Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Chevrolet S10 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2002 Chevy S10 ls crew cab the door strikers caved into the frame on both sides drivers side and passenger side.this happened with in one day of each other. On photographed inspection the steel had ripped in the shape of the clip behind the door strikers an obvious engineering flaw in design,I took it to the dealer who acknowledged the obvious design flaw launched a complaint with photos he took as well. Chevy said the truck was to old, evidently the doors can fall off your truck in 8 years and Chevy does not care. I had to weld the steel my self since the doors would not shut. Chevy will be hit with a class action lawsuit eventually when someone falls out of their crappy truck. Unlike Toyota who is taking care of their customers Chevy will just give you the middle finger. …
I purchased this vehicle in new form from gallucci Chevrolet in medina, oh. While still under warranty, the third door handle used to open the rear third door broke approximately three times. While still under warranty, I took it in the dealership to have it repaired on each occasion. When the vehicle ran out of warranty, the third door handle again broke, and to date has not been repaired due to cost. This incident apparently is widely known to be a problem with Chevy, as the mechanics told me this is common in my vehicle, and upon speaking with others with the same vehicle, nearly every one has had the door handle break. This prohibits a third passenger from entering or exiting the vehicle or for me to open the back seat for groceries, etc.
18 month old vehicle, paint peeling off in sheets down to bare metal on lower fenders and under doors on 2002 extended cab s-10, rusting in those areas. Tried to get correction for a year and a half. Dealer and GM contacted, refused to fix, stated was normal wear and tear, my experience leads me to believe the metal was not properly cleaned before painting. Never in my 70 years have I owned or seen a vehicle's finish peel off in sheets. I finally gave up and had rhino truck bed finish sprayed on fender edges, rocker panels and lower doors to stop the rusting. I will never buy another GM product because of the lack of service for this and other defects (broken latches and tailgate cables) on my s-10.
2002 Chevrolet S10 pickup. Failure of tailgate cables. Within the past 2 months both tailgate support cables broke in the general location of the close position bend. Both cables appear to be of iron material. I know other Chevrolet trucks have a recall to replace this cable with a steel material cable. Why was the S10 not on this recall listing? It's the same cable as on units recalled? Replacement cost = $90.00 per cable plus tax or $180.00 plus tax to replace a defective part - should not be a customer expense.
The third door latch has failed three times on my 2002 S10 Chevrolet pickup VIN:1gcs19w629114870 as follows: 1st at 10,842 miles, 2nd around 40,000 miles repaired on 10,842 miles and the third time today at 57,175. I believe this presents a sever safety hazard should there be a fire and someone was in the rear seat because they May not get out as the door will not open. This door latch is non-metal and apparently prone to failure.
Drivers door latch has failed. No longer can latch, this could have been a issue at highway speeds of door coming open or rounding a curve. On 9-13-04 my 3rd door latch was also replaced due to breakage of handle .now to this date I have to replace the passenger door latch with the same failure of drivers door. The electronic system is not great and plastic latches. Some type of spring failure from dirt and water intrusion.
I have the same tailgate cable problem that every other S10 owner has. The problem is well described in the "GM special policy adjustment 06020". The dealer says my VIN is not included in the recall or "special policy adjustment" and refuses to fix it. One cable is already broke inside and just connected by the outer plastic. The other is still holding for now.
After lowering my S10 pick up truck tailgate I climbed onto it to get into the bed of the truck. Both tailgate support straps broke in the middle of the strap. This caused the tailgate to drop lower to where it hit the top of the bumper. I was on my knees and fell off the tailgate. These are under a recall for the full sized Chevrolet trucks but not the S10. Why?
(1) none (2) cable on tailgate latch broke. (latch2507f part number 15726085) I just noticed one day that the cable was broken. No adverse consequences since I noticed the failure. (3) I replaced the tailgate latch assembly. I have the old parts.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Chevrolet S10. The contact stated that the handle on the third door is made of plastic. The plastic is not strong enough and has been replaced three times. He notified the dealer on all three occasions to have the handle replaced, but the failure persists. The dealer and the manufacturer stated that this will be the last time they replace the handle free of charge. The contact feels that this is a serious hazard because one would be unable to exit the vehicle due to the vulnerability of the handle. The current mileage is 27,000 and failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA investigations
Tailgate support cables
General motors is conducting a special policy program for 903,464 owners of 2000 - 2003 model s/t vehicles through which owners May, at their option, either (1) periodically inspect the tailgate support cables installed in their vehicle and have the cables replaced if the cable coating exhibits any indications of damage or deterioration or (2) request that the tailgate support cables be replaced free of charge.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other S10 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2002 Chevrolet S10?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2002 Chevrolet S10, 10% of the model year's 214 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Chevrolet S10 door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2002 Chevrolet S10. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Chevrolet S10 door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 57,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to locks & latches problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.