Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet astro van. The contact was driving 40 MPH when heat emitted inside the vehicle without warning. The contact stated that during the failure, there were no visible flames or smoke. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the engine was damaged and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 92,349. Updated 04/27/12*lj updated 04/27/12
1998 Chevrolet Astro: fire, smoke or burning smell
6 of the 240 complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Astro describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 7 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet astro. The contact stated that there was a short circuit in the electric switch for the outside side view mirror. The failure caused heat damage that ignited a fire in the driver side door. The entire van was engulfed in flames. The fire occurred in the driveway of the contact's residence. A police report was filed and no one was injured. The fire department extinguished the fire. The current and failure mileages were 130,000.
Vehicle caught fire while parked in driveway, the fire started in third row bench seats of vehicle and also caused damage to the vinyl siding on the consumers home as well as the garage, the cause of the fire was undetermined, fire department determined possible mechanical failure.
We noticed a smell of burning wires. We were parked, so I pulled the rear A/C switch out of the dash. I found that this switch, which is all plastic, had been shorted and partially melted. I disconnected the switch. The scary part for me is that the fuse never blew. I am an aircraft mechanic and feel that I was able to avoid an electrical fire by having some mechanical ability. If my wife had been in the van alone with our children this would have been a very serious and possibly devastating problem. I contacted the manufacturer and lodged a complaint with chevrolet customer assistance ( file # c01463026 ). Chevrolet told me that no recall had been issued on this switch and that all I could do is take it to the dealer. The dealer wants to put in a replacement switch, same type. This type of switch, in my opinion, is unsafe and a hazard, and I refuse to put this type of switch back into my vehicle.
Vehicle in for service. Mechanic left vehicle running & shut doors. Vehicle caught on fire in door area & locked it. Broke window to enter & put flames out. No work being done on door at time of flames. Mechanic will check for cause of fire.
Vehicle was sitting in front of consumer's house when another consumer noticed smoke coming from vehicle. The fire started within electrical interior system.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Chevrolet Astro fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 1998 Chevrolet Astro?
6 of 240 owner complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Astro (3%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Chevrolet Astro?
There are 0 recalls and 7 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Chevrolet Astro
Wipers 39ABS 7No deployment 7Stalling 7Brake failure 6Power