1987 Chevrolet Celebrity problems & reliability
44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 12 | 27% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 20% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 5 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 4 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 9% |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 9% |
| Structure | 4 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 7% |
| Suspension | 2 | 5% |
| Tires | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 13 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1987 chevrolet celebrity. On 01/24/2007, the front brake pads were replaced. The contact began hearing a grinding and squeaking noise when applying the brakes on 02/15/2007 and was unable to stop the vehicle without using the emergency brake. The contact later observed that the passenger side…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Mar 19, 2007
“Consumer states that the engine light is illuminated and the vehicle runs bad, also said vehicle makes a lot of noise, possible engine noise. *slc”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed May 14, 2002
“While driving, tire experienced tread separation, consumer states manufacturer should place date in a place where consumers would be able to read it, (bridgestone 205/70r14), tire had 25000 miles on it and consumer states that it was 8 years old.*jb”
Tires · filed Oct 15, 2001
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SUB-FRAME ABSORBER FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE94048 · opened Jun 21, 1994 · closed Dec 30, 1994
- STEERING WHEEL SEPARATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE91142 · opened Oct 25, 1991 · closed Jan 22, 1992
- LOSS OF POWER STEERING
Engineering Analysis EA89026 · opened Jun 12, 1989 · closed Oct 9, 1990
- POWER STEERING HOSE FAILS
Preliminary Evaluation PE89105 · opened Mar 20, 1989 · closed Jun 12, 1989
- BRAKE INEFFECTIVENESS
Engineering Analysis EA89010 · opened Jan 17, 1989 · closed May 8, 1990
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.