The Lemon Index
Daewoo Lanos reliability: problems and recalls.
Owners filed 368 complaints about the 2000 to 2002 Daewoo Lanos with the government, most about engine.
No Lemon Index score yet: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score, so here's what YouTube owners say, next to the raw complaint counts.
YouTube rank and complaints, by model year
Show 1 older years (1999–1999, YouTube videos only)
YouTube rank: we read 117 YouTube videos about the Daewoo Lanos and ranked each year with 10 or more videos by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. It measures tone, not failure rates. Complaints are the raw number owners filed with NHTSA: popular years draw more partly because more were sold, and without usable sales figures we can't turn them into a per-car score.
What owners say on YouTube
1999–2002 Lanos · 117 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 209 | 6 |
| 2001 | 129 | 5 |
| 2002 | 30 | 4 |
Popular years draw more complaints partly because more were sold. We don't have usable sales for this model, so these are counts, not a score.
What owners complain about
| System | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | 57% |
| Airbags | 18% |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 7% |
| Electrical | 3% |
| Lights | 2% |
| Transmission & drivetrain | 2% |
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 27,576 and 60,000 miles. The middle report was at 46,351 miles, from 90 complaints.
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 6 | 14 | 3 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.
In owners' words
When applying brakes at any speed there is intermittent brake failure. Dealer cannot find cause.
2000 Daewoo Lanos owner · NHTSA complaint 899160
In a frontal collision none of air bags deployed on impact.
2001 Daewoo Lanos owner · NHTSA complaint 8015023
Air bag recall received. No dealers were available to make the repairs. Out of pocket expenses would be required if a dealer was found.
2002 Daewoo Lanos owner · NHTSA complaint 10094762
Recalls 6
04V394000 Aug 2004 Engine And Engine Cooling
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR MAY MELT RESULTING IN A BURNING SMELL AND VISIBLE SMOKE, WHICH MAY SUBSEQUENTLY LEAD TO THE MELTING OF THE CAMSHAFT COVER AND THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WIRE HARNESS.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS AND INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL FUSE. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAEWOO PUERTO RICO AT 1-877-362-1234 OPTION 6.
04V357000 Jul 2004 Engine And Engine Cooling
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR MAY MELT RESULTING IN A BURNING SMELL AND VISIBLE SMOKE, WHICH MAY SUBSEQUENTLY LEAD TO THE MELTING OF THE CAMSHAFT COVER AND THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WIRE HARNESS.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS AND INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL FUSE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAEWOO AT 1-877-362-1234, OPTION 6, OR FIND A LOCAL DEALER THROUGH THEIR WEBSITE AT WWW.DAEWOOUS.COM.
02V131001 May 2002 Air Bags
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT."
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW ENERGY ABSORBING AIR BAG MOUNTING BRACKETS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 23, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAEWOO AT 1-877-362-1234, SELECTION 1.
02V131002 May 2002 Air Bags
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 201, "OCCUPANT PROTECTION IN INTERIOR IMPACT."
Fix. DEALERS WILL INSTALL NEW ENERGY ABSORBING AIR BAG MOUNTING BRACKETS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 23, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAEWOO AT 1-877-362-1234, SELECTION 1.
01V020000 Jan 2001 Electrical System / Wiring
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. A WIRING HARNESS, LOCATED BENEATH THE CARPET IN THE FRONT PASSENGER FLOOR AREA, CAN BECOME DAMAGED BY PASSENGER TRAFFIC AS THE WIRE HARNESS IS RUBBED AGAINST A BODY SEAM IN THE FLOOR PANEL.
Fix. DEALERS WILL REPOSITION THE WIRE HARNESS AND ATTACH IT PERMANENTLY IN A LOCATION WHERE THE WIRE HARNESS CANNOT BE DAMAGED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 6, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAEWOO AT 1-877-463-2396.
99V336001 Nov 1999 Wheels / Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ALLOY WHEELS. THESE WHEELS WERE MANUFACTURED WITHOUT THE STEEL BUSHING INSERTS AROUND THE WHEEL BOLT OPENINGS, ALLOWING FRICTION BETWEEN THE WHEEL BOLT SEATS AND THE WHEEL BOLTS. THIS CAN RESULT IN THE BOLTS LOOSENING DURING HARD BRAKING.
Fix. DEALERS WILL RETORQUE THE WHEEL BOLTS AND WILL UPDATE THE OWNER'S MANUAL WHEEL BOLT TORQUE SPECIFICATION.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check the exact car's VIN for open recalls.
Quick answers
What are the most common Daewoo Lanos problems?
In owner complaints to the government, the top areas are engine, airbags, service brakes, hydraulic.
How many recalls does the Daewoo Lanos have?
6 safety recalls on record for the 2000 to 2002 models.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, YouTube videos (titles and channels link to them). We don't give this model a Lemon Index: too few were sold in the U.S. for a fair per-car score (4 of the 5 years we have sales for were under 20,000, sales source). Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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