1998 Chevrolet S10 problems & reliability
613 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet S10, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
36 complaints report injuries (40 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 200 | 33% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 67 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 51 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 50 | 8% |
| Seats | 48 | 8% |
| Power Train | 40 | 7% |
| Structure | 39 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 37 | 6% |
| Suspension | 24 | 4% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 22 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 71,625 miles (middle 50% between 50,000 and 93,125 miles), based on 216 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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 be extended asap to cover 1998+ year model vehicles”
Visibility/wiper · filed Sep 24, 2020
“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, turning, braking, hot or cold weather, etc. It is unsafe when it is raining because the wipers do not clear the…”
Visibility/wiper · filed Apr 4, 2018
“My parking brake doesn't work. My seatbelts come undone when I'm driving which is a major issue for safety.”
Service Brakes · filed Feb 1, 2018
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLES
Engineering Analysis EA05008 · opened Apr 14, 2005 · closed May 19, 2006
- TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLE(S) BREAK
Recall Query RQ04012 · opened Nov 22, 2004 · closed Apr 14, 2005
- POST COLLISION FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY
Engineering Analysis EA99012 · opened Jun 11, 1999 · closed Aug 10, 2001
Technical service bulletins
91 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet S10. The 10 most recent:
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have slack in one of the tailgate cables. Technician should not replace any parts for this concern. Please…
PIT3227S · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 9, 2023
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have slack in one of the tailgate cables. Technician should not replace any parts for this concern. Please…
PIT3227R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that may have slack in one of the tailgate cables. Technician should not replace any parts for this concern. Please…
PIT3227Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2021
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2019
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1998 Chevrolet S10 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1998 Chevrolet S10?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 71,625 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.