1998 GMC Safari Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this van cluster around a few recurring themes: wipers that quit without warning, brakes that pull, grind or feel weak, and electrical gremlins in switches, lights and blowers. Most reports describe intermittent faults that come and go rather than a single sudden failure, and many were filed on vans with well over 50,000 miles.

1. 1
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   Windshield wipers stop working intermittently

   • 8 complaints (9%)
   • median 80,000 mi at 6.6 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2003–2007

   Owners describe wipers that fail to start, stop mid-swipe, or refuse to shut off, often during rain and sometimes after working normally for weeks. Several report the motor simply stopped, and one shop traced a cracked solder joint in the motor; others suspected the wiper switch. Dealers generally replaced parts or could not reproduce the fault. Reported from roughly 50,000 to 143,000 miles, most often during rain.

   What to check: Run the wipers through every speed and intermittent setting, and check for a record of wiper motor or switch replacement. Repeated failures on wet-weather drives are the pattern to watch for.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle is experiencing a lot of electrical problems. The driver's side window will not go up and down, and it makes a horrible noise. Door locks lock and unlock inadvertently. Windshield wipers only work when it is not raining. The heat and air conditioner blower only operate through the defroster. Also, unless consumer keeps foot on the accelerator the battery almost dies.”

   NHTSA complaint #10106831, filed 2005-01, 80,000 miles

   “While using the windshield wipers and without warning the wipers stopped working. The consumer waited 1 minute and then was able to turn them back on. The 1992-1997 chevrolet trucks were recalled for the same wiper switch problem. The 1998 wiper switch was believed to be the same as the 1997 wiper switch.”

   NHTSA complaint #10027324, filed 2003-08, 50,850 miles
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake pedal travel, pulling and weak braking

   • 9 complaints (10%)
   • median 290,000 mi at 16.4 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2014

   Complaints describe a pedal that sinks lower than expected, brakes that do not seem to grab, grinding or vibration when stopping, and rear drums that locked and burned. Some owners were told the problem could not be duplicated; others had drums turned, shoes or rotors replaced, or brake lines replaced after corrosion was found underneath. Spread across the sample, from low-mileage vans to one report at 290,000 miles where corroded lines were the concern.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask about brake line and rear drum condition, and have the pedal feel and stopping behavior checked on a test drive. A service bulletin notes that the brake pedal can move or apply itself during full-lock turns, so check for that too.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Excessive corrosion of hydraulic brake lines. Brake lines so corroded that they are cracking and splitting leaking fluid and necessitating expensive repairs. Corrosion also noted on fuel lines, and vehicle undercarriage.”

   NHTSA complaint #10562919, filed 2014-02, 290,000 miles

   “While traveling 30-40 MPH down an incline, consumer noted vibration coming from the front end. Consumer contacted dealer, dealer indicated that the rear brakes locked up and burned out. Consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer grinded down both rear drums and replaced shoes.”

   NHTSA complaint #842998, filed 1999-08
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Stalling or dying while driving

   • 5 complaints (6%)
   • median 71,000 mi at 7.2 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2000–2005

   Owners report the engine quitting while driving or when backing up slowly, which also takes away power steering and power-assist braking. In some cases the shop cleaned the fuel system or replaced sensors, coils and the belt tensioner without fully curing the stalling. One report traces a breakdown to injectors that leaked fuel into the wiring. Reported from about 5,000 to 71,000 miles, including slow-speed and low-speed maneuvering situations.

   What to check: Ask whether the idle quality, fuel delivery and ignition components have been serviced, and check for any history of the van dying at low speed. Note whether the fuel injectors or pressure regulator have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Our van broke down on my wife while shuttling 5 kids from school. After having it towed to a repair shop, I was told the fuel injectors failed in such a way as to pump gasoline through the electrical wiring harness and short out the computer. The repair bill was estimated at $3,000.00. The injectors, the wiring harness and the computer all had to be replaced. The repair shop called a local Gmc dealer and was told they have had 3 or 4 of these recently. I contacted Gmc several times and asked them for information and assistance. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10111935, filed 2005-02, 71,000 miles

   “Engine dies out while driving and causing a loss of all power equiptment, such as steering, and brakes. Engine stalls and surges forward when restarting the vehicle. Dealer replaced sensor , mass air flow, fuel filter, ignition coil wire and PCM still the vehicle stalls.”

   NHTSA complaint #875226, filed 2000-11
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Hard shifting and transmission slippage

   • 5 complaints (6%)
   • median 110,500 mi at 6.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1999–2005

   Complaints describe hard or harsh shifts, delayed engagement, and gears that slip out of or struggle to return to first. Several owners had the transmission rebuilt or replaced, in some cases more than once and at their own cost. One owner reported third-gear slippage near 93,000 miles. Mostly reported between roughly 90,000 and 110,000 miles, with some failures reported much earlier.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the van through several stop-and-go cycles and feel for a harsh 1-2 upshift or delayed engagement. Ask for transmission service records or rebuild paperwork, since a unit replaced once may need attention again.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1998 Gmc Safari van automatic transmission model 700, failured at 93,000 miles due to a 3rd gear slippage. I found in my research to fix this problem this was common for Gmc trucks with this transmission for this to fail between 90,000 and 100,000 even with scheduled service. Gmc agreed to replace with a factory rebuild, which they did but at my cost of $2,300.00, with a 36 month/50,000 mile warranty. I could not find any tech service bulletins or recalls on your web site, do you have anyother information. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10110285, filed 2005-02, 93,000 miles

   “I had the automatic transmission on this vehicle repaired on 3 different occasions in the 3 years I have owned it. The dealer did it twice under the extended warranty I had on it, the third time was 3,000 miles after the warranty ended an aamoco transmissions repaired it. This was the first week of december 2002. The transmission is again shifting hard and jumping into gear after stopping for red light or any such incident.”

   NHTSA complaint #10014055, filed 2003-04
5. 5
   Vehicle speed control

   Sticking accelerator pedal

   • 6 complaints (7%)
   • typically at 2.9 yrs old
   • filed 1999–2003

   Owners describe an accelerator pedal that resists being pressed, sticks down, or responds late and then surges. One report involves a frayed throttle cable that stuck open at highway speed. A dealer attributed one case to carbon build-up on the linkage, while another shop replaced the cable. Reported at various mileages in the sample; conditions range from backing out slowly to highway cruising.

   What to check: With the engine off, press the pedal slowly and feel for binding or grit, and inspect the throttle cable for fraying. Ask whether the throttle body and linkage have been cleaned.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Throttle cable frayed causing extreme and unwarranted acceleration from 65 MPH fwy speed to 90 MPH and then stuck open at this point. Braking extremely difficult due to speed, however managed to reduce speed to point of being able to place gear in nuetral position and stop. As a result brake pads were ruined and needed replacement as well as accelerator cable.”

   NHTSA complaint #751017, filed 2001-08

   “Driving came to a stop. Went to pull away from the intersection and accelerator pedal was pushed to the floor, it didn't respond. Then all of a sudden it responded to full speed. Had to brake right away to avoid a collision. Contacted dealer who said it was a maintenance problem, and that carbon built up on the accelerator linkage.”

   NHTSA complaint #855214, filed 2000-01

Buying note. These vans are old enough that condition matters far more than reputation, so treat wipers, brakes and transmission behavior as specific things to test on a drive rather than assuming they are fine. Service records showing brake line, wiper motor and transmission work are worth asking for.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 55 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.