"How reliable is the 1998 Chevrolet S10?"

"Based on 741 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Chevrolet S10 has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Chevrolet S10?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Chevrolet S10 is VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR, accounting for a significant portion of the 741 total complaints filed."

1998 Chevrolet S10: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 741 complaints

741

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

50,000 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

91,674 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SEATS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING

STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"OWNER IS HAVING A PROBLEM CONNECTING THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT FOR NEW CAP PURCHASED FOR THE 1998 S-10 ZR2. REQUESTING ANY INFORMATION ON PROPER PROCEDURE."

"CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A REAR END COLLISION WHILE TRAVELING 45 TO 50 MPH. UPON IMPACT, NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S SIDE OCCUPANT WAS INJURED. *AK"

"WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR 85 complaints

25th: 40,750 mi Median: 71,500 mi 75th: 92,750 mi

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER 70 complaints

25th: 46,250 mi Median: 55,912 mi 75th: 74,987 mi

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP 48 complaints

25th: 61,000 mi Median: 105,000 mi 75th: 140,000 mi

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 29 complaints

Median: 110,000 mi

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER 26 complaints

25th: 36,663 mi Median: 59,326 mi 75th: 84,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 88 OH: 47 GA: 46 FL: 41 TX: 41 PA: 35 MI: 30 KY: 29 TN: 28 MO: 28

Who Files Complaints?

48.6%

Original Owners

51.4%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet S10 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	34	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	5
1991	253	132,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	19
1992	221	-	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	27
1993	276	131,300	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	40
1994	1225	75,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	142
1995	1151	122,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	217
1996	875	79,500	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	136
1997	574	82,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	72
1999	298	60,000	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	38
2000	559	60,150	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	67
2001	404	59,000	STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS	21
2002	246	45,250	STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS	22
2003	228	49,250	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	25
2004	30	63,250	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28