Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 7 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Chevrolet S Series, most frequently naming the visibility, interior & seats and electrical categories. 41 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 2003 | 2 | 2 |
| Sep 2003 | 1 | 3 |
| Oct 2003 | 1 | 4 |
| Dec 2003 | 1 | 5 |
| Jan 2004 | 1 | 6 |
| Jan 2013 | 1 | 7 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
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 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.
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
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
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
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
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
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON HIGHER THAN EXPECTED ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION. *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
SOME OWNERS MAY COMMENT ON HIGHER THAN EXPECTED ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION, AND HAVING TO ADD OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON ROUGH IDLE AFTER START UP, ESPECIALLY AFTER SETTING OVERNIGHT. *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
SOME OWNERS MAY EXPERIENCE A SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT, MISFIRE, ROUGH IDLE ORHARD START DUE TO A DEPOSIT BUILD-UP ON THE SEQUENTIAL CENTRAL PORT FUEL INUJECTOR (SCPI) POPPET VALVE(S). *TT
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
INFORMATION USED WHEN DIAGNOSING NOISE CONDITIONS SUCH AS ENGINE RATTLE NOISE, SPARK KNOCK AT 2000 - 2500 RPM RANGE, UNDER A MODERATE TO HEAVY LOAD WITH A WARMED UP ENGINE. *TT
STRUCTURE:BODY:HOOD:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
SUBJECT ON HOOD HINGE RATTLE COMING FROM EITHER OR BOTH FRONT CORNERS OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL NEAR THE HOOD HINGE AREAS FOR 1995 - 2002 PICKUP AND UTILITY MODELS. *ET
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.