1998 Chevrolet Tahoe Visibility
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY CREATING A HAZARDOUS OR DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION. I HAVE BEEN STRANDED MANY TIMES WITH THIS DEFECT. I WOULD LIKE IT FIXED. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER, BUT THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.
IN SEPT 2005 MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS STARTED TO CONTINUE RUNNING AFTER TURNING THEM OFF OR ON INTERMITENT. IT HAD PROGRESS AND GOT WORSE EVER SINCE. I TOOK MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE HAD TO REPLACE THE COMPONENT IN MID JANUARY OF 2006. *NM
DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 98V150001, REGARDING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE CONSUMER HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL; HOWEVER THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *JB
DT: THE CONTACT PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1995 GMC SUBURBAN AND THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD WORK SOMETIMES AND OTHER TIMES THEY WOULD NOT. NOW CONTACT OWNS A 1998 CHEVROLET TAHOE . HE TOOK HIS SON YESTERDAY TO TRY FOR HIS DRIVER'S LICENSE AND THE DMV TOLD HIS SON TO TURN THE WIPERS ON, AND THEY WOULD NOT WORK. SO AFTER THAT HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC, AND THEY WORKED FOR HIM. THE MECHANIC TRIED WIPERS SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY WORKED EVERY TIME. THE CONTACT IS WORRIED THAT IT WAS INTERMITTENT AND THAT COULD BE A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IF THERE WAS WET CONDITIONS AND THE WIPERS MESSED UP THEN IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEE. THE EXPERIENCE HE HAS NOW WITH THE WIPERS IS THE SAME AS WITH HIS LAST VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WENT ON A WEBSITE CONSUMER AFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/GM_TAHOE_WIPERS.HTML AND FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS THAT CONSUMERS FILED ON THE SAME VEHICLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THE CONTACT HAS TWO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBERS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM THAT HE IS HAVING WITH HIS VEHICLE. RECALLS 03V159000 AND 98V150001.*AK
WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE WIPERS STOPPED WORKING. THE CONSUMER WENT TO THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WILL NOT HELP THE CONSUMER WITH A VEHICLE THAT IS FROM 1998 AND UP. THE CONSUMER HAS HAD TROUBLE WITH THE DEALER IN THE PAST AND DOES NOT WANT TO GO TO THEM YET. *TT *SC *JB
WINDSHIELD WIPERS OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE THE ROAD DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED BY CONSUMER.*AK *NM
WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONSUMER NOTICED WHEN THE WEATHER WAS DRY, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD COME ON. THE DRIVER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE DRIVER THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB
WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD COME ON AND GO OFF OWN THEIR OWN. THE DEALER WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER FOR AN APPOINTMENT. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND ALSO THIS CAUSED POOR VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB
INTERMITTENTLY,WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE ENGAGED THEY WILL SOMETIMES NOT WORK. THERE IS A RECALL ON EARLIER MODELS OF THIS VEHICLE. THE RECALL IS CONCERNING THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR. *LA THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH HAVING A BAD CIRCUIT BOARD. *SC
WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN JANUARY. THE FIRST INSTANCE OCCURRED IN MARCH WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT COME ON. ON JUNE 2, 2004 I WAS DRIVING IN A VERY SEVERE STORM ON THE TURNER TURNPIKE WHEN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING. THEY CAME BACK ON AND WORKED INTERMITTENTLY ON THAT TRIP TO NORMAN. THEY HAVE WORKED ONLY INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THEN. THEY USUALLY WILL WORK WHEN IT IS NOT RAINING BUT NOT WHILE IT IS RAINING NOW. THE FIRST TIME I WAS IN VERY HEAVY RAIN THAT EVEN WITH THE WIPERS WORKING I HAD DIFFICULTY SEEING. THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT HAD I NOT BEEN SUCH A GOOD DRIVER AND REACTED THE WAY I HAD.*AK
THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS OF OUR 1998 TAHOE STOPPED WORKING. SOMETIMES WE WOULD HAVE TO PUSH THEM TO GET THEM STARTED, OTHER TIMES WE WOULD HAVE TO JIGGLE THE WIRING TO GET THEM GOING. THEY WOULD SOMETIMES WORK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP, OTHER TIMES THEY WOULD STOP EVERY FEW MINUTES. THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY TO WHEN THEY WILL WORK. WE WERE STRANDED OUT OF TOWN IN A HEAVY RAINSTORM. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE 94-97 RECALL AND NEEDS TO BE INCLUDED. I SPOKE WITH CHEVROLET AND A LOCAL DEALER. BOTH ACTED LIKE THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM UNTIL I MENTIONED THE PRIOR RECALL, THEN THEY JUST SAID WE WERE NOT COVERED. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM AND CHRVROLET NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR FIXING THE PROBLEM. *JB
INTERMITTENTLY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. CONSUMER'S SPOUSE, WHO WAS AN AIRCRAFT MECHANIC, COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. DEALER WAS CONSULTED ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS VEHICLE, BUT THE YEARS INCLUDE 1995-1997 MODELS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING FROM BOERNE, TX TO DALLAS, TX THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED DURING A RAINSTORM WHILE ON HIGHWAY. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE DEALER REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE. THERE HAVE ALREADY BEEN TWO OTHER RECALLS BY GM ON 1994-1997 AND 2002-2003 SUVS FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM; WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE FAILURE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING IN INCLEMENT WEATHER THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD TURN ON AND OFF. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NM
WHILE DRIVING WINDSHIELD WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY STOPPED OPERATING, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. *AK *MR
I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 1998 TAHOE AS WAS RECALLED ON THE 1994-1997 VEHICLES IN REGARD TO THE CIRCUIT BOARD ON MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS. AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE DEALER ON THE ISSUE, THERE HAVE BEEN JUST AS MANY 1998'S AS EARLIER MODEL PROBLEMS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE GM RECALL THIS VEHICLE FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MODULE. I WAS IN A RAIN STORM BEHIND A TRUCK, I PULLED OVER, ALMOST GETTING HIT. I COULD NOT SEE AT ALL. THIS SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF RIGHT AWAY.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH IN THE RAIN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILED AND CAUSED POOR VISIBILITY. THE CONSUMER MANAGED TO PULL OVER TO TEMPORARILY FIX THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *NM
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECT WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AS STATED IN RECALL 03 V 159 000. *AK *SCC *NLM *JB
THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS HESITATE AND INTERMITTENTLY FAIL TO OPERATE CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *PH
THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS MALFUNCTIONED DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY TO THE DRIVER. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN THE TAHOE HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR A LONG DISTANCE (HOT) WIPERS SOMETIMES FAIL TO WORK. WHEN TAHOE IS COLD WIPERS USUALLY WORK. THEY ACT VERY SIMILAR TO MY 1995 GMC JIMMY BEFORE IT WAS RECALLED FOR WIPER CIRCUIT BOARD FAILURE. *LA
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Quick Summary
The 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe has 44 Visibility complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.