Chevy has grown into being one of the best car manufacturers in the entire automobile world and the main reason for this is because they have created some spectacular models. Chevy has an abundance of classics when looking at its history and it has completely changed the entire way cars are made today. However, even with this evidently being the case, they have also made some of the worst models in history too. With that being stated, it is essential to recognize that even the greatest of car companies today are prone to making some absolutely abysmal lemons both in the past and future. With that being said, always do your research before you end up buying a car.

With all that has been stated thus far, we will be looking at ten Chevys that almost put them out of business and ten more that completely saved them. Some of the models on this list will be extremely familiar to you because they have impacted the automobile world, whether it be in a positive or negative light. When looking at the overall success of Chevy however, they definitely can be deemed as a wonderful company because their best models are simply magnificent. However, criticism on their rare lemons are definitely warranted when seeing how bad they were. Every car manufacturer will have these experiences.

Nonetheless, let’s look at the ten Chevy cars that almost put them out of business and ten more that then saved them!

20 Almost Put Them Out: 2005 Chevy SSR

The 2005 Chevy SSR was one of the worst models to ever come from the spectacular car company. When looking at its overall style, it was absolutely apparent that this vehicle was designed to attract female drivers.

However, it was just a commercial failure from the start.

The 2005 Chevy SSR was somehow considered to be a pickup, but it is easily one of the weakest ones ever invented. At the end of the day, it makes a lot of sense that the SSR series ended only after a few years. Chevy learned from their mistake thankfully and are better now.

19 Saved Them: 1963 Chevy Corvette Coupe

The 1963 Chevy Corvette Coupe was a fantastic sports car and one of the bests to ever come from the manufacturer. During the 1960s, Chevy was doing quite well, but it was apparent that the competition was extremely close, so they needed a very strong model and fast. The 1963 Chevy Corvette Coupe ended up being the exact vehicle they were looking for. This vehicle truly set off Chevy’s popularity yet again and easily is one of the best models to have ever come from them. This is a classic that would even be worth collecting today as well.

18 Almost Put Them Out: 2009 Chevy Trailblazer

The 2009 Chevy Trailblazer was supposed to be a very reliable release from the car manufacturer, but it just came with far too many issues for its own good.

With that being stated, this vehicle quickly became a commercial flop and one of the worst Chevy put their badge on.

There is no question that the 2009 Chevy Trailblazer had an abundance of potential when it was first released, but there were far too many issues with its overall strength that would result in much needed repairs. At the end of the day, the 2009 Trailblazer really hurt them that year.

17 Saved Them: 2011 Chevy Volt

The 2011 Chevy Volt was an absolute game changer for the car company and it soon would become a staple piece for them. The Volt was the first successful electric car from the company and many individuals ended up liking it a lot because it was truly a reliable vehicle too. The 2011 Chevy Volt attracted new buyers to lean toward the company and easily saved them in terms of popularity. This is a vehicle that is definitely worth purchasing today even though it now is a tad bit older at this point. Nonetheless, this was a solid model by the very strong company.

16 Almost Put Them Out: 1985 Chevy Citation

The 1985 Chevy Citation was an absolutely horrid model and considered to be amongst the worst ones that the car manufacturer every released. Although the Citation appeared to be a very solid family car when it was first released, its abundance of issues made it clear it was not.

The 1985 Chevy Citation is a vehicle that would have done a far better job if they paid a little more attention its overall interior and structure.

At the end of the day, this vehicle would end up hurting the company pretty significantly because of how weak and unreliable it quickly would grow to be.

15 Saved Them: 1990 Chevy Corvette ZR1

The 1990 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is easily one of the best sports cars released by the company and it ended up getting a lot of sales very quickly. This is because they company did a fantastic job with not only building the car, but with the way that they advertised this absolute masterpiece. The 1990 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is one that every collector would love to get their hands on today, especially with it reaching the vintage classification. Although the 1990 Corvette is old, it is a great model that can never be forgotten for how much of a positive impact it left on the company.

14 Almost Put Them Out: 1999 GM/Chevy EV1

The 1999 Chevy EV1 is one of the ugliest models to have ever been released and it is shocking that it even made some sales. However, when looking at the overall design of the vehicle, it makes a ton of sense as to why people quickly grew to hate this absolutely abysmal lemon. However, not only was it an ugly car, it also had a large amount of issues that would soon make it have no value whatsoever. This was one of the huge mistakes that Chevy made during the 1990s that ultimately hurt the reputation of the company. They have, however, fixed this with some great models.

13 Saved Them: 1970 Chevy Chevelle

The 1970 Chevy Chevelle was a model that ended up being a very fantastic one for the company. It had an absolutely amazing design to go along with the fact that it was a very reliable vehicle as well.

This would end up helping their sales immensely, and pretty quickly at that.

The 1970 Chevy Chevelle is a model that now is often forgotten by many individuals in the automobile world, but that does not mean that was not important. This made the 1970s a great decade for Chevy and now is one that should be added to a car collectors garage without question.

12 Almost Put Them Out: 2003 Chevy Malibu

The 2003 Chevy Malibu was a model that was supposed to end up being a very solid one for the company. It had a pretty decent design and appeared as though that it would develop into becoming one of the top family cars on the market. However, it had major flaws that could not be fixed. The 2003 Chevy Malibu now is considered to be one of the worst vehicles ever in the automobile world. This is largely because of the fact that the Malibu would end up being dangerous to ride because of the fact that it would have such significant engine issues it would break down instantly.

