1998 Chevrolet Truck M/L Van complaints

I BOUGHT THIS 1998 CHEVY SUBURBAN 2500 NEW. I HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE BRAKES SINCE DAY 1. THE DEALERSHIP SENT IT TO A LOCAL SPECIALIST AND PAID TO HAVE IT FIXED (GRAPE ENGEERING IN GR MI) IT STILL DOES NOT WORK RIGHT. THE ABS DEPLOYES IN CORRECTLY AT MANY STOPS. IT IS A DANGER.

THIS IS, AS I HAVE READ ELSEWHERE, A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ALL GM VEHICLES USING "DEXCOOL" ANTIFREEZE. MY '98 CHEVY EXPRESS VAN HAD AN INTAKE GASKET FAILURE WHICH ALLOWED COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE OIL AND CAUSED SLUDGING AND A RESTRICTION IN THE OIL PUMP AND NEAR DAMAGE TO THE UPPER ENGINE. LUCKILY, IT DID NOT CAUSE, OR AT LEAST I DON'T THINK IT CAUSED PERMANENT ENGINE DAMAGE, HOWEVER, IT COSTED $1270 TO REPAIR. THE DEALER INSISTED THERE ARE NO SERVICE BULLETINS OR RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT, THROUGH MY OWN RESEARCH, I AM FINDING THAT THIS IS A COMMON OCCURENCE WITH VEHICLES USING DEXCOOL COOLANT. I FEEL THIS INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILURE WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF GM'S OVERSIGHT IN CONTINUING TO USE THE DEXCOOL TYPE ANTIFREEZE DESPITE MANY REPORTED PROBLEMS WITH ITS COMPATIBILITY IN COOLING SYSTEMS. *AK

THE ANTILOCK BRAKES ON MY 1998 CHEVROLET 4 X 4 W/T 1500 PICKUP TRUCK ARE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE BRAKE PEDAL SOMETIMES GRABS BEFORE FINALLY CATCHING WHILE AT OTHER TIMES IT CATCHES AS IF I HAVE APPLIED MUCH MORE PRESSURE THAN WAS ACTUALLY APPLIED. PRESENTLY, IT IS IN A SHOP WHERE IT HAS BEEN CHECKED FOR PROBLEMS WITH THE ANTILOCK SENSORS. WHILE I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE INSTRUMENT USED TO CHECK THE SENSORS INDICATED NO PROBLEMS WITH THEM, I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN PERTAINING TO THIS TYPE OF SENSOR. IS THERE ANY INFORMATION YOU CAN FURNISH TO ME REGARDING THIS PROBLEM? THANK YOU! SINCERELY, ROBERTA L. FUGETT [email protected]. *AK

CHEVROLET P-30 CHASISS AUTO BRAKE SYSTEM DOUBLE FAILURE3/8/02 AND 10/22/02. REPLACED PRESSURE SWITCH AND LEAKING SOLENOID IN FIRST CASE AND PUMP, PRESSURE SWITCH AND RELAY THE SECOND TIME. AUTO PARK WOULD NOT ENGAGE AND VEHICLE WOULD ROLL AWAY BY ITSELF.*AK

OUR 1998 CHEVY BLAZER WITH 60,000 MILES # 1GNDT13W3W228738 HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BALL JOINTS. THEY WERE NOT FAIL SAFE. LUCKILY THE CAR WAS ONLY MOVING AT 5 MILES AN HOUR ENTERING A PARKING GARAGE WHEN THE UPPER BALL JOINT ON THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL DISINTEGRATED CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING. THE PART HAD NEVER BEEN LUBRICATED EITHER BY US, THE PREVIOUS OWNER (WE BOUGHT IT OFF A LEASE 2 YEARS AGO) OR EVEN THE CHEVY DEALER WHERE WE HAD THE LAST OIL CHANGE DONE IN AUGUST OF 2003. HAD THIS OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEED THERE CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURIES TO US OR OTHER DRIVERS. THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF THE BALL JOINTS FAILING - NO UNUSUAL TIRE TREAD WEAR, NO DIFFICULTY STEERING. WE NOTICED WHILE STEERING THAT THE FRONT WHEELS FELT LOOSE, BUT DEALER ASSURED US AT OIL CHANGE IN AUGUST THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. WE HAVE REPLACED ALL 4 BALL JOINTS, HOWEVER THIS PART IS NOT FAIL SAFE. THE SERVICE DEPT. AT CHEVY DEALER SAID THEMSELVES THAT THEY HAVE SEEN MANY BALL JOINT FAILURES NOW THAT THESE CARS ARE GETTING OLDER. ALTHOUGH WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE BALL JOINT NEEDS TO BE LUBRICATED, THE SERVICE DEALER DID NOT NOTICE THE PROBLEM, NOR HAD THEY LUBRICATED IT AT THE LAST OIL CHANGE, NOR IS THE PART FAIL SAFE. *JB

INTERMITTENT WIPER FAILURE. THE WIPERS WILL QUIT WORKING FOR A FEW MINUTES TO A HALF HOUR OR MORE AT TIMES. MOVING THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR ON AND OFF OF THE WIPER MOTOR HOUSING A FEW TIMES TEMPORARILY FIXES THE PROBLEM FOR A FEW MINUTES OR A WEEK OR MORE AT TIMES. IT APPEARS THAT THE CONNECTION THERE IS FAULTY. THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER INFORMED ME THAT MY TRUCK IS NOT PART OF THE WIPER FAILURE RECALL. *LA

WIPER MOTOR QUITS WORKING ON MY 1998 CHEVY EX. CAB P.U. 4 X 4. *LA

FOR A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MONTHS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON MY 1998 CHEVROLET C1500 SILVERADO WOULD QUIT UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING. FINALLY, IN AUG 2003 I WAS TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN DRIVING RAINS WHEN THE WIPERS UNEXPECTEDLY QUIT CAUSES ME TO NARROWLY AVOID HITTING A PEDESTRIAN DUE TO LOSS OF VISIBILITY. I THEN STOPPED AT A CHEVROLET DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT C1500 TRUCKS FROM 1994-1997 HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM DUE TO LOOSE SOLDERING ON THE WIPER MOTOR SWITCH. I WAS FORCED TO SPEND $64 TO REPLACE THIS VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT. BOTH GM AND THE NHTSA ARE NEGLIGENT IN FAILING TO INCLUDE 1998 MODELS IN THIS RECALL. I HAVE CHECKED YOUR SITE AND FIND THAT THE NHSTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM SINCE AT LEAST MAY 2002. I DEMAND A WRITTEN REPLY FROM THE NHSTA EXPLAINING WHY THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN SUBJECT TO RECALL. ONCE I HAVE YOUR REPLY I WILL FORWARD IT TO THE PRESIDENT, THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION AND MY SENATORS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. *LA

I HAVE A 1998 CHEVY CK 1500 4+4 TRUCK AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK OCCASIONALLY AND SOMETIMES THEY WORK AND WON'T SHUT OFF WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. I HAVE HEARD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER TRUCKS, BUT CHEVROLET SAYS THIS IS NOT A RECALL MATTER. *LA

WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING, OR SOMETIMES DON'T WORK AT ALL. *LA

FRONT STEERING COMPONENTS; PREMATURE WEAR

WINDSHIELD WIPER 1998 CHEVY TRUCK INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT WORK GM RECALLED FOR BAD PART FOR PREVIOUS YEARS UP TO 1997, NOT INCLUDING 1998. HOWEVER, GM USED SAME PART FOR 1998 BLAZER. *JB

WINDSHIELD WIPER 1998 CHEVY TRUCK INTERMITENTLY WILL NOT WORK CALLED GM 09/15/03 RECALLS FOR PREVIOUS YEARS NOT INCLUDING 1998

HTTP://WWW.CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/NEWS03/GM_WIPERS.HTML PLEASE SEE THE ARTICLE ABOVE REGARDING GM'S RECALL OF 1994-1997 PICKUP TRUCKS WITH A DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE THAT CAUSES THE WIPERS TO STOP WORKING.GM HAS LIMITED THE RECALL OF THIS DEFECTIVE PART FOR VEHICLE UP TO 1997 EVEN THOUGH THE PART IS USED IN 1998 VEHICLES. THIS WEEKEND I ALMOST CRASHED MY 1998 CHEVY 1500 PICKUP WHEN THE WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND RAIN. I THEN STOPPED AT A CHEVY DEALERS WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEFECTIVE PART HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR VEHICLES ONLY UPTO 1997. I THEN HAD TO PAY $67 TO REPLACE THE PART MYSELF.IT WAS ONLY BY LUCK THAT I AVOIDED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS DEFECTIVE PART. GM NEEDS TO MODIFY THIS RECALL TO INCLUDE 1998 AND LATER MODELS THAT USE THIS MODULE.*AK

I HAVE A 1998 CHEVY S10 PICKUP. THE MANUFACTURE DATE IS 1/98. I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE EARLIER MODELS 1994/1997 DID WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THEY OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY. THEY WORK REAL WELL EXCEPT WHEN IT RAINS, ALSO WHEN THE WASHER IS USED IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR THEM TO TURN OFF. I AM TOLD BY MY GARAGE THAT THE CIRCUIT BOARD IN THE WIPER MOTOR IS DEFECTIVE. SAME PROBLEM AS EARLIER MODELS. WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?? *NLM

INTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON AT WILL. THIS CAN OCCUR ANY TIME YOU ARE DRIVING THE VEHICLE OR EVEN IF THE VEHICLE IS PARKED. RUINED ONE BATTERY AND I'VE HAD TO JUMP START THE VEHICLE TWICE SINCE BATTERY WAS REPLACED. CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY BE A FIRE HAZARD. NO ONE CAN SEEM TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. *AK