71 complaints reported

1998 Chevrolet Camaro SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
71
Crashes
5
Fires
0
Injuries
1

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Jun 2004

WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKES CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE BRAKES. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC, WHO DETERMINED THAT THE ROTORS WORE OUT PREMATURELY. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2004
Apr 2004

ROTORS AND PADS WERE REPLACED EVERY 15,000 MILES. CONSUMER STATED ROTORS AND PADS WERE REPLACED THREE TIMES. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2004
Apr 2004

1998 CAMARO. REAR BRAKE LINES RUSTED,LEAKING AND REAR BRAKES DONT WORK. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2004
Mar 2003

FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED ON 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO Z28; I KNOW OF SEVERAL PEOPLE PERSONALLY THAT HAVE 1998 AND UP CAMAROS/FIREBIRDS THAT HAD THIS ISSUE. I HAVE ALSO HEARD MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE IN CAR CLUBS AND INTERNET MESSAGE BOARDS. PEOPLE REFER TO THE STOCK ROTORS AS JUNK BECAUSE THEY WARP SO OFTEN WHICH LEADS ME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE CAR MANUFACTURE DID NOT PUT ADEQUATELY DESIGNED ROTORS ON THE VEHICLES. PEOPLE WITH THIS ISSUE SAY TO BUY NON-OEM ROTORS BECAUSE THEY WILL WARP AGAIN AND SIMPLY HAVING THE ROTORS TURNED DOES NOT HELP AS THEY WARP AGAIN. I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD MY ROTORS TURNED AND NEW BRAKES (INSTALLED BY DEALERSHIP WITH OEM PARTS) PUT ON THE CAR AND I HAVE THE WARPING ISSUE. MECHANICS THAT I KNOW ALSO AGREE THAT THE BRAKES/ROTORS ARE NOT ADEQUATELY DESIGNED FOR THESE VEHICLES. *NLM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 2003
Oct 2002 Crash

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS CONSUMER WAS TRYING TO SLOWDOWN BRAKES LOCKED UP, AND VEHICLE SPUN AROUND. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2002
Apr 2001

ROTORS WERE TURNED AROUND IN APRIL 1999, AND WERE WARPED AT THIS TIME. WHEN APPLYING BRAKES STEERING WHEEL SHAKES. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER 3 TIMES FOR ROTOR PROBLEMS. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 1999
Apr 2001

WHILE DEPRESSING BRAKES, NO HARD SHAKING IN STEERING WHEEL. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. STATED NORMAL WEAR. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Mar 2001

FRONT BRAKES ON BOTH SIDES MAKE THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKE REALLY BAD USUALLY DURING WET WEATHER,BUT IT DOES IT ALL THE TIME, THE PROBLEM EXISTED AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, HOWEVER HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Mar 2001

FREEWAY SPEED BRAKING COMPROMISED DUE TO EXTREME VIBRATION CAUSED BY WARPED FRONT ROTORS. DEALER HAS TRIED TO REPAIR PROBLEM BY MACHINING - ALWAYS REAPPEARS AFTER 5000 MILES. NOW THEY REFUSE TO FIX AS IT IS A 'WEAR ITEM'. THIS IS A DESIGN OR MATERIAL QUALITY ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE NEW. BRAKES THAT CAN'T BE USED TO THEIR FULL EFFECTIVENESS ARE A SAFETY ITEM.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 1999
Jan 2001

FRONT ROTORS WARP SO BAD STEERING WHEEL SHAKES SO VIOLENTLY YOU CAN LOSE CONTROL, GM SAYS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, 1/2 FRONT BREAKPADS STILL LEFT. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2001
Oct 2000

TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP TO HAVE BRAKES CHECKED. MECHANIC NOTICED ROTORS WERE WARPED & TURNED THEM. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES BEFORE BECAUSE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED. THE FOURTH TIME ROTORS WERE REPLACED DUE TO BEING TOO THIN. NOW ROTORS ARE WARPED AGAIN. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Sep 2000

BRAKE ROTORS ARE PREMATURELY WEARING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Aug 2000

ROTORS ARE WARPED, AND WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED VEHICLE SHIMMIES. WHEN APPLING BRAKES FRONT SHAKES VERY HARD. DEALER HAS ATTEMPTED TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM ONCE, BUT IT HAS OCCURRED AGAIN. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Aug 2000

