1998 Chevrolet S10 Recalls, Complaints & Specs

6 safety recalls list the 1998 Chevrolet S10, and owners have filed 613 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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6 safety recalls for the 1998 Chevrolet S10

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. 12v/24v/48v battery (electrical system)

   NHTSA 00V374000 Reported November 13, 2000 492 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   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 resistance with the battery pack exceeds a prescribed value. Affected vehicles will…

   Remedy: Dealers will install revised software in the battery pack module.

2. Exterior lighting

   NHTSA 00V220000 Reported August 11, 2000 14,279 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   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 greater than 3,000 cannot be mounted higher than 864mm above the road surface.

   Remedy: 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.

3. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

   NHTSA 00V159000 Reported June 16, 2000 306 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Vehicle description: electric pickup trucks. A condition in which the fuel-fired heater fill pipe ground strap contacts the rear passenger side brake pipe.

   Remedy: Dealers will relocate the ground strap attachment, inspect the brake pipe for wear, and replace the brake pipe if necessary.

4. Defroster/defogger/hvac system (visibility)

   NHTSA 98V177000 Reported August 4, 1998 354 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   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 collected on the heat exchanger during previous operation of the air conditioning.

   Remedy: 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.

5. Electrical system: front underhood

   NHTSA 97V208001 Reported November 25, 1997 33,973 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose vehicles. An engine electrical wiring-harness clip can melt and drip onto the exhaust manifold.

   Remedy: 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.

6. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

   NHTSA 97V218000 Reported November 24, 1997 19,716 vehicles potentially affected GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

   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 would experience a sudden drop in the brake pedal, the instrument panel brake light…

   Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pipe.

613 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1998 Chevrolet S10 have filed 613 complaints with NHTSA; 61 describe a crash and 9 describe a fire. Reports cite 40 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 77,196 miles. Complaints peaked in 2003 with 112 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Visibility: motor85
• Visibility: windshield wiper/washer70
• Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip48
• Air bags: frontal29
• Seats: recliner26
• Power train: automatic transmission24
• Seats22
• Engine and engine cooling: gasoline18

What owners are reporting

“Wipers just stopped working while driving in the rain. Unable to get them to turn back on. Seems to be eerily similar to a previous recall (03v159000) of earlier year model vehicles. Recall needs to b”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 24, 2020 · Visibility/wiper

“I just bought the truck used and sometimes the windshield wipers will work and sometimes they will not come on at all. It does this whether it is stationary, in motion, on a city street or a highway,”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, April 4, 2018 · Visibility/wiper

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 1998 Chevrolet S10 Pickup (S10 Electric, S10 Pickup 2WD, S10 Pickup 4WD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Chevrolet S10 model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Chevrolet S10 model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1998 Chevrolet S10

Other Chevrolet models

• Malibu19,364 complaints
• Silverado 150018,029 complaints
• Impala10,434 complaints
• Tahoe10,032 complaints
• Equinox9,161 complaints
• Silverado8,799 complaints
• Blazer8,192 complaints
• Suburban8,164 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.