Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1979 C20.
The 1979 Chevrolet C20 enters the reliability record with a notably thin footprint, defined by a single owner complaint filed in the "Unknown or Other" category and zero recalls against the model year. That record reads in sharp contrast to the broader C20 history documented between 1990 and 2001, a stretch that saw complaints climb to 19 in 1993 and fall to a low of 2 in 1992. For a researcher mapping the truck's reliability arc, the 1979 functions as a quiet anchor point, its single-issue, recall-free profile well outside the volume of concern that defined the early 1990s reporting years. The takeaway is plain: whatever drove the 1993 spike and the smaller clusters around it simply did not surface here.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 211.4 in |
| Overall width | 79.5 in |
| Overall height | 70.9 in |
| Wheelbase | 131.5 in |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The federal record begins in 1990 with modest activity (5 complaints, 3 recalls) and remains low through 1992, then spikes sharply in 1993 (19 complaints) and stays elevated through 1995 before falling back toward near‑zero complaints after 1996. Because 1979 falls well before the earliest year in the dataset, its specific complaint and recall counts are not captured, but the overall generation appears to have experienced its most problematic period in the mid‑1990s rather than in the early years. The only documented issue for the target year is a single “Unknown or Other” complaint, with no crash or fire complaints reported. This suggests that, relative to the later surge in problems, 1979 sits on the low‑risk side of the generation’s arc. Consequently, 1979 is a comparatively safer year to consider for a used purchase.
All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.