1999 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 123 complaints · 5 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (41 complaints · 33.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 6
  • Injuries 1
  • Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution SERVICE BRAKES appears in 41 of 123 owner complaints (33.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. SERVICE BRAKES: 41 complaints, 33.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 41 · 33.3% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 35 complaints, 28.5% of reports ENGINE 35 · 28.5% · 3 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 5.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 5.7% · 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 6 complaints, 4.9% of reports POWER TRAIN 6 · 4.9% · 1 crash reports VISIBILITY: 6 complaints, 4.9% of reports VISIBILITY 6 · 4.9% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 4 complaints, 3.3% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 3.3% STRUCTURE: 4 complaints, 3.3% of reports STRUCTURE 4 · 3.3% AIR BAGS: 3 complaints, 2.4% of reports AIR BAGS 3 · 2.4% · 2 crash reports STEERING: 3 complaints, 2.4% of reports STEERING 3 · 2.4% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 90 complaints, 73.2% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 90 · 73.2% · 3 crash reports 3 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
SERVICE BRAKES 41 33.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 35 28.5% 0 crashes · 3 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 5.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 6 4.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 6 4.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 3.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 4 3.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 3 2.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 3 2.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 90 73.2% 3 crashes · 3 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 1999; the first recall shown was reported in Sep 2001. 1999-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2000-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2001-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2001-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2001-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2002-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2004-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2004-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 1999 Jul 2019 Recall campaign 01I014000 ◆ Recall campaign 01I014000 Recall campaign 02V329000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V329000 Recall campaign 07E021000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E021000 Recall campaign 09V116000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V116000 Recall campaign 15V701000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V701000 Investigation EA02030 ● Investigation EA02030
  • Campaign 01I014000 was reported 902 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V329000 was reported 257 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V701000 was reported 5,696 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1999-Q2 Owner reports 2
1999-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q4 Owner reports 2
2000-Q1 Owner reports 5
2000-Q2 Owner reports 2
2000-Q3 Owner reports 4
2000-Q4 Owner reports 5
2001-Q1 Owner reports 4
2001-Q2 Owner reports 9
2001-Q3 Owner reports 6
2001-Q4 Owner reports 3
2002-Q1 Owner reports 7
2002-Q2 Owner reports 6
2002-Q3 Owner reports 4
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 2
2003-Q2 Owner reports 3
2003-Q3 Owner reports 8
2003-Q4 Owner reports 4
2004-Q1 Owner reports 9
2004-Q2 Owner reports 3
2004-Q3 Owner reports 2
2004-Q4 Owner reports 2
2005-Q1 Owner reports 3
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 3
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 01I014000
Recall campaign 1 02V329000
Recall campaign 1 07E021000
Recall campaign 1 09V116000
Recall campaign 1 15V701000
Defect investigation 1 EA02030
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01I014000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    THE BRAKING COULD FEEL DELAYED MOMENTARILY WHEN LIGHT OR MODERATE FORCE IS APPLIED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE DRIVING ON WET ROADS OR AFTER GOING THROUGH A CAR WASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALER WILL MODIFY THE FRONT FENDER LINERS TO REMOVE A PORTION OF THE CLOSEOUT PANELS IN THE FRONT WHEEL WELLS AT NO CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. THIS SERVICE WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH AUGUST 2004.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V329000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD INCREASE THE SEVERITY OF INJURY TO A PERSON WHO WAS NOT PROPERLY RESTRAINED AND WHO WAS CLOSE TO THE PASSENGER AIR BAG AT THE TIME OF DEPLOYMENT. IT COULD ALSO REDUCE THE AB8ILITY OF THE AIR BAG TO PROTECT A RESTRAINED FRONT SEAT PASSENGER.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 16, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537, OR SATURN AT 1-800-553-6000, PROMPT #3.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E021000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
    Consequence:
    FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V116000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE’S FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINE’S PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM OR HTTP:WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V701000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    Consequence:
    Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
    Remedy:
    The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engine’s front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 123 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources