RoadVitals

1998 GMC Sierra Visibility Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Visibility reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
32
Latest Jul 22, 2006
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
17%
of 190 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 GMC Sierra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 32 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming visibility

The 25 most recent of 32, in the owner's own words

Visibility
Filed Jul 22, 2006

INTERMITTENTLY THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOME INOPERABLE. IF I TAP ON THE WINDSHIELD MOTOR CASE THEY MAY WORK FOR A WHILE. I CAN HEAR THE MOTOR RUN WHEN THEY ARE NOT WORKING. *NM

NHTSA ID
10163185
Incident
Jul 10, 2006
Mileage
127,000 mi
Visibility
Filed May 9, 2006

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL OFF & ON--MOSTLY NEVER WORK. *NM

NHTSA ID
10157039
Incident
Oct 15, 2005
Visibility
Filed May 1, 2006

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THIS FIRST BEGAN FALL OF 2005. THE DEALERSHIP AND MANUFACTURER WERE ALERTED AND EXPLAINED NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR THE WIPERS.

NHTSA ID
10156529
Incident
May 1, 2006
Mileage
125,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Sep 6, 2005

DT: THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE NO LONGER WORKING PROPERLY. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL WORK SOMETIMES. THE PROBLEM FIRST STARTED IN 2-2004. THE CONSUMER STATESDTHAT ONCE HE SMELLED A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS RECALL 02054 ON THE 1997 MODELS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS OF YET. THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACCIDENTS AT THIS TIME. *AK

NHTSA ID
10135473
Incident
Feb 1, 2004
Mileage
52,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Aug 15, 2005

DURING A HEAVY RAIN STORM THE WINDSHIELD MOTOR/WIPERS QUIT WORKING WHICH IMPAIRED MY VISION. *NM

NHTSA ID
10132962
Incident
Aug 12, 2005
Visibility
Filed Jul 18, 2005

FAILURE IN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. ELECTRICAL PROBLEM CAUSING SHORT WITH WINDSHIELD WASHER. FRIEND HAS 96 CHEVY WITH SAME PROBLEM. THEY FAIL TO WORK IN THE RAIN. WORK FINE DURING SUNSHINE. WORK ONLY OCASSIONALLY.

NHTSA ID
10129045
Incident
Jun 30, 2005
Mileage
80,000 mi
Visibility
Filed May 23, 2005

WIPERS STOPPED WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF HEAVY RAIN. HAD PROBLEMS WITH THEM FOR AROUND A YEAR BEFORE THEY FINALLY QUIT. CHECKED RECALLS , BUT THIS YEAR MODEL WAS NOT INCLUDED.

NHTSA ID
10121926
Incident
Apr 13, 2005
Visibility
Filed Feb 10, 2005

INTERMITTANTLY THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOME INOPERABLE. USUALLY AFTER THEY RUN A WHILE AND USUALLY STOP AT THE WORST TIME RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAVY DOWNPOUR. WHEN I OPEN THE HOOD I CAN HEAR A SOFT BUZZING NOISE. WHEN I WIGGLE THE CABLE HARNESS ASSEMBLY THAT GOES TO THE MOTOR THE WIPERS WILL START AGAIN. BUT THEN WHEN I SHUT THE HOOD THE VIBRATION SOMETIMES CAUSES THE WIPERS TO STOP. THIS HAD BEEN GOING ON SINCE LAST YEAR, 2004. THIS IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM I HAVE READ ABOUT IN SIMILAR COMPLAINTS AND THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID 03V15900.*AK

NHTSA ID
10110301
Incident
Jan 29, 2005
Mileage
112,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Aug 24, 2004

WINDSHIELD WIPERS MALFUNCTIONED WHILE DRIVING ON A RAINY DAY. THIS RESULTED IN POOR VISIBILITY FOR DRIVER. DEALERSHIP INDICATED TO THE CONSUMER THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT RECALLED DUE TO VIN. *AK

NHTSA ID
10089630
Incident
Aug 24, 2004
Visibility
Filed Aug 23, 2004

WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED AND THEN MAY START AT A LATER TIME. THE LAST INCIDENT WAS WHEN IT STOPPED AUGUST 20, 2004 IN A DRIVING RAIN STORM AND WE HAD TO PULL OVER BUT IT SOON RESTARTED. LATER THE SAME DAY IT STOPPED AGAIN AND DID NOT RESTART PLACING US IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS MORNING IT IS WORKING AGAIN.*AK

NHTSA ID
10088388
Incident
Aug 20, 2004
Mileage
145,155 mi
Visibility
Filed Aug 3, 2004

WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT HOME. THEN, CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

NHTSA ID
10087135
Incident
Jun 25, 2004
Visibility
Filed Mar 17, 2004

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WORKING AS INDICATED IN THE WINDSHIELD WIPER RECALL 98V150001, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK *SC

NHTSA ID
10055959
Mileage
66,482 mi
Visibility
Filed Jan 27, 2004

INTERMITTENTLY, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE. THE DEALER INDICATED THERE WAS NOT A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB

NHTSA ID
10055918
Incident
Jan 27, 2004
Visibility
Filed Jan 12, 2004

WHILE DRIVING IN A RAINSTORM, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. A RECALL WAS ISSUED, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE IS OUTSIDE OF THE REMEDY SCOPE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *PH CONSUMER HAD TO PULL OVER AND WAIT UNTIL THE HEAVY RAIN STOPPED. NOW AT A LATER DATE, THE WIPERS WORKED. *PH

NHTSA ID
10048372
Incident
Nov 11, 2003
Mileage
120,000 mi
Interior & seatsVisibility
Filed Nov 5, 2003

INTERMITTENTLY WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECAME INOPERABLE, OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVER'S VIEW. A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED ON SIMILAR MAKES AND MODELS. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK THE CONSUMER TURNED THE SWITCH OFF THEN ON AGAIN AND THE WIPERS WOULD WORK AGAIN. AS TIME WENT ON THE PROBLEM WORSENED. THE CONSUMER HAD TO TURN THE SWITCH ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES. SOMETIMES THEY WOULDN'T COME ON FOR 15 MINUTES OR UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. THE RECALL STOPPED AT THE 1997 MODEL YEAR. THE CONSUMER WAS THE ONLY DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE AND HAS SINCE PAID TO THE HAVE THE MODULE REPLACED. *PH ALSO THE TAILGATE DID NOT ALOWAYS LOCK INTO PLACE. *JB

NHTSA ID
10038212
Incident
Sep 4, 2003
Visibility
Filed Sep 16, 2003

WINDSHIELD WIPERS DON'T WORK INTERMITTENT. *JB

NHTSA ID
10039011
Incident
Sep 16, 2003
Visibility
Filed Sep 13, 2003

WIPERS WILL STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING AND MAY NOT START AGAIN. *JB

NHTSA ID
10038820
Incident
Aug 20, 2003
Mileage
55,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Sep 12, 2003

WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, WITHOUT WARNING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *PH

NHTSA ID
10039921
Incident
Sep 12, 2003
Visibility
Filed Sep 3, 2003

WINDSHIELD WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING WHILE IN USE. WIPER MOTOR HAD BEEN REPLACED TWICE ALREADY, AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT ONCE AGAIN. *AK

NHTSA ID
10038130
Incident
Jul 12, 2003
Mileage
52,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Aug 11, 2003

CONSUMER STATES WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL NOT MOVE , CAN HEAR MOTOR RUNNING. *AK

NHTSA ID
10033561
Mileage
12,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Aug 1, 2003

CONSUMER STATES SOMETIMES WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE TURNED ON THEY OPERATE AND SOMETIMES THEY DON'T. *AK

NHTSA ID
10031806
Visibility
Filed Jul 28, 2003

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

NHTSA ID
10030216
Incident
Jun 15, 2003
Visibility
Filed Jun 26, 2003

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL COME ON AND OFF INTERMITTENTLY. *AK

NHTSA ID
10025011
Incident
Jun 26, 2003
Visibility
Filed Jun 25, 2003

WINDSHIELD WIPERS EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECT AS STATED IN RECALL 98 V 150 001; BUT, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL DUE TOVIN.*AK

NHTSA ID
10024875
Visibility
Filed Jun 4, 2003

WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY WEATHER WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

NHTSA ID
10022290
Incident
Feb 12, 2003

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.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .