Selling an old or broken-down Chevrolet Corsica

The Corsica was Chevrolet's front-drive compact sedan for the 1987 to 1996 model years, built in Wilmington, Delaware and Linden, New Jersey, at the same two plants as the Beretta coupe. Below are its NHTSA complaints and recalls year by year, and what to weigh before you sell.

The Corsica in brief

• Body: four-door sedan on GM's L-body platform, plus a five-door hatchback for 1989 to 1991. Canada got it as the Pontiac Tempest from 1987 to 1991.
• Engines: 2.0-liter and 2.2-liter fours, a 2.8-liter V6, then a 3.1-liter V6. For 1994 the 3.1 gave way to the updated 3100-series V6 (option code L82) with 160 hp, and V6 cars got a four-speed electronic automatic.
• Transmissions: automatics with three or four speeds, plus a five-speed manual. Fueleconomy.gov lists no manual for the 1994 or 1996.
• The end: GM dropped the Corsica and the Beretta after 1996, and the larger Malibu took its place.

Recalls on the early cars

Fourteen of the Corsica's 15 recall campaigns cover 1987 to 1992 cars. The only later one, a 39-vehicle campaign on the 1994, fixed front suspension supports with weak welds.

The hood latch, four times over (1987-1988)

Four separate campaigns dealt with the hood on 1987-1988 cars. The secondary latch could fail to engage, lose its skid plate, or be set up wrong and bend, and in each case the hood could open without warning, possibly with the car moving. The last of them, 91V135 in 1991, replaced the primary latch, the secondary latch and the support bracket.

Seat belts (1988-1990)

Belts top the complaints on the 1989 (14 of 64) and the 1990 (16 of 55). Recall 91V206 found that front shoulder belt retractors on 1988-1990 cars might not lock up in a sudden stop or crash, leaving the person held only by the lap belt. NHTSA's file shows no remedy text for that campaign. Two 1989 recalls covered latch plates that might not engage the buckle (89V034) and a front seat frame with a missing or misplaced weld (89V087).

Doors, wheels, the fuel tank and the steering wheel

On 1987-1988 cars a door hinge could break while the door was being opened or shut (89V225). Styled steel wheels on the 1989 could crack where the spokes meet the rim, and the cracks could spread around every spoke until the wheel separated (91V213). Some 1989 fuel tanks had small creases underneath that could crack and leak with normal pressure changes (88V189); the fix was a new tank. In 1991, recall 91V083 covered steering wheel nuts that may not have been tightened at the factory.

The 1992 stop lamp switch

Recall 92V185 covers a 1992 brake light switch that "becomes inoperative," so the brake lights stay dark when the pedal is pressed. Dealers replaced the switch and corrected the wiring in its connector.

Brakes, then head gaskets

Brakes are the Corsica's largest complaint category, with 148 complaints. They lead on the 1992 (50 of 125), the 1994 (29 of 123) and the 1995 (28 of 102). Owners describe ABS warning lights that never go off, rotors and pads that wear out, and rusted brake lines. No recall or GM program covers those reports.

The 1991 is about lights instead: exterior lighting leads its complaints (25 of 108), and 18 complaints describe a failed headlight switch, dimmer or beam lever.

On the 1996, engine and engine cooling is the top category (28 of 110). Fifteen complaints on that year mention a head gasket, the intake manifold or another gasket failing, and one owner reports a head gasket replaced twice without solving the problem. Corsicas from 1995 and 1996 with the 3.1-liter V6 were in Group A of GM's Dex-Cool class settlement, which reimbursed certain cooling-system repairs on 1995-2003 GM cars with 3.1 or 3.4 V6 engines and nylon-and-silicone lower intake manifold gaskets. Claims closed on October 27, 2008.

Complaints and recalls by model year

NHTSA's downloadable files, read on October 10, 2026, supplied these counts. Several early campaigns span both 1987 and 1988, which is why adding up the recall column gives more than 15. No 1997 Corsica was built; the one complaint under that year is kept in the total.

Is a Corsica worth fixing now?

The test is the usual one: a written quote against what a running Corsica of the same year and condition would sell for.

• Old recalls. Every campaign above has a number you can look up on NHTSA's site. Whether one was ever done on your car is a question for a Chevrolet dealer.
• Coolant loss or overheating on a 3.1 V6. Weigh it the way our blown engine guide explains.
• Failed a state inspection? See failed inspection for the choices.

Selling the Corsica whole

• Have ready: the VIN off the dashboard plate or the title, the odometer reading if it still turns, and the reason the car stopped being driven.
• Getting the offer: online, or by phone at (877) 421-6008.
• Where it sits: a back yard, a carport, a gravel drive, a repair shop. Pickup is free anywhere in the US.
• Leave it complete. Parts that are already missing change the offer, so list them.
• Paperwork at pickup: the signed title and a photo ID. If the title went missing over the years, read the no-title guide first; for plates, see after you sell.

Related Chevrolets: the Beretta, Malibu and Citation, or all Chevrolet models.