ROTORS FOR DISC BRAKES ARE WARPED OR GET WARPED WHEN CAR IS NEW W/LT1000 MILES

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 1998
Aug 2000

THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS HAVE WARPPED SIX (6) TIMES ON THIS CAR CAUSING STEERING WHEEL SHAKING AND POSSSIBLE LOSS OF CONTROL. INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL ROTORS, THERE HAS BEEN FOUR (4) NEW SETS OF ROTORS ON THIS CAR AND THOSE ROTORS HAVE BEEN RESURFACED THREE ( 3) TIMES. I HAVE BEEN TO TWO DIFFERENT CHEVROLET DEALERS TO HAVE THIS WORK DONE AND HAVE CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS DIRECT AND THEY CAN NOT FIGURE OUT WHY THE BRAKES ARE DEFECTIVE. I HAVE HEARD OF MANY CAMARO AND FIREBIRD OWNERS WITH THIS SAME ROTOR WARPPING PROBLEM. I FIRST FILED A COMPLANT WITH NHTSA ON 5/29/99 AND THE ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWO MORE TIMES SINCE THAT SUBMITTAL.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Sep 1998
Aug 2000

ROTORS TURNED AT 9100 MILES. WARPED AGAIN AT 27,000. DEALER FAILED TO MAKE GOOD. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 1999
Jul 2000

WHEN CAR IS BEING DRIVEN IN WET CONDITIONS AND THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE CAR SHAKES VIOLENTLY, TO THE POINT OF LOOSING CONTROL OF THE CAR. THE DEALER SAYS IT IS THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES AND THIS IS NORMAL.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Jul 2000

FRONT BRAKE ROTORS HAVE WARPED. DEALER WILL NOT REPLACED ROTORS UNDER WARRANTY. CHEVY CONSIDERS IT ACCEPTABLE FOR ROTORS TO WARP AT 30,000 MILES. *AK *ML

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2000
Apr 2000

NOTICED PULSATION AND SQUEAKING BRAKES. BROUGHT VEHICLE IN AND DEALER SAID THAT ROTORS NEEDED TO BE TURNED. NOT UNDER WARANTEE SINCE 20,000 MILES, BUT ALSO REPLACED ALL PADS DUE TO SERVICE BULLETIN ON PADS. ROTORS APPEAR DEFECTIVE DESIGN AND BAND AID REPAIR OF SOFTER PADS TO MASK PROBLEM. COULD END UP BEING MAJOR PROBLEM IF NOT CORRECTED PROPERLY. HOW CAN WE ALL GET CHEVY TO OWN UP AND REPLACE A FAULTY BRAKE SYSTEM DESIGN? BY THE LISTING IN YOUR COMPLAINT DATABASE, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THIS IS A VERY WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 2000
Mar 2000

WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT WITH FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL VEHICLE CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD, ALSO, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Mar 2000 Crash Injury

BRAKE ROTORS WARPED AS A RESULT OF FACTORY FLAW, SEPARATED 3 TIMES BEFORE 20,000 MILES, BUT PA CHEVROLET REFUSED TO REPLACE AND ONLY TURNED ROTORS ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, CAUSING A BRAKE FAILURE LEADING TO ACCIDENT.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P23555R16 )

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 1998
Mar 2000

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES STEERING WHEEL RECEIVES AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF VIBRATION. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Feb 2000

EXCESSIVE WEAR OF FRONT ROTORS DUE TO WARPING. TWO SETS OF ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED WITHIN 3,000 MILES OF WEAR. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 1998
Feb 2000

I FIRST NOTICED THAT I WAS HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY BRAKES WHEN I WOULD APPLY THE BRAKES TO EITHER SLOW DOWN OR TO STOP. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD HAVE A SLIGHT SHIMMY TO IT. I TOOK IT AND HAD A MECHANIC THAT I KNOW AND TRUST TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND HE HAD TO "MACHINE" THE RIGHT FRONT ROTOR. I DIDN'T WRITE DOWN THE MILEAGE AT THE TIME BECAUSE I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS THAT IMPROTANT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 3/3/99 AND ASKED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE BRAKES BECAUSE I COULD HEAR A SCRAPING NOISE COMING FROM THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE WHEN I WOULD APPLY THE BRAKES. THE SHOP LOOKED AT THE BRAKES AND SAID THAT THEY WERE FINE. I TOOK THE SHOP FOREMAN FOR A RIDE WITH ME SO THAT HE WAS CLEAR ON WHAT I WAS HEARING AND HE TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO SOUND LIKE THAT. I HAVE NOT BEEN BACK TO THAT DEALERSHIP SINCE. I HAVE A TERRIBLE SHIMMY IN THE STEERING WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES AND THE NOISE IS TERRIBLE. I HAVE HAD THE ROTORS REPLACED AND IT HAS ALREADY WORE OUT THIS ROTOR. I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN TO TO GET SOME KIND OF HELP ON THIS. I HAVE THE ORIGINAL ROTORS THAT CAME OFF OF THE CAR. I ALSO HAVE ALL OF MY REPAIR RECEIPTS. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 1999
Feb 2000

BRAKE PADS FAILED. YH

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 1998

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 1998 Chevrolet Camaro has 71 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC complaints on file. 5 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.