1993 Chevrolet Astro

Routine

Owners filed 135 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. It has been recalled 5 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip33
602
Suspension › Front › Springs › Torsion Bar9
000
Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage6
001
Power Train › Automatic Transmission6
000
Suspension › Front5
000
Vehicle Speed Control3
000
Seat Belts › Rear/Other3
001
Power Train › Automatic Transmission › Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch3
000
Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch3
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine3
000

5 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Exterior Lighting06E049000
Filed May 24, 200627,176 vehiclesCk Motorsport, Inc.

Defect. CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Risk. WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy. CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.

Fuel System, Gasoline06E043000
Filed May 19, 200688,303 vehiclesHoneywell International, Inc.

Defect. CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.

Risk. THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

Remedy. HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings06E041000
Filed May 18, 20067,800 vehiclesR&b, Inc.

Defect. CERTAIN R&B, INC. CENTRAL MULTIPORT FUEL INJECTION (CMFI) FUEL RETURN LINES, MODELS HELP 55163, NAPA BALKAMP 700-3270, AND THE CONNECTION 2560001, SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE FUEL RETURN LINE HAS A MECHANICAL BLEED VALVE WHICH WAS NOT INSTALLED AT THE PROPER TORQUE.

Risk. A FUEL LEAK CAN OCCUR AT THE VALVE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.

Remedy. R&B, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND AT THE CUSTOMERS REQUEST, EITHER REPLACE THE FUEL LINE OR OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT R&B, INC. AT 215-712-5330.

Exterior Lighting06E026000
Filed Mar 23, 200661,944 vehiclesPro-A Motors, Inc.

Defect. CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Risk. WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

Remedy. PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.

Seats › Front Assembly › Head Restraint94V177000
Filed Sep 14, 1994381 vehiclesSherry Designs, Inc.

Defect. THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BACK HEIGHT DOES NOT CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 202, "HEAD RESTRAINTS."

Risk. CONSEQUENCE OF NON-COMPLIANCE: SEAT OCCUPANTS ARE SUBJECT TO INCREASED RISK OF INJURY IN THE EVENT OF A SUDD STOP OR ACCIDENT.

Remedy. SHERRY DESIGNS WILL PROVIDE AN ATTACHABLE HEADREST FOR THE DEALER OR CUSTOMER TO ADD TO THE SEATS.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Mar 25, 2013180,000 milesCA

BOTH FRONT POWER DOOR LOCKS ON DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE MALFUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY FROM INSIDE OF VEHICLE REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. SECONDARY PROBLEM IS THE BATTERY DRAINING IF LEFT MORE THAN 24 HOURS WITHOUT BEING STARTED. BOTH BATTERIES ARE ONE YEAR OLD, IN GOOD CONDITION, AND ARE THE RIGHT TYPE. THE MAIN BATTERY DRAINS FIRST, SO WHEN THE AUXILIARY BATTERY IS STILL STRONG, THE ENGINE WILL START. I FEEL THAT THE CAUSE OF THE BATTERY/BATTERIES DRAINING IS NOT THE BATTERIES THEMSELVES BUT ANOTHER SOURCE, POSSIBLY THE FRONT POWER DOOR LOCKS. THE INTERIOR LIGHTS OR EXTERIOR LIGHTS ARE NOT THE SOURCE OF POWER THAT IS DRAINING THE BATTERY/BATTERIES. THIS VEHICLE IS USED AND OWNED BY A DISABLED PERSON IN A WHEELCHAIR. THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUXILIARY BATTERY TO ACCOMMODATE A WHEELCHAIR LIFT, DRIVER'S POWER SEAT, AND POWER SLIDING DOOR. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed May 10, 2011175,000 milesNY

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1993 CHEVROLET ASTRO. THE CONTACT STATED THE STEEL BRAKE LINE RUSTED AND THE BRAKES FAILED. WHILE REPLACING THE BRAKE PADS THE FLUID LEAKED ONTO A RUSTED AREA OF THE BRAKE LINE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 175,000.

Suspension › Front › HubCrash2 injured
Filed Nov 18, 2004170,000 milesOK

WAS INVOLVED IN A SINGLE ACCIDENT, WHICH A DEER RAN OUT IN FRONT OF ME I MERGE RIGHT TO AVOID HITTING THE DEER, AND ROLLED 1.5 TIMES AND WHEN RESTING UPON TOP OF TRUCK, THE REAR LEFT TIRE BROKE OFF OF THE HUB, AND AXLE. *AK

Seat Belts › Front › Retractor
Filed Jul 26, 2004131,000 milesCA

THE FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER SEAT BELT RETRACTOR DID NOT ACCOMMODATE OBESE INDIVIDUALS. THE RETRACTOR DID NOT REACH THE LATCH. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT EXTENSIONS WERE AVAILABLE. *JB CONSUMER WAS 5'9" AND 200 LBS. THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WAS 6 INCHES SHORT. *LA

Suspension › Front › Springs › Torsion Bar
Filed Feb 19, 2004MI

TORSION BAR THAT SUPPORT ENGINE BROKE IN TWO. *LA THE MANUFACTURER CHANGED THE DESIGN AND SHORTENED THE BARS BY THREE INCHES. THE OLD DESIGN ALLOWED SALT, WATER AND ICE TO GET INTO THE EXTENSION SLEEVES. *JB

Steering › Column Locking › Anti-theft DeviceCrash
Filed Jan 20, 2004186,000 milesMD

WHILE TURNING LEFT STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP , AND CONSUMER LOST THE CONTROL, RESULTING IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Oct 16, 200398,000 milesCA

MECHANICAL-BOUGHT '93 EXT. MODEL IN '96. REPLACED TWO STARTERS, TWO BATTERIES GOING TOWARDS MY THIRD ONE, HAD TO GET THE ENTIRE ENGINE REPAIRED BECAUSE OF A BLOWN HEAD GASKET, THE TRANNY STARTS SLIPPING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, WON'T BOTHER TRYING THE A/C NO MORE BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, IT STARTS TO IDLE VERY ROUGH THEN IT STALLS. GAS MILEAGE NOT GOOD; I FILLED UP THE TANK, AND WHEN I BRAKE AT A STOP LIGHT...THE GASOLINE GAUGE ALMOST DROPS TO 1/2 A TANK AND IT WON'T COME BACK UP. TRAVELING FROM LOS ANGELES TO VALENCIA OR LOS ANGELES TO SAN DIEGO IT OVERHEATS TERRIBLY, DROVE A '90 TOYOTA TERCEL TO VALENCIA FROM L.A. WITH A BUSTED RADIATOR AND THAT CAR DID NOT OVERHEAT!.NICE VAN BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS A CHEVY NOT A FORD AEROSTAR. *LA

Structure › Body
Filed Aug 12, 2003GA

MY 1993 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN WAS RECALLED FOR PAINT PEELING SEVERAL YEARS AGO. MY VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER WHO "REPAINTED MY VEHICLE". THEY HAD IT FOR AT LEAST ONE WEEK. WHEN IT WAS RETURNED, IT DID APPEAR REPAINTED. HOWEVER FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS THE PAINT IS SLOWLY PEELING OFF ON THE TOP OF MY VAN. IT IS NOW STARTING TO GET WORSE AND THE SILVER METAL IS SHOWING AND IT IS BECOMING QUITE NOTICEABLE WITH SOME SMALL RUST SPOTS. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A COVER UNDER THE THE TOP OF THE VANS PAINT. SMALL AREAS ON THE DOORS AND WINDOWS, THAT ARE NOT THE SAME COLOR AS THE REST OF THE VAN ARE ALSO PEELING. IF YOU LOOK AROUND ATHENS, GA, YOU CAN TAKE NOTICE OF THE OTHER CHEVROLET ASTROS THAT ARE ALSO PEELING PAINT. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS?*AK

