1998 Chevrolet S10 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
742 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1998 Chevrolet S10, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 51/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Visibility & wipers leads the reports, typically around 60,000 miles.
Below average
Where 1998 sits among all S10 years
What owners report
“The new recall on gm trucks and suv's only goes to 97'. I have a 98' with the same problem”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 S10
“When brake is applied, the vehicle pulls to the right and is hard to control. Yh”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 S10
“I hit head on at 30mph and the airbag did not deploy. Also, the engine sometimes will not turn over properly when i turn the key.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 S10
“Engine continually failing while driving causing dangerous driving conditions, loss of steering,brakes and control of speed, unable to remedy constant failures.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 S10
“Passenger seat will not stay in locked position. The seat intermittently slides back anf forth. Dealer claims other new trucks on lot have same problem.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 S10
“Transmission line failed dumping contents on highway and underside of truck, wet conditions prevented a fire. No indicator of any kind showed a problem til the vehicle quit moving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1998 S10
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 240 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 71,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 50,000 and 92,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN…
Fix: DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
CERTAIN AJ MOTORSPORT COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO.…
Fix: AJ MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AJ MOTORSPORT AT 626-618-2026.
CERTAIN AAI MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LIST PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO.…
Fix: AAI MOTORSPORTS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AAI MOTORSPORTS AT 909-923-9188.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ELECTRIC PASSENGER VEHICLES AND PICKUP TRUCKS CONTAINING A NICKEL METAL HYDRIDE (NIMH) BATTERY PACK. THESE VEHICLES CONTAIN SOFTWARE WITHIN THE BATTERY PACK MODULE INTENDED TO DISABLE THE VEHICLE FROM BEING DRIVEN IF THE ELECTRICAL…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL REVISED SOFTWARE IN THE BATTERY PACK MODULE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS BUILT WITH A CANDELA VALUE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A REVISED WIRING HARNESS THAT CHANGES THE DRL'S FROM HIGH BEAM TO LOW BEAM DRL'S, AND INSTALL NEW LONG-LIFE LOW BEAM BULBS.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ELECTRIC PICKUP TRUCKS. A CONDITION IN WHICH THE FUEL-FIRED HEATER FILL PIPE GROUND STRAP CONTACTS THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE PIPE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL RELOCATE THE GROUND STRAP ATTACHMENT, INSPECT THE BRAKE PIPE FOR WEAR, AND REPLACE THE BRAKE PIPE IF NECESSARY.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC DRIVE. RAPID FOGGING OF THE INTERIOR GLASS CAN OCCUR WITHIN TWO MINUTES AFTER THE HEAT IS TURNED ON IF (1) THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS BETWEEN 35 AND 76 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND (2) WATER HAS…
Fix: OWNERS ARE BEING PROVIDED WITH A CAUTION LABEL AND SUPPLEMENTAL INSERT FOR THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL ADVISING THEM TO FOLLOW A "STOP AND WAIT" PROCEDURE TO HELP AVOID WINDOW FOGGING WHILE DRIVING.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLES. AN ENGINE ELECTRICAL WIRING-HARNESS CLIP CAN MELT AND DRIP ONTO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD.
Fix: DEALERS ARE CONTACTING OWNERS BY TELEPHONE TO HAVE THEIR VEHICLES TOWED TO THE DEALER AND ALTERNATE TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED TO THEM UNTIL THE DEALER CAN REROUTE THE ELECTRICAL WIRING-HARNESS.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS AND MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE REAR AXLE RIGHT-HAND BRAKE PIPE CAN OCCUR CAUSING A SLOW BRAKE FLUID LEAK RESULTING IN A SOFT BRAKE PEDAL. IF THE BRAKE PIPE BREAKS, THE DRIVER…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE BRAKE PIPE.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
91 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and body & structure — are on file for the 1998 Chevrolet S10. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1998 Chevrolet S10 reliable?
The 1998 Chevrolet S10 drew 742 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 51/100, scored against the model's worst year (1995).
What are the most common 1998 Chevrolet S10 problems?
The top reported problems for the 1998 Chevrolet S10 are visibility & wipers (212 complaints), brakes & stability (85), and electrical (66).
At what mileage do 1998 Chevrolet S10 problems show up?
Owners most often report 1998 Chevrolet S10 problems around 71,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 50,000 and 92,000 miles.
Does the 1998 Chevrolet S10 have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 1998 Chevrolet S10. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.