1998 Chevrolet Suburban Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 2%of 201 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the air bags of the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban, 2% of the 201 complaints for this model year. 4 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“My vehicle ran head-on into the side of a car that ran a stop sign. My car was so damaged that the insurance adjustor totaled it. The impact was so severe that I, the driver, sustained a fracture of the sternum (I was wearing a seat belt with shoulder harness). The air bags of my car did not go off, but the air bags of the car I hit did go off. On impact the brake mastercylinder with the power assist unit was broken off the fire wall by the ABS module. Therefore I did not have any brakes and rolled for another 300 feet before coming to rest against a tree in the lower shoulder of the road.”
NHTSA complaint #708504, filed 1999-07“During impact with another vehicle the master cylinder sheared off the fire wall rendering brakes inoperable after impact. Do deployment of driver nor passenger side air bag resulted in driver suffered a fratured sternum. Vehicle totaled.”
NHTSA complaint #548525, filed 1999-09Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 2% |
| 2023 | 2 | 2% |
| 2022 | 4 | 3% |
| 2021 | 6 | 3% |
| 2020 | 2 | 5% |
| 2019 | 2 | 3% |
| 2018 | 4 | 5% |
| 2017 | 4 | 3% |
| 2016 | 6 | 3% |
| 2015 | 11 | 3% |
| 2014 | 15 | 25% |
| 2013 | 28 | 24% |
| 2012 | 25 | 25% |
| 2011 | 66 | 45% |
| 2010 | 52 | 44% |
| 2009 | 38 | 36% |
| 2008 | 96 | 45% |
| 2007 | 146 | 50% |
| 2006 | 3 | 13% |
| 2005 | 10 | 8% |
| 2004 | 13 | 6% |
| 2003 | 18 | 6% |
| 2002 | 12 | 4% |
| 2001 | 20 | 5% |
| 2000 | 7 | 2% |
| 1999 | 14 | 2% |
| 1998 | 4 | 2% |
| 1997 | 8 | 2% |
| 1996 | 16 | 4% |
| 1995 | 18 | 4% |
| 1992 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
63 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
48 complaintsSteering
21 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
19 complaintsEngine cooling
17 complaintsElectrical system
14 complaintsSuspension
14 complaintsTires
14 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsEquipment
5 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology