Defect
THE PUSH PULL HEADLIGHT SWITCH MAY HAVE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WHICH ALLOW AN INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT CIRCUIT CAUSING HEADLIGHT TO FLICKER OR SUDDENLY GO OUT. CONSEQUENCE OF…
Remedy
REPLACE HEADLIGHT SWITCH AS NECESSARY.
1986 Chevrolet Celebrity Recalls
Recalls on record Updated July 2026
The 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 199,428 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 38 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
Defect
THE PUSH-PULL HEADLIGHT SWITCH MAY HAVE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WHICH ALLOW AN INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT CIRCUIT CAUSING HEADLIGHT TO FLICKER OR SUDDENLY GO OUT. CONSEQUENCE OF…
Remedy
REPLACE HEADLIGHT SWITCH AS NECESSARY.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
STEERING
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
2crashes2injuries
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING
2crashes1injuries1deaths
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
1crashes1injuries
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Total complaints38
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“I went to auto recalls .org and found recall on my 1986 chevy celebrity 33,000 miles. Contacted dealer kool chevrolet 3770 plainfield ne grand rapids michigan 49505 [REDACTED] they said they could only trace vin numbers back to 1990.was referred to gm [REDACTED] (service request 71-693324446) I…”
“Tl*the contact owns a 1986 cheverolet celebrity station wagon. The vehicle has goodyear douglas tires, size 195/75r14. The contact took his vehicle to a tire store for a routine replacement of the front tires. On more than one occasion, when purchasing tires from wal-mart, the tires did not fit…”
“Reclining bucket seat reclined on its own. *ak”
“While driving on city street heard a noise, steering came loose. Pulled into a service station, and the lower a frame on the left front which is bolted into the cradle broke. Mount where the a frame bolts in had cracked which caused the a frame to come loose at that point. Since it was not…”
“While driving on city street heard a noise, steering came loose. Pulled into a service station, and the lower a frame on the left front which is bolted into the cradle broke. Mount where the a frame bolts in had cracked which caused the a frame to come loose at that point. Since it was not…”
“The 86 celebrity has defective rotors and drums. The rotors do not last more that a few thousand mile and vehicle starts to jerk when brakes are applied. The brakes sometimes lock up without warning.”
“Vehicle was involved in a collision, and the vehicle rolled over. Once the vehicle start rolling, the seat belt disengaged itself. *ak”
“Vehicle was involved in a collision, and the vehicle rolled over which caused the driver's seat belt to disengage, which meant that the driver did not have any protection around her. Driver was hurt. *ak”
Defect investigations
Investigation EA87006 Opened 1986-12-16 · closed 1988-09-19
POWER ST. ASSIST
SUMMARY OF INFORMATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER:GM HAS DEVELOPED A SPLITRING FIELD REPAIR KIT AND IS EXTENDING THE WARRANRY ON ALL 1982-84 A,J, AND X, BODY CARS AND 1985 C,BODY CARS.THE WARRANTY APPLIES TO CARSTHAT ARE FOR 50,000 MILES OR 5 YRS.IT INCLUDES REIMBURSEMENT FOR PREVIOUSREPAIRS.ANALYSIS:WEARING OF THE RACK…
Investigation PE91120 Opened 1991-08-30 · closed 1991-11-04
FRONT BRAKE DISC/HUB SEP
There is no summary currently available
Investigation PE94048 Opened 1994-06-21 · closed 1994-12-30
SUB-FRAME ABSORBER FAILURE
There is no summary currently available
Sources & methodology
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.