1998 Chevrolet S Series

Routine

Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the visibility › windshield wiper/washer. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer2
000
Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer › Switch/Wiring1
000
Seats › Front Assembly › Recliner1
000
Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling1
000
Electrical System1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Jan 10, 201350,000 milesMS

WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED AND STOPPED FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS AND NOW TOTALLY STOPPED RAINING HARD AND ALSO CAUSED A WRECK TRUCK IN GOOD CONDITION ONLY 50,000 MILES. *TR

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jan 15, 2004PA

ENGINE SEIZED UP WITH NO WARNING THROWING ROCKER ARM OUT THROUGH ENGINE BLOCK. TRUCK TOWED TO GM DEALERSHIP. OVER TWO YEARS LATER, THE TRUCK IS STILL AT GM DEALER. CUSTOMER AWAITING ESTIMATE OF REPAIR.

Seats › Front Assembly › Recliner
Filed Dec 4, 2003CA

DRIVER AND PASSENGER RECLINER HANDLE BOTH GET STOCK AND WILL NOT FUNCTION WHEN PULLED AND THEN BREAKS. THIS HAS HAPPEN TO ME 1 TIME IN A 98 S10 SINGLE CAB PLUS THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD JUST HAD IT REPLACED 2 MONTHS AGO. IT ALSO HAPPEN TWO TIMES ON MY OTHER 98 S10 EXT CAB. I BELIEVE THIS A RISK BECAUSE ONES THE HANDLE BREAK U CANT ADJUST THE SEAT TO SIT UP RIGHT GM SHOULD HAVE THIS RECALLED AND PROVIDE A REPLACEMENT THE VEHICLES THAT ARE AFFECTED ARE 1998-2003 CHEVROLET S10 (ALL MODELS), 1998-2003 GMC SONOMA (ALL MODELS) AND ANY CAR MADE BY GM WITH THE SAME INTERIOR STYLE. *NLM

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer
Filed Oct 26, 200375,000 milesIA

WINDSHIELD WIPERS OPERATION HAS BECOME VERY UNRELIABLE. STARTED OUT JUST BEING A PROBLEM IN THE INTERMITTENT SETTING BUT HAS PROGRESSED TO ALL SETTINGS. SOMETIMES THEY WILL NOT COME ON AT ALL NO MATTER WHAT I TRY AND OTHER TIMES THEY WILL NOT SHUT OFF. A FRIEND HAD HER OLDER TRUCK RECALLED BECAUSE OF THIS AND IT'S STILL A PROBLEM ON THE NEWER UNITS I GUESS. *LA

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer
Filed Sep 21, 200366,700 milesCO

WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING WHEN USING INTERMITTENT WIPER FUNCTION. HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND WIPERS MUST BE SET ON FULL SPEED SETTING TO GET THEM TO WORK AT ALL. THEY WILL REMAIN UNUSABLE IN INTERMITTENT SETTINGS FOR SEVERAL MINUTES OR SOMETIMES DAYS. THE DEFECT GOES AWAY AND RETURNS WITHOUT ANY PATTERN OF FAILURE, LATELY, WIPERS STOP WORKING IN ALL MODES UNTIL SHUT OFF AND TURNED BACK ON. *JB

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer › Switch/Wiring
Filed Jun 14, 200355,000 milesGA

WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING WHEN USING INTERMITTENT WIPER FUNCTION. HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING AND WIPERS MUST BE SET ON FULL SPEED SETTING TO GET THEM TO WORK AT ALL. THEY WILL REMAIN UNUSABLE IN INTERMITTENT SETTINGS FOR SEVERAL MINUTES OR SOMETIMES DAYS. THE DEFECT GOES AWAY AND RETURNS WITHOUT ANY PATTERN OF FAILURE. *NLM

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Jun 14, 200355,000 milesGA

THE DEFECT(S) RELATE TO THE EXTENDED CAB VERSION OF THE VEHICLE WITH A 3RD DOOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. 3RD DOOR UPPER LATCH HAS BROKEN SEVERAL TIMES. PART IS MADE FROM STEEL ROD STOCK WHICH IS FORMED INTO A U SHAPE THEN STAMPED TO FORM HOLES FOR THE MOUNTING SCREWS AND THE SERRATED MOUNTING SURFACE. FAILURE EACH TIME HAS BEEN METAL FATIGUE WHERE THE METAL IS STAMPED AND IS DUE TO THE METAL BECOMING FATIGUED BY HITTING THE UPPER STRIKER/LATCH ASSEMBLY. THIS KEEPS THE 3RD DOOR FROM LATCHING AT THE TOP LETTING RAIN AND FUMES ENTER THE CAB. THE DEALER REPLACED IT ON EACH FAILURE BUT ADVISED ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON DEFECT AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT THIS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS KEEPS THE DRIVERS DOOR FROM LATCHING CORRECTLY AND THE DRIVERS SIDE SHOULDER BELT IS ATTACHED TO THE 3RD DOOR. ADDITIONALLY THE LATCHING RELEASE HANDLE BREAKS WITH ABOUT THE SAME FREQUENCY. THIS PREVENTS THE RELEASE OF THE 3RD DOOR AND MAKES ENTRY AND EGRESS FROM THE REAR JUMP SEAT VERY DIFFICULT. THIS WOULD KEEP A PASSENGER TRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE UNTIL THEY COULD RELEASE A FRONT SEAT AND CLIMB OVER IT. *NLM

7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1998
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20022000Routine
20011000Routine
20005000Routine
19991000Routine
1998 — this page7000Routine
19971000Routine
19962000Routine
19943000Routine

Compare every S Series year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.