1998 Chevrolet S 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 S 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
- Visibility450.0%
- Interior & seats225.0%
- Electrical112.5%
- Engine112.5%
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
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
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 .