AI Damage1998 Chevrolet Motor Home: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Chevrolet Motor Home filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and parking brake. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 11
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 27% of all complaints
- 2 Parking brake 18% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 18% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 18% of all complaints
- 5 Tires 18% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 9% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (27% of all).
- Parking brake: 2 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Tires: 2 complaints (18% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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.
The parking gear and emergency brake failed on my 1998 winnebago itasca suncruiser motorhome. The motorhome was parked in a flat parking lot, placed in park with the emergency brake set.
I was going down a hill and applied the brakes and the brake calipers on the front did not fully release. The brakes got real hot ,boiling the brake fluid out of the system. The brake pedal started going almost to floor , causing me to have a hard time stopping.
Brake calipers drag, overheat, and lock up during normal operation. I was told that this was caused by linkage binding, causing inadequate release of calipers. This happened before a cross-country trip with my motorhome, and had to be repaired by replacing all calipers, and pads in brake system.
Outer rubber on inner right rear dual tires had tread separation while consumer was driving. 225/75r16, mounted on a winnebego, motor home, original equipment, 15388 miles.
While driving motor home built on chevrolet chassis it had started bouncing. Pulled over to check. Noticed a very large bulge in the middle of tire, towards outside on the left rear. Replaced tire with the spare. Lt 245/75416 r4s road trek motor home.
Rear axle assembly is noisy since purchased (replaced due to noise). Yh
Shift control cable layed against egr tube and melted cable, resulting in shift lever sticking in park position.
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 10,521 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 29% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Motor Home has 4 complaints (15 years in the data). This year has 11, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Chevrolet Motor Home?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, parking brake, powertrain. Total complaints: 11. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (9%), overheating, coolant loss (9%), stalls while driving (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Chevrolet Motor Home?
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 Motor Home 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 2026-11-06.