11 Saved Them: 1961 Chevy Impala SS

The 1961 Chevy Impala SS is now considered to be one of the best vehicles to come from the car manufacturer in their history and it is very easy to understand why. Although the 1961 Impala may not be talked about as much as other classic cars, it was an absolute masterpiece at the end of the day. Everything from its beautiful lines to its iconic front end screams elegance, and this car will likely be sought after for all of eternity.

10 Almost Put Them Out: 1983 Chevy Chevette

The 1983 Chevy Chevette was a poorly made vehicle by the car company that ultimately was rushed into production. When looking the issues that could have easily been avoided for these cars, it is quite clear that the company wanted this product out fast to help with its sales.

Instead, rushing its production ended up hurting this model immensely.

In turn, it ended up negatively impacting the company itself. There is no question that this is easily one of the worst models to have ever come out from Chevy and that is why it truly hurt them for a decent amount of time.

9 Saved Them: 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1

The 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 was a fantastic release for the company because it truly helped their success with their sports cars come back. There is no question that Chevy has had an abundance of success with their sports cars in the past, but they had made some lemons previously. The 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is a vehicle that absolutely is still worth investing in today, even if it would still come at an expensive price. Nonetheless, this vehicle still helped the company immensely with its release and is one of the bests to have come from them overall.

8 Almost Put Them Out: 2006 Chevy Uplander

The 2006 Chevy Uplander was supposed to be a family friendly car that was expected to provide an abundance of reliability. Instead of doing its primary focus, this car did the exact opposite and was known for having a very short life cycle with a large variety of issues. The 2006 Chevy Uplander is just easily one of the worst vehicles to have ever been released by Chevy and its overall impact on the company is exceptionally negative. At the end of the day, one can find a far better SUV from Chevy virtually anywhere else, so this one needs to be avoided.

7 Saved Them: 1997 Chevy Corvette C5

The 1997 Chevy Corvette C5 is just another spectacular sports car from the company and is one that is worth investing in even today. At the time of its release, there was an abundance of hype and expectations for this vehicle and thankfully, it ultimately would reach them. Although Chevy had some difficulties when it came to their sports cars at times beforehand, this vehicle put them right back on top and deserves a high amount of praise for that. At the end of the day, the 1997 Chevy Corvette is just an absolutely amazing vehicle, no questions asked.

6 Almost Put Them Out: 1960 Chevy Corvair

The 1960 Chevy Corvair may not necessarily be remembered by many people, but for the individuals who had the misfortune of having one of these, I truly am sorry.

The 1960 Chevy Corvair is just an absolutely flawed vehicle that came with more negatives than positives.

The 1960 Chevy Corvair will never be remembered for much in a positive light and that is because this vehicle came with an abundance of problems shortly after its release. This car ended up not selling well because of this and Chevy found themselves in a massive issue.

5 Saved Them: 1986 Chevy Monte Carlo

The 1986 Chevy Monte Carlo is easily the best one of that series and it is easy to understand why, It was a vehicle that was so popular during its time on the primary market that it became a very important part of pop culture as well. This was one that definitely helped the company. The 1986 Chevy Monte Carlo is even worth collecting today. Its price is not necessarily too high compared to many other retro cars, so it is one to definitely consider. At the end of the day, Chevy did a great job with this vehicle and it is extremely important in its overall history.

4 Almost Put Them Out: 1977 Chevy Vega

The 1977 Chevy Vegas was expected to be a very important car when it was first released. However, today it is now considered to be one of the worst overall models to have ever come out by Chevy. When looking at its negative impact on the company, it is clear that it was a lemon. The 1977 Chevy Vega was one of the worst Chevy vehicles in terms of how it was assembled as well. The 1977 Vega was just an incredibly poor model that came with a variety of ongoing issues with its engine and structure. At the end of the day, this is just an awful one from Chevy.

3 Saved Them: 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1

The 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 is a fairly modern sports car released by the manufacturer and easily one of the bests ever from them. It was an absolutely amazing vehicle when it came to its commercial success and that has truly helped the company stay afloat during this decade.

The 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 is one that the company needs to continue to draw inspiration from when it comes to their next models.

It is the perfect sports car with the ability to reach unbelievable speeds in a very short amount of time. Overall, this is a huge one for the company and it helped them a lot.

2 Almost Put Them Out: 1980 Chevy “California” Corvette

The 1980 Chevy “California” Corvette is actually one of the worst models to have come from the company and really hurt their reputation when it came to sports cars. This is largely because of the fact that this Corvette came with a very weak engine that essentially took away all of its fun. The 1980 Chevy “California” Corvette was probably the biggest mistake from this company, yet it also comes from arguably their best series. Nonetheless, people were most hesitant when it came to buying future Corvettes because of this for a few years and that was enough to sink them a fair amount.

1 Saved Them: 1955 Chevy Bel Air

The 1955 Chevy Bel Air is the best car to have ever come from Chevy and for that, it is easily is the main reason why they have been able to stay around for such a long time. This is the car that many people consider to be the one that truly made Chevy a popular manufacturer to this day. This is the perfect example of a car that was made in all the correct ways. It was safe, had an amazing style, and just was built absolutely perfectly so issues were truly a rarity. At the end of the day, this is the primary car you need to have in your car collection if you want your’s to ever be taken seriously.