"How reliable is the 1990 Chevrolet Lumina?"

"Based on 615 NHTSA complaints, the 1990 Chevrolet Lumina has a median complaint mileage of 126500 miles. The most common issue is Caliper."

"What are common problems with the 1990 Chevrolet Lumina?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1990 Chevrolet Lumina is Caliper, accounting for a significant portion of the 615 total complaints filed."

1990 Chevrolet Lumina: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 615 complaints

615

Total Complaints

126,500mi

Median Mileage

Caliper

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

105,573 25th Percentile

126,500 Median Mileage

174,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Caliper

Disc

Drum

Pads

Rotor

Foundation Components

Structure

Frame And Members

Engine

Gasoline

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ABS BRAKING SYSTEM FAILS INTERMITTENTLY WITH NO WARNING WITH SOFT PEDAL. TT"

"HAVE HAD PROBLEM WITH REDUCTION IN BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS FOR MORE THAN 3 YEARS. TT"

"EXCESSIVE WEAR OF FRONT BRAKE PADS. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 123 MI: 90 PA: 43 MA: 41 OH: 31 IL: 31 WI: 29 NJ: 24 MN: 20 VA: 17

Who Files Complaints?

17.4%

Original Owners

82.6%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Lumina — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	482	110,000	Caliper	25
1992	483	122,354	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	20
1993	344	139,168	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	22
1994	189	114,656	Caliper	8
1995	670	111,500	Automatic Transmission	66
1996	312	102,000	Automatic Transmission	34
1997	438	82,968	Rack And Pinion	45
1998	276	96,781	Steering	12
1999	131	72,000	Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe	12
2000	35	77,300	Automatic Transmission	1
2001	25	58,000	Automatic Transmission	0

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28