Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Steering215
- Electrical system32
- Seats28
- Seat belts22
- Engine and engine cooling20
- Power train18
- Service brakes, hydraulic16
- Service brakes11
- Fuel system, gasoline11
- Parking brake9
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 5 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 10 1998 Corvette vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 9 people died inside them, and 2 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette failed the safety check 0.53% of the time — 69% less often than the average 1998 passenger car (1.71%). Median odometer at inspection: 62,729 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
59 first registered in 1998 are on Dutch roads; 98% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €90,280.
Most common APK defects
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen20
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde19
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm13
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm9
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld9
- Waarschuwingsinrichting controlesysteem bandenspanning geeft8
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage5
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect5
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In Finland
42 of these cars first registered in 1998 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 144,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
86 1998 cars are on the New Zealand register; 91% arrived as used imports, 2% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 12.7–13.2 L/100 km (about 18–19 mpg US), CO₂ 292–304 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corvette · Two-seater · Premium gasoline | 15.3 | 9.5 | 12.7 |
| Corvette · Two-seater · Premium gasoline | 15.6 | 10.3 | 13.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette.
| 2004052 9 Feb 2004 | Steering On certain vehicles equipped with Electronic Column Lock systems (ECL), when the ignition switch is turned to "Lock", the ECL prevents turning of the steering s… |
| 2000107 17 Apr 2000 | Seats And Restraints Certain vehicles may exhibit a condition in which the lap belt webbing may twist, allowing the webbing to become jammed in the retractor. When the belt webbing… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC COLUMN LOCK SYSTEMS (ECL), WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCH IS TURNED TO "LOCK," THE ECL SYSTEM PREVENTS TURNING OF THE STEERING SYSTEM. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED, THE ECL UNLOCKS THE STEERING SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE IS DESIGNED SO THAT IF THE COLUMN FAILS TO UNLOCK WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED AND THE CUSTOMER TRIES TO DRIVE, THE FUEL SUPPLY WILL BE SHUT OFF SO THAT THE VEHICLE CANNOT MOVE WHEN THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE STEERED. IF VOLTAGE AT THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE IS LOW OR INTERRUPTED, HOWEVER, THE FUEL SHUT OFF MAY NOT OCCUR AND THE VEHICLE CAN BE ACCELERATED WHILE THE STEERING SYSTEM IS LOCKED. ALSO WHEN THE CONTROL SYSTEM SHOWS THAT THE ECL IS UNLOCKED AND THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN, THE LOCK PIN LOCATION CAN VARY. DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION OF THE LOCK PLATE RELATIVE TO THE SWITCH TRANSITION POINT, THERE COULD THEN BE CONTACT BETWEEN THE LOCK PLATE AND PIN CAUSING THE STEERING TO LOCK WHILE DRIVING .
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE LAP BELT WEBBING CAN TWIST ALLOWING THE WEBBING TO BECOME JAMMED IN THE RETRACTOR.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Chevrolet told its dealers about the 1998 Chevrolet Corvette: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 636688 | COMPLAINTS OF THE CLUTCH PEDAL NOT RETURNING WHEN DEPRESSED. *TT |
| 636671 | SUBJECT REGARDING DISCOLORED HYDRAULIC CLUTCH FLUID. *TT |
| 636660 | INFORMATION ON DECALS USED ON THE INDY PACE CAR. *TT |
| 636639 | CUSTOMERS WITH THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION OPTION MAY HAVE CONCERNS WITH NOISE WHN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP IN FIRST. *TT |
| 636632 | COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE DRIVER SEATBACK RECLINER NOT MAINTAINING THE SET POSITION. *TT |
| 636599 | INFORMATION ON PROPER ENGINE OIL LEVEL USAGE. *TT |
| 636580 | A CONCERN HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED WHERE A SCREW THAT ATTACHES THE B-PILLAR WEATHER-STRIP RETAINER CONTACTS THE CONVERTIBLE TOP MATERIAL AND WEARS A HOLE IN THE TOP MATERIAL. *TT |
| 634999 | DIAGNOSIS OF CRACKED OR BROKEN TRANSMISSION CASE. *TT 2006 AND PRIOR CARS AND LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS. *TT |
| 634897 | SUBJECT REGARDING REVISED SIDE COVER AND GASKET REPLACEMENT (RH) / DIFFERENTIAL CARRIER COVER AND SEAL REPLACEMENT - RIGHT. *TT |
| 634815 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON A HARSH 1-2 UPSHIFT AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR SERVICE ENGINE SOON INDICATOR IS ILLUMINATED AND DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1870 SET. *TT |
| 634788 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON A MILD TO SEVERE ENGINE PING (COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS SPARK KNOCK) USUALLY WORSE DURING ACCELERATION AND / OR AN ILLUMINATED MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP. *TT |
| 634725 | POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) REPROGRAMMING AND DATA LINE DIAGNOSIS USING J42236A. *TT |
| 634723 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON A MILD TO SEVERE ENGINE PING (SPARK KNOCK) DURING ACCELERATION AND / OR ILLUMINATED MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0332 SET. *TT |
| 634651 | SUBJECT REGARDING GENERAL WATERLEAK GUIDE. *TT |
| 634625 | SUBJECT REGARDING GENERAL WATERLEAK GUIDE. *TT |
| 631297 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT IN THE DRIVER SEAT DURING ACCELERATION AND BRAKING. *SLC |
| 629605 | SUBJECT REGARDING WIND NOISE FROM UPPER B PILLAR AREA. *TT |
| 627839 | INFORMATION REGARDING HARSH 1-2 UPSHIFT, SERVICE ENGINE SOON, MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP, OR CEL ILLUMINATED, DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P1870 SET. (1996-2000 CHEVROLET AND GMC LIGHT DUTY TRUCK MODELS) *YH |
| 626213 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE ONE OR BOTH OF THE POWER WINDOWS NOT OPERATING. *SLC |
| 623867 | SOME CUSTOMERS MAY COMMENT ON A SQUEAK COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CONVERTIBLE TOP. *TT |
| 623793 | SUBJECT REGARDING ENGINE OIL REQUIREMENTS. *TT |
| 623665 | INFORMATION CONCERNING 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 AND 2002 CORVETTES WITH BODY CONTROL MODULE CONCERNS ON VEHICLES USING AFTERMARKET ELECTRONIC COLUMN LOCK BYPASS SYSTEM. NLM |
| 623553 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE A CONDITION IN WHICH THE ELECTRONIC COLUMN LOCK MAY NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED, THE CONDITION COULD RESULT IN THE FAILURE OF THE STEERING COLUMN TO UNLOCK DURING INITIAL KEY IN AND START UP, SHOULD THE COLUMN FAIL TO UNLOCK, THE ENGINE WILL STOP RUNNING IF THE VEHICLE STARTS TO MOVE. *SLC |
| 622930 | SOME OWNERS WITH VEHICLES BUILT BEFORE JANUARY 15,1999 MAY COMMENT ON A HARSH 1-2 UPSHIFT AND MAY ALSO HAVE A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. *ET |
| 622905 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN INVOLVES VEHICLES EXHIBITING A CONDITION IN WHICH THE ELECTRONIC COLUMN LOCK MAY NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED. *TT |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP
STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP
FRONT LAP BELT MALFUNCTION
FRONT LAP BELT MALFUNCTION
STEERING COLUMN LOCK MODULE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation