two associated keys. This service will be performed free of charge. The recall began on February 8, 2013. For more information, GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463 and Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438.

• 13V147000

  If the wires become lodged in the seat riser mechanism, they may become severed and potentially short circuit. A short circuit may result in a fire.

  Explorer Van Company will notify owners, and dealers will secure the seat wiring harness. Any damaged seat wiring harnesses will be replaced. These services will be completed free of charge. The recall began on May 10, 2013. Customers may contact Explorer Van Company at 1-800-926-7878. Explorer's number for this campaign is 2013-1.

• 13V225000

  A short at the connector may cause overheating, resulting in an increased risk of fire.

  GM will notify owners and GM dealers/fleets will perform the remedy which will include replacing the solenoid assemblies and fuel pump fuses and adjusting the wiring routing. The recall began on August 5, 2013. GM's number for this recall is 13139. Impco's number for this recall is FA13GM001. Owner's may contact GM Fleet Action Center at 1-800-353-3867.

• 13V544000

  Text that does not conform to the required labeling size could inhibit fuel tank inspection practices and safe refueling, increasing the risk of a fire.

  GM will notify owners and will send them a replacement label, free of charge. The recall began December 3, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 13365.

• 14V117000

  In the event of a crash below the air bag deployment threshold, an unbelted front passenger seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

  GM will notify owners, and dealers will modify the passenger instrument panel free of charge. Notices to the owners of the heavy duty vans were mailed on April 28, 2014. The recall began on May 19, 2014. Chevrolet owners may call 1-800-630-2438. GMC owners may call 1-866-996-9463. GM's number for this recall is 14082.

16 more campaigns have been filed against this model. A dealer can check by VIN which apply to one car.

Regulator investigations

Opened by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation is a question the regulator asked about a possible defect, not a fault it found — most end without a recall.

• 6L90 Transmission Failure

  Preliminary evaluation, opened September 2023, closed January 2025.

• Sale of noncompliant school bus

  Audit query, opened December 2018, still open.

• Fuel Filler Pipe Corrosion/Leakage

  Preliminary evaluation, opened December 2011, closed August 2012.

• Hydraulic pump failres

  Engineering analysis, opened April 2004, closed February 2005.

What the maker told its dealers

Service bulletins are the manufacturer's own repair guidance to dealers, filed with NHTSA. A bulletin is not a defect finding; the count rises with how many things a maker writes down, not only with how many go wrong.

Chevrolet filed 54 bulletins about the 2026 Express.

• Electrical system: 4
• Engine: 2
• Forward collision avoidance: 1
• Fuel/propulsion system: 1
• Wheels: 1
• Other: 45

• This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues · August 2026
• This Preliminary information communicates an issue with the SES MIL and DTC P062B and engineering is currently investigating. · August 2026
• PI to help diagnose A/C concern · July 2026
• This Preliminary information communicates an issue with an OTA pending message still displayed after an OTA event and how to reset/clear the message. · July 2026
• This preliminary information is to inform technicians that GM is placing the B174W Front View Camera Module (ACP2) on part restriction due to elevated replacement rates and ongoing engineering… · June 2026
• This preliminary information is to inform technicians and customers that the voice command will be inoperative when trying to open applications. Engineering is investigating and this PI will be… · June 2026
• This Preliminary information communicates to dealers a procedure to reset the radio. · May 2026
• This Preliminary information communicates to dealers a procedure to reset the radio. · May 2026

46 more.

Grouped by NHTSA's top-level system; a bulletin filed under a sub-heading counts toward its system.