"How reliable is the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport?"

"Based on 287 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport is EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS, accounting for a significant portion of the 287 total complaints filed."

1998 Pontiac Trans Sport: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 287 complaints

287

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

64,599 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

108,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

STEERING:RACK AND PINION

STEERING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE HORN WILL UNEXPECTEDLY BLOW OUT WITHOUT MANUAL OPERATION WHICH NEARLY CAUSED A COLLISION TO OCCUR, CAUSE UNKWOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK"

"THE PASSENGER'S SLIDING DOOR DOES NOT CLOSE PROPERLY, AND ALLOWS CARBON MONOXIDE INTO THE VEHICLE, IDLING OR DRIVING WHEN ALL WINDOWS ARE UP. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, AND HAS ADJUSTED THE DOOR PER A BULLETIN FROM PONTIAC. THIS PROBLEM HAS RESULTED IN CONSUMER GETTING ILL. *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.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS 23 complaints

25th: 52,840 mi Median: 64,750 mi 75th: 85,000 mi

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH 16 complaints

25th: 65,000 mi Median: 100,200 mi 75th: 118,000 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 16 complaints

25th: 69,302 mi Median: 75,500 mi 75th: 85,788 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM 15 complaints

25th: 63,211 mi Median: 69,000 mi 75th: 73,098 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

MI: 27 NY: 26 CA: 24 OH: 20 IN: 19 FL: 14 MO: 13 GA: 12 UN: 11 WI: 11

Who Files Complaints?

43.9%

Original Owners

56.1%

Second+ Owners

Pontiac Trans Sport — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	64	-	STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS	0
1991	46	-	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	2
1992	96	120,000	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	3
1993	77	-	SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR	6
1994	128	90,000	STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR	7
1995	150	80,000	STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR	18
1996	74	95,028	VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER	6
1997	307	90,000	STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR	11

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