1998 Chevrolet Astro problems
Owners have filed 336 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Chevrolet Astro. Wipers, windshield & visibility is the most reported problem area, at 15% of complaints. Next are brakes (13%) and fuel system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 336 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Wipers, windshield & visibility 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 25 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 39 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 87,000 miles 72 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 13 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 27 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 72 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 87,000 miles. For wipers, windshield & visibility specifically, the median reported mileage is about 86,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 25 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 39 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 14 model years of the Chevrolet Astro with enough data (202 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I own a 1990 chevrolet astro (van) and a 1998 astro. The 1998 van is 18 inches longer then the 1990 . The extra 18 inches were added to the same suspension as the 1990 astro. The 1998 astro has a bad sway to the rear suspenison weather you have slowed to turn into to a drive way or making a curve on the highway this van would still be rocking after you had completed this task. I have never been car sick in my life but sitting in the third seat would make you feel ill. On the 18th of feb.
When applying the brakes, pedal goes to the floor, causing vehicle to not stop, which resulted in owner hitting another vehicle.
While going 35-45MPH another vehicle hit driver on front side. Upon impact, air bags failed to deploy. Also, front passenger's seat belt webbing became undone. Rear passenger sustained some injuries & needed stitches at emergency room. Everyone suffered some whiplash.
While braking at low speed the ABS would cause extended stopping distance. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. Front wheel speed sensor replaced. Left front window hangs when going up. Window tracke lubed. Pads and rotors replaced. Rer brake adjusted. Brake pedal kicked up when almost to a stop. Replaced brake calipers/rotors/ backing plates and removed sensors and cleaned rust build up on sensor and hub assemblies. Both idler amrs and front and rear shocks were replaced due to front end play.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet astro. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH he depressed the brake pedal but the brakes would not respond. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the brake line was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.