Seats › Front Assembly › Head Restraint
Filed Apr 23, 2003100,000 milesKS

THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECT AS STATED IN RECALL 94 V 177 000 WHICH IS RELATED TO THE VEHICLES HEAD RESTRAINTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *NLM

Seat Belts › Rear/Other
Filed Mar 22, 2003145,000 milesIN

FEMALE PORTION OF REAR SEAT BELT BUCKLE (FOR SHOULDER HARNESS) STICKS UP TOO FAR. OWNER IS HAVING PROBLEMS FINDING TODDLER CHILD SEATS THAT WILL BUCKLE PROPERLY IN VEHICLE. OWNER USED TO USE CENTER LAP BELT. NOW HAS THREE CHILDREN AND NEEDS TO USE ONE OF THE SHOULDER BELTS. *JB

Tires › Sidewall
Filed Mar 10, 20037,300 milesNY

THE TIRE REAR TIRES CONTAINED SPLITS IN THE SIDE WALLS.*JB *TS

Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Arm
Filed Nov 4, 2002WA

WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE GARAGE SHE HEARD A NOISE COMING THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE COLLAPSED INWARD DUE TO UPPER CONTROL ARM. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE FURNISH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. MR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip › Abs Warning Light
Filed Nov 4, 2002WA

MR

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Oct 3, 2002FL

CONSUMER STATES THAT ALL THE DOOR LATCHES ARE DEFECTIVE, KEEPS BREAKING. HAD THEM REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. NLM

Suspension › Front › Control Arm › Lower Arm
Filed Sep 30, 2002NH

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING THE LOWER LEFT CONTROL ARM FAILED DUE TO METAL FATIGUE FROM, CAUSING THE LEFT FRONT OF VEHICLE TO DROP, MAKING VEHICLE INOPERATIVE. NLM

Suspension › Front
Filed Jul 1, 2002MN

COMMON FAILURE ACCORDING TO MY MECHANIC (NEW HOPE AUTOMOTIVE). RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION COLLAPSED WHILE PARKED IN DRIVEWAY, CERTAINLY WOULD OF LED TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF I'D BEEN DRIVING WHEN IT OCCURRED. MY MECHANIC SAID THE DEALER HAS SOLD 70 OF THE SAME PART IN LAST WEEK. SERIOUS FAILURE, SHOULD BE A RECALL.*AK

Power Train › Manual Transmission › Column Shift Assembly
Filed Apr 17, 2002MD

CONSUMER STATES THAT GEAR SHIFT WILL LOCK IN GEAR PERIODICLY. NLM

Suspension › Front › Springs › Torsion Bar
Filed Mar 27, 2002MI

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 25 MPH, THE TORTION BAR HAD RUSTED AND BROKE. NLM

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited SlipCrash1 injured
Filed Aug 8, 2001OK

WHILE TRAVELING TEN TO FIFTEEN MPH ON DRY ROAD CONDITIONS ABS BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED, CAUSING A FRONTAL COLLISION WITH A PICK-UP TRUCK. REAR DRUM BRAKES HAVE RECENTLY BEEN REPLACED FOR THE FIRST TIME AT 136,000 MILES. FRONT DISC BRAKES HAD BEEN TO BE REPLACED TWO OR THREE TIMES BEFORE. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. *AK

Electrical System › Wiring › Interior/Under Dash
Filed Aug 3, 2001NY

DASHBOARD LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING IN 2000. DURING THAT TIME THEY HAD ONLY COME ON ONCE. DEALER AT NIGHT COULD NOT READ ANY OF THE GAUGES. CONSUMER OWNED A 1986 VEHICLE THAT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER REPAIRS.*AK

20 of 135 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1995
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20059200Routine
200414210Routine
200362330Routine
200270334Fatalities reported
200191310Routine
2000175230Routine
1999133420Routine
1998241670Above average
1997360770Above average
1996263710Above average
1995446764Fatalities reported
1994328631Fatalities reported
1993 — this page135540Routine
1992132562Fatalities reported
199195640Routine
199068760Routine

Compare every Astro year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: May 24, 2006. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.