1998 Chevrolet P Series Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1998 Chevrolet P Series, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes266.7%
- Transmission133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, MY AUTO PARK BRAKE FAILED AND BURNED UP BUT THERE WAS NO FIRE. IT HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN 2000 MILES OF EACH OTHER. I WAS LEFT WITH NO PARKING BRAKE OR STOPPING ON A HILL AND EXITING THE VEHICLE WITHOUT THE VEHICLE ROLLING. THE FIRST REPAIR WAS DONE AT A CHEVROLET DEARLER THAT ONLY REPLACED A PREASURE SWITCH. THE SECOND REPAIR WAS AFTER THE FIRST TIME THE BRAKE BURNED UP. THE BRAKE AND VARIOUS OTHER PARKS WERE REPLACED. THE THIRD REPAIR WAS DONE BY THE SAME FACILITY THAT REPLACED THE BRAKE EARLIER AFTER THE SECOND PARK BRAKE BURNED UP. THE FOURTH REPAIR CAME AFTER I LEFT THE SHOP AND HAD DRIVEN 20 MILES AND THE PROBLEM REACCURED. THE FIFTH REPAIR OCCURED ONE DAY LATER AND THE PROBLEM RETURNED AND WAS CORRECTED BY A GM FACILITY IN BAKERSFIELD, CA. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS PROBLEM IF I HAD NEEDED TO EXIT THE VEHICLE IN A HURRY ON ANY KIND OF INCLINE. I HAVE SPENT ALMOST $3,000 TO FIND SOMEONE THAT KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS SITUATION. ONE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WHO TOWED ME SAID HE HAD OTHERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE AUTO PARK BRAKE. ALSO, THE GM DEALER THAT GOT THE JOB DONE RIGHT HAD SEEN SOMONE THE WEEK BEFORE BUT THAT HE ONLY DISCONECTED THE DRIVE LINE AND RECONNECTED IT TO GIVE A TEMPORARY FIX. HE DID NOT SEE THAT VEHICLE AGAIN.
TRANSMISSION DOES NOT HAVE A SECOND GEAR HOLDING POSITION . THIS IS CAUSING THE BRAKES TO FADE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
TRANSMISSION DOES NOT HAVE A SECOND GEAR HOLDING POSITION . THIS IS CAUSING THE BRAKES TO FADE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .