AI Damage1998 Chevrolet Chevy VAN: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Chevrolet Chevy VAN filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 10
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 30% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 10% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 10% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 10% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 10% of all complaints
- 6 Latches, locks, linkages 10% of all complaints
- 7 Seat belts 10% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 10% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 3 complaints (30% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 1 complaints (10% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (10% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (10% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (10% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 10 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
While driving the vehicle in front of us slammed on his brakes I applied mine but I had no brakes. They had rotted out.
Dt: 1998 chevrolet silverado. Faulty abs system. When driving the speed dropped to 10 mph and the brakes stopped working. Currently, there is a recall on gm chevrolet for year 1999 to 2003. The contact's car is a 1998 and is experiencing the same symptoms as listed in recall.
I had no brakes. My ankle is broke and I'm in a cast because of the pedal snapping upward. Upon inpact, the third bench in the van unbolted and went forward. I was alone in the van that day, thank god. I am lucky there was no traffic coming. I could have been killed or killed someone because I could not stop the car.
Passenger air bag exploded as I put my truck in reverse , sitting still
On the way back to tennessee, on I-64, located near nashville, illinois, the van began to smoke under the hood. Thinking it was just overheating, we pulled over and shut the engine off. Smoke began to come through the air vents. As we were exiting, we noticed flames coming from under the hood, and we ran.
I have a 1998 chevy astro van that has had the windshield wipers quit randomly. I also know of several people that have had the same problem on other model chevy/gmc trucks, vans, and cars. The cause of the problem is apparently a defective circuit board in the wiper motor itself.
Dt: the seat belt in the first row middle seat will not stay latched, and the rear seat belt will not pull out at all. This has been going on since may 2004. Also, there has been a problem with the hatchback door. The door issue had been included in a recall, and the work had been done by the previous owners.
I have chevy venture, now started knocking engine when is cold, this one of symptoms of cooling leaking to engine, the dexcool cooling is eating intake manifold gasket. Gm should by the repair and recall. I am still not has total engine failure but it may happen soon or later, I which never happen. Thank you
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 10,921 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 30% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Chevy VAN has 6 complaints (17 years in the data). This year has 10, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Chevrolet Chevy VAN?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 10. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (20%), door locks, latches, handles (10%), engine failure or replacement (10%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Chevrolet Chevy VAN?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1998 Chevrolet Chevy VAN from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1998 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.