The 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 5,821,160 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE LOWER REAR CONTROL ARM TO THE FRAME MAY FRACTURE. THE REAR CONTROL ARM SUPPORTS AND POSITIONS THE REAR AXLE. FRACTURE OF THE BOLTS WOULD ALLOW THE CONTROL ARM TO DROP FREE.
BOTH REAR CONTROL ARM ATTACHMENT BOLTS WILL BE REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Wheel cylinder fell apart.”
“Lower ball joint replaced and stud snapped resulting in failure.”
SUMMARY:GM IS CONDUCTING A VOLUNTARY RECALL CAMPAIGN (85V-048)INVOLVING 2,136,826 VEHICLES. THE RECALL IS LIMITED TO VEHICLES BUILT ATCERTAIN ASSEMBLY PLANTS WHICH, ACCORDING TO GM, OVERTORQUED THE BRAKEPIPE NUT,THEREBY OVERSTRESSING THE WHEEL CYLINDER SUPPORT AREA OF THEBACKING PLATE.ANALYSIS:FRONT BRAKES PROVIDE…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1981 Chevrolet Monte Carlo as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.