1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo problems
Owners have filed 129 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 22% of complaints. Next are engine (16%) and steering (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 129 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 19 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 7
- Typical mileage
- 98,000 miles 37 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 | 8 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 8 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 37 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 98,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 19 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 15 injuries reported; 7 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 95% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 13 model years of the Chevrolet Monte Carlo with enough data (57 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.
Fatal car accident on 270 on may 18th 2008 4 teens killed and 3 others injured. With all the GM recalls we are certain this will end up being part of the recall. Please investigate.
In 2008 a close friend of mine teenage children and a friend were killed in a mvc. Now that all the re calls have come out with GM I often wonder if this car was part of the re call. Many witnesses said, the car suddenly went left. [link removed] please investigate this crash. Thank you please note: this was not my vehicle, I am writing as a friend and concerned person.
On september 24, 2015, my wife was driving our monte carlo. Unbeknown to her the car began smoking underneath, causing loss of control with neither steering nor braking capability. Other drivers, noticing the smoke, were attempting to notify her of the impending fire. She was able to drive about another mile before losing control and crashing into a tree on my neighbor's yard. The car became completely engulfed in flames and was destroyed.
If the trunk was in the open position and the slightest wind blew, the trunk slammed down abruptly. Please describe further.
Cigarette lighter fails to function- fuses have been replaced- even tho' not indicated as faulty. Entire unit [inner] has been replaced and outer lighter pieces have been replaced also - both multiple times. New unit will function for short time but then fails again.