1998 Chevrolet M/L VAN

Typical pattern

4.3% of complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet M/L VAN came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 1998 vehicle — around the middle of the 180 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is visibility (19 complaints), typically at 6.0 yr or about 65,000 miles.

Complaints: 46
Median age at failure: 6.3 yr
Median mileage: 65,000 n=35
Crash / fire / tow: 4.3% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Visibility 72,000 mi 5.9 yr in service

I HAVE A 1998 CHEVY S10 PICKUP. THE MANUFACTURE DATE IS 1/98. I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE EARLIER MODELS 1994/1997 DID WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THEY OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY. THEY WORK REAL WELL EXCEPT WHEN IT RAINS, ALSO WHEN THE WASHER IS USED IT TAKES A LONG TIME FOR THEM TO TURN OFF. I AM TOLD BY MY GARAGE THAT THE CIRCUIT BOARD IN THE WIPER MOTOR IS DEFECTIVE. SAME PROBLEM AS EARLIER MODELS. WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?? *NLM

Visibility mileage not reported 6.0 yr in service

WINDSHIELD WIPER 1998 CHEVY TRUCK INTERMITENTLY WILL NOT WORK CALLED GM 09/15/03 RECALLS FOR PREVIOUS YEARS NOT INCLUDING 1998

Visibility 86,955 mi 6.0 yr in service

WINDSHIELD WIPER 1998 CHEVY TRUCK INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT WORK GM RECALLED FOR BAD PART FOR PREVIOUS YEARS UP TO 1997, NOT INCLUDING 1998. HOWEVER, GM USED SAME PART FOR 1998 BLAZER. *JB

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1998 Chevrolet M/L VAN

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

How to read this