2001 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 272 complaints · 8 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: ENGINE (71 complaints · 26.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 12
  • Fires 31
  • Injuries 16
  • 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 ENGINE appears in 71 of 272 owner complaints (26.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 71 complaints, 26.1% of reports ENGINE 71 · 26.1% · 18 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 46 complaints, 16.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 46 · 16.9% · 2 crash reports 4 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 28 complaints, 10.3% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 28 · 10.3% STEERING: 28 complaints, 10.3% of reports STEERING 28 · 10.3% · 2 crash reports 2 fire reports AIR BAGS: 22 complaints, 8.1% of reports AIR BAGS 22 · 8.1% · 8 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 21 complaints, 7.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 21 · 7.7% FUEL SYSTEM: 14 complaints, 5.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 14 · 5.2% · 6 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 7 complaints, 2.6% of reports POWER TRAIN 7 · 2.6% SEAT BELTS: 5 complaints, 1.8% of reports SEAT BELTS 5 · 1.8% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 126 complaints, 46.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 126 · 46.3% · 5 crash reports 8 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)
ENGINE 71 26.1% 0 crashes · 18 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 46 16.9% 2 crashes · 4 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 28 10.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 28 10.3% 2 crashes · 2 fires
AIR BAGS 22 8.1% 8 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 21 7.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 14 5.2% 0 crashes · 6 fires
POWER TRAIN 7 2.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 5 1.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 126 46.3% 5 crashes · 8 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 Oct 2000; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 2000. 2000-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2001-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2002-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2002-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2003-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2004-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2006-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2009-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2014-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2016-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 2000 Oct 2020 Recall campaign 00V228003 ◆ Recall campaign 00V228003 Recall campaign 00V244000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V244000 Recall campaign 07E021000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E021000 Recall campaign 08E063000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E063000 Recall campaign 09E005000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E005000 Recall campaign 09V116000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V116000 Recall campaign 14V400000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V400000 Recall campaign 15V701000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V701000 Investigation EA02030 ● Investigation EA02030
  • Campaign 07E021000 was reported 510 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V400000 was reported 4,896 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V701000 was reported 5,316 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2000-Q4 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 2
2001-Q2 Owner reports 2
2001-Q3 Owner reports 8
2001-Q4 Owner reports 3
2002-Q1 Owner reports 6
2002-Q2 Owner reports 4
2002-Q3 Owner reports 7
2002-Q4 Owner reports 8
2003-Q1 Owner reports 5
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 9
2003-Q4 Owner reports 8
2004-Q1 Owner reports 15
2004-Q2 Owner reports 4
2004-Q3 Owner reports 5
2004-Q4 Owner reports 6
2005-Q1 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 5
2005-Q4 Owner reports 12
2006-Q1 Owner reports 4
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 8
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 3
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 4
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 14
2009-Q3 Owner reports 2
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 2
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 4
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 3
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 5
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 4
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 9
2014-Q4 Owner reports 4
2015-Q1 Owner reports 6
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 5
2016-Q1 Owner reports 10
2016-Q2 Owner reports 5
2016-Q3 Owner reports 7
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 4
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 3
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 00V228003
Recall campaign 1 00V244000
Recall campaign 1 07E021000
Recall campaign 1 08E063000
Recall campaign 1 09E005000
Recall campaign 1 09V116000
Recall campaign 1 14V400000
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 (8)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V228003

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY DATE CODES AND, IF NECESSARY, WILL REPLACE ANY SAFETY BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V244000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN A CRASH, A FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT MAY RECEIVE MORE SERIOUS INJURIES.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE.
    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 08E063000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE WELD FAILS, LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 16, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN TOLL FREE AT 1-800-523-2492.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E005000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A BROKEN STEERING KNUCKLE COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE STEERING KNUCKLES FREE OF CHARGE AND REIMBURSE THE REPAIR FACILITY OR OWNER FOR LABOR. THE RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 23, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN'S TOLL-FREE HOTLINE AT 1-800-523-2492 AND PRESS 5.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  6. 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 →
  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V400000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  8. 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 272 complaints · page 1 of 11

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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