AI Damage1998 Chevrolet Z71: common problems
Owners of the 1998 Chevrolet Z71 filed 45 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and steering. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 45
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 24% of all complaints
- 2 Steering 22% of all complaints
- 3 Visibility 20% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 11% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 9% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 7% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 4% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 11 complaints (24% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 10 complaints (22% of all).
- Visibility: 9 complaints (20% of all).
- Tires: 5 complaints (11% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 4 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 45 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 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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.
Consumer's son while driving at 5mph and applying the brakes, pedal went down to the floor, and vehicle was at the wall of the building. Independent repair shop didn't find anything wrong with the brakes. Modelz71. Year 1999.
Air bag deployed but did not inflate during a single vehicle accident, 1 occupant sustained several broken ribs, the other only minor injuries, had the air bags deployed there may have been fewer injuries. Nlm
Airbag did not deploy upon impact in a head-on collision.
With a 40 mph impact hit a vehicle with front end ,driver's side airbag did not deploy, causing injuries. Driver was not wearing seatbelt, and there was no indictation or warning of defect.
Started over heating really bad no coolant leak,no water in oil, very small lose of water. Several different noises not normal. Before I knew what was happening my truck made a loud bang and truck died hard. Wouldn't restart.
On several occasions I experienced a loss of steering control. It was not speed related - it happened from low to high speeds. The vehicle would suddenly jerk to one side. No instance lasted longer than one second. My mechanic diagnosed the problem as a faulty evo sensor.
The front end of my truck began shaking at 50 mph. Tires were checked by the dealer and nothing wrong was found. Tire pressure was 32 psi. About two weeks later the right rear tire exploded at 67 mph on the interstate causing me to swerve across two lanes.
Consumer complained about a brake problem. While driving on highway brakes were slow to stop vehicle. When driving around town brakes worked fine. Also, windshield wipers operated poorly, power steering worked intermittently.
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 5,630 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 15% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Z71 has 18 complaints (6 years in the data). This year has 45, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Chevrolet Z71?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, steering, visibility. Total complaints: 45. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: jerking, harsh shifts (7%), smoke, burning smell, fire (7%), airbags did not deploy (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 Chevrolet Z71?
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 Z71 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.