1998 Chevrolet Blazer Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Blazer years
- Far more complaints than other years 4th of 22 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 716 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Chevrolet Blazer. That ranks 4th out of 22 Blazer model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is visibility (256 complaints, 36%), typically at around 70,000 miles. Complaints mention 46 crashes, 15 fires, 39 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 716owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 46complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1998 Chevrolet Blazer problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility problems | 256 | 36% | 70,000 | “windshield wipers” (59%) | $320 |
| Seats problems | 84 | 12% | 57,785 | “seat recliner” (17%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 74 | 10% | 67,750 | “please provide” (9%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 71 | 10% | 71,000 | “windshield wipers” (14%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 64 | 9% | 73,197 | — | — |
| Suspension problems | 60 | 8% | 63,000 | “ball joints” (30%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 59 | 8% | 95,250 | “stopping distance” (14%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 40 | 6% | 117,750 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 38 | 5% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 33 | 5% | 93,728 | — | — |
| Steering | 29 | 4% | 60,925 | — | — |
| Structure | 25 | 3% | 66,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 23 | 3% | 68,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 18 | 3% | 45,005 | — | — |
| Equipment | 16 | 2% | 63,500 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 15 | 2% | 49,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 12 | 2% | 66,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 9 | 1% | 86,945 | — | — |
| Wheels | 8 | 1% | 50,750 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 6 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 6 | 1% | 43,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 5 | 1% | 97,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 1% | 142,500 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 3 | 0% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 2 | 0% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 100,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1998 Chevrolet Blazer recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting
Problem: Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of fmvss no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." the daytime running lights built with a candela value greater than 3,000 cannot be mounted higher than 864mm above the road surface.
Risk: These vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 108.
Fix: Dealers will install a revised wiring harness that changes the drl's from high beam to low beam drl's, and install new long-life low beam bulbs.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm
Problem: Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicle equipped with 4-wheel drive or all-wheel-drive. One or both of the attaching nuts for the right-hand lower control arm are under torqued. This can allow the attachment bolt to loosen and subsequent break resulting in separation of the lower control arm from the frame.
Risk: This condition can result in a loss of vehicle control.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and retighten the right-hand lower control arm nuts to the proper torque specification.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Problem: Vehicle description: light duty pickup trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles. A fatigue fracture of the rear axle right-hand brake pipe can occur causing a slow brake fluid leak resulting in a soft brake pedal. If the brake pipe breaks, the driver would experience a sudden drop in the brake pedal, the instrument panel brake light would illuminate, and there would be a loss of rear brake performance.
Risk: Partial loss of braking at a time when minimum stopping distance was required could result in a vehicle crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the brake pipe.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Front control arm ball joints (RQ02012) — opened Sep 10, 2002, closed Mar 7, 2003, led to recall 01V200000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
After using the cruise control the first time on the highway at 65mph , it stuck and would not shut off. The vehicle accelerates to a dangerous speed and the breaks barely helped. Even after turning the car off taking out the battery and putting it back, it did not reset. Cruise will not disengage.
My abs light is always on as well as my gas gauge not working
I had a wreck hit a deer on my driver side front bumper my air bag light came on and is still on its make a popping sound ever since that happen and it scares mey light stays on.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet blazer. While entering a parking lot at 20 mph, the accelerator pedal traveled all the way to the floorboard and the speed increased to 45 mph. The contact attempted to apply the brakes, but the vehicle did not stop. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the…
1998 chevy blazer does not brakes do not pump up and hold they are spongy.
Other Chevrolet Blazer years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Blazer | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 Blazer | 33 | 1 |
| 2024 Blazer | 51 | 1 |
| 2023 Blazer | 43 | 2 |
| 2022 Blazer | 53 | 1 |
| 2021 Blazer | 137 | 1 |
| 2020 Blazer | 221 | 3 |
| 2019 Blazer | 187 | 2 |
| 2008 Blazer | 5 | 0 |
| 2007 Blazer | 9 | 0 |
| 2006 Blazer | 19 | 0 |
| 2005 Blazer | 15 | 0 |
| 2004 Blazer | 50 | 1 |
| 2003 Blazer | 77 | 1 |
| 2002 Blazer | 246 | 2 |
| 2001 Blazer | 326 | 3 |
| 2000 Blazer | 589 | 4 |
| 1999 Blazer | 436 | 0 |
| 1998 | 716 | 3 |
| 1997 Blazer | 768 | 4 |
| 1996 Blazer | 1,153 | 6 |
| 1995 Blazer | 1,224 | 6 |
See all Chevrolet Blazer problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1998 Chevrolet Blazer?
Owners most often report visibility, seats, power train problems. The top one, visibility, accounts for 256 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Chevrolet Blazer?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1998 Chevrolet Blazer a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Blazer model years, the 1998 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.