1998 GMC Safari (gmc): what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 1998 GMC Safari (gmc)
Only 3 defect reports have been filed with NHTSA about the 1998 GMC Safari (gmc), which is too few to compute mileage percentiles or a risk score. The reports reported airbag failed to deploy in a crash.
When each failure gets reported
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag failed to deploy in a crash | airbag | 2 | 2 | — | 157k | — | — | $1,000–$5,000 | Critical |
| Wiper or washer failure | glass | 1 | 1 | — | 100k | — | — | $120–$800 | Moderate |
No fleet-size estimate is available for this year, so only raw counts are shown. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash
In an auto accident 2 days ago , the drivers air bag did not deploy nor did the seat belt hold me like it should, causing me to be slammed into the steering wheel and sustain injuries. *tr
In an auto accident 2 days ago , the drivers air bag did not deploy nor did the seat belt hold me like it should, causing me to be slammed into the steering wheel and sustain injuries. *tr
Wiper or washer failure
I own a 1998 gmc safari van; I have had problems with the wipers working when ever they wanted to" since purchasing the van. Yesterday during a heavy thunderstorm, the wipers quit completely with zero warning. The only reason that there was not an accident was because luckily there was nothing for me to hit when I lost control due to not being able to see. I have spoken to gm customer service on numerous occasions to only be told that although the circuit board that causes this problem has been recalled for other years, it is not recalled on 1998 year models. Please address this issue for safety sake before some is killed. *jb
Every year of the GMC Safari (gmc)
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
What the reports on file say
The complaints recorded against the 1998 GMC Safari (gmc) are airbag failed to deploy in a crash (2 reports, around 157k miles) and wiper or washer failure (1 report, around 100k miles). With a sample this size these are anecdotes rather than a pattern, and they are shown because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see them than nothing.
Why this page is short
A model year needs about 8 reports before percentiles mean anything, and this one does not have them. Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road, so a thin page usually means a rare car, a new car, or a car whose owners do not file.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed