1998 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO — Owner-Reported Problems
Verdict & Safety Summary
- Crashes 12
- Fires 7
- Injuries 10
- Deaths 7
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | 20 | 21.1% | 3 crashes · 0 fires |
| ENGINE | 19 | 20.0% | 2 crashes · 5 fires |
| STEERING | 9 | 9.5% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 8 | 8.4% | 4 crashes · 0 fires |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 7 | 7.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 | 6.3% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 4 | 4.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| VISIBILITY | 4 | 4.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| SUSPENSION | 3 | 3.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 66 | 69.5% | 6 crashes · 1 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
- Campaign 01I014000 was reported 784 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 03V527000 was reported 2,235 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 07E021000 was reported 2,870 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 15V701000 was reported 6,506 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1998-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 1998-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 1998-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 1999-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 1999-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 1999-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 1999-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2000-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2000-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2000-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2001-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2005-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2008-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 01I014000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 03V527000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 07E021000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09V116000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 15V701000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA98019 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA02030 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ03001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA03019 |
Safety Recalls (5)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 01I014000
- Report date
- Component:
- SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
- Consequence:
- THE BRAKING COULD FEEL DELAYED MOMENTARILY WHEN LIGHT OR MODERATE FORCE IS APPLIED ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE DRIVING ON WET ROADS OR AFTER GOING THROUGH A CAR WASH.
- Remedy:
- DEALER WILL MODIFY THE FRONT FENDER LINERS TO REMOVE A PORTION OF THE CLOSEOUT PANELS IN THE FRONT WHEEL WELLS AT NO CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. THIS SERVICE WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH AUGUST 2004.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 03V527000
- Report date
- Component:
- STEERING
- Consequence:
- IF THIS OCCURS, THE PINION SHAFT CAN BE FORCED UPWARD DURING LEFT TURNS AND BACK DOWN AS THE STEERING WHEEL IS MOVED BACK AND TO THE RIGHT. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL NEED TO EXERT MORE EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, SIMILAR TO A VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER ASSISTED STEERING. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES EVEN FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL REQUIRE MUCH HIGHER EFFORT TO TURN LEFT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL AS MUCH AS INTENDED. WITH THE MAXIMUM PINION SHAFT MOVEMENT, WHICH REQUIRES INTERNAL GEAR COMPONENT DAMAGE, THE DRIVER CAN ENCOUNTER HIGH RESISTANCE TO TURNING LEFT, FOLLOWED BY UNINTENDED POWER ASSIST TO THE RIGHT. IN ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOWER PINION BEARING UNLESS INSPECT OF THE EXISTING BEARING INDICATES THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE GEAR ASSEMBLY IS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080; CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438; OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537; OR PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 07E021000
- Report date
- Component:
- FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
- Consequence:
- FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 09V116000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- IF THE MANIFOLD IS HOT ENOUGH AND THE OIL RUNS BELOW THE HEAT SHIELD, IT MAY IGNITE INTO A SMALL FLAME AND MAY SPREAD TO THE PLASTIC SPARK PLUG WIRE CHANNEL AND BEYOND INCREASING THE RISK OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ENGINES FRONT VALVE COVER AND FRONT-VALVE-COVER GASKET WITH NEW PARTS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN AND REMOVE THE ENGINES PLASTIC COVER AND PLASTIC OIL-FILL-TUBE EXTENSION, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2016. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 OR HTTP://WWW.PONTIAC.COM OR HTTP:WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
-
Manufacturer action
Recall campaign 15V701000
- Report date
- Component:
- ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
- Consequence:
- Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
- Remedy:
- The remedy applied under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 did not adequately remove the safety risk. Under the improved remedy, dealers will replace the engines front valve cover and gasket. Vehicles that are covered by recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, or 15V-201 that have not yet received the original remedy will instead receive the improved remedy under the original recall number. The recall began on February 19, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Oldsmobile customer service at 1-800-442-6537 and Pontiac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is 15757. Note: Until the improved remedy has been applied, owners are advised to park their vehicle outside since the fire risk exists even when the vehicle is unattended.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.