Total Complaints
17 filings
GMC PASSENGER VEHICLE · model year
17 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998GMCPASSENGER VEHICLE carries 17 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 2 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 PASSENGER VEHICLE is electrical system with 2 filings, followed by visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor (2) and electrical system:wiring (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1998 PASSENGER VEHICLE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
17 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLING/CHARGING | 1 |
| PARKING BRAKE | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:BRAKE FLUID LOW WARNING: LAMP | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:WINDSHIELD:ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:ARM:IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | 1 |
| STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK | 1 |
MY DAUGHTERS PONTIAC SUNFIRE RECEIVED A RECALL ABOUT THE STEERING. I TOOK IT IN TO BE FIXED. THEY FIXED IT WITH NO PROBLEM. THE DEALER EXPLAINED WHAT WOULD BE HAPPENING IF IT WERE TO GO OUT. THE STEERING TO THE LEFT WOULD BE HARD TO TURN. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY PONTIAC TRANS SPORT MINI VAN. HE SUGGESTED THAT I CALL GM. I DID AND THEY SAID IT WAS DOING ALL THE THINGS THAT THE RECALL WAS CALLED IN FOR, BUT BY MY VIN # MY CAR WAS NOT IN WITH THE RECALL. THEY TOLD ME TO CHECK IT OUT WITH THE DEALER AND CALL BACK. I TOLD THEM THAT I DID AND HAD IT IN WRITING, BUT THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT. I SAID THAT THEY FIXED MY DAUGHTERS CAR AND NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT, BUT MY CAR WAS DOING THE HARD TURN TO THE LEFT AND THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT. THEY SAID NO THEY COULD NOT HELP ME. I CALLED BACK MONTHS LATER AND THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH TOLD ME THE SAME THING. I ASK TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER, AND HE SAID THAT HE WAS THE MANAGER AND HE COULD NOT DO ANYTHING AT THAT TI
COOLANT IN OIL, OIL IN COOLANT. INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAK. 8AK
Mileage: 115,000
WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE
Mileage: 112,200
MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT WORK IN THE RAIN AND MY TURN SIGNAL ON SIGNAL CLICKS WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL ISN'T ON. BOTH ARE PROBLEMS WITH THE 1997 MODEL, AND SEEM TO BE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE 1998 MODELS. *JB
Mileage: 126,000
STEERING LINKAGE IDLER ARM FELL APART, CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING ON VEHICLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON BOTH SIDES OF LINKAGE. HAD JUST COME FROM A LONG TRIP ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. WAS TRAVELING AT LOW SPEED WHEN TIS HAPPENED, BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY. HAPPENED ONCE IN MISSISSIPPI AND ONCE AT HOME. REPLACED WITH IMPROVED PARTS FROM AUTO PARTS STORE. COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED. *AK
Mileage: 90,000
FIRESTONE TREAD SEPARATION. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. FAIL TO START, OR QUIT WHILE TURNED ON. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN. SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE IN WARM WEATHER THAN WINTER. HAS BEENHAPPENING SINCE I BOUGHT THIS USED VEHICLE A COUPEL OF YEARS AGO, BUT IS NOT BECOMING MORE FREQUENT.*AK
Mileage: 49,000
AUTOMATIC PARK FAILURE WITH P-30 1998 MOTORHOME RESULTING IN COMPLETE BREAKDOWN ON INTERSTATE NECCESSITATING EXPENSIVE TOWING. *AK
Mileage: 24,000
AUTOMATIC PARK FAILURE WITH P-30 1998 MOTORHOME RESULTING IN COMPLETE BREAKDOWN ON INTERSTATE NECCESSITATING EXPENSIVE TOWING. *AK
Mileage: 24,000
FIRES AT THE GAS PUMPS CAUSED BY STATIC ELECTRICITY. VEHICLES ARE CATCHING FIRE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO FUEL VEHICLE. FEWER VEHICLES DOES NOT PROPERLY GROUND WHEN FUEL NOZZLE INSERTED INTO FILL SPOUT OF VEHICLE. I HAVE PERFORMED A STUDY TO SHOW DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OLDER FUEL SPOUTS WITH A GROUNDING CABLE AND NEWER SPOUTS THAT DO NOT HAVE CABLE. ALSO, THE MATERIAL OF THE SPOUTS HAVE CHANGED FROM ALL METAL TO A METAL WITH A PLASTIC INSERT. THIS WOULD PREVENT VEHICLE FROM BEING GROUNDED. IN MY STUDY, I FOUND MANY DIFFERENT MAKES AND MODELS OF VEHICLES CONTAINING THESE TYPE FILL SPOUTS. I ALSO HAD MY FINDINGS CONFIRMED BY A PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING FROM A LOCAL UNIVERSITY. *LA
FIRES AT THE GAS PUMPS CAUSED BY STATIC ELECTRICITY. VEHICLES ARE CATCHING FIRE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO FUEL VEHICLE. FEWER VEHICLES DOES NOT PROPERLY GROUND WHEN FUEL NOZZLE INSERTED INTO FILL SPOUT OF VEHICLE. I HAVE PERFORMED A STUDY TO SHOW DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OLDER FUEL SPOUTS WITH A GROUNDING CABLE AND NEWER SPOUTS THAT DO NOT HAVE CABLE. ALSO, THE MATERIAL OF THE SPOUTS HAVE CHANGED FROM ALL METAL TO A METAL WITH A PLASTIC INSERT. THIS WOULD PREVENT VEHICLE FROM BEING GROUNDED. IN MY STUDY, I FOUND MANY DIFFERENT MAKES AND MODELS OF VEHICLES CONTAINING THESE TYPE FILL SPOUTS. I ALSO HAD MY FINDINGS CONFIRMED BY A PROFESSOR OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING FROM A LOCAL UNIVERSITY. *LA
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WON'T TURN ON. WHEN YOU MANUALLY START THEM BY MOVING WIPER, THEN THEY START.
Mileage: 60,000
DEX COOL DETERIATION OF COOLANT SYSTEM. *PH
Mileage: 90,000
INTERNMITTMENT OPERATION OF WINDSHIELD WIPERS. *AK
Mileage: 66,000
THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL SUDDENLY STOP WORKING WHEN IT IS RAINING. THEY WILL COME BACK ON AFTER A FEW MINUTES OR MAYBE NOT AT ALL. YESTERDAY THEY DID NOT COME ON AT ALL, TODAY THEY WORKED FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND THEN THEY JUST STOP. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE LAST MONTH. THE REAR WIPERS DO FINE. *NLM
ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASSIONS THE "CLUSTER" (DASHBOARD DISPLAY) HAS GONE OUT ON US. NO SPEEDOMETER, NO GAS GUAGE, NO BLINKERS, NOTHING. WE'VE RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER EACH TIME. THIS LAST TIME, 12/26/02, THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING FOR US.
Mileage: 60,000
ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASSIONS THE "CLUSTER" (DASHBOARD DISPLAY) HAS GONE OUT ON US. NO SPEEDOMETER, NO GAS GUAGE, NO BLINKERS, NOTHING. WE'VE RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER EACH TIME. THIS LAST TIME, 12/26/02, THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING FOR US.
Mileage: 60,000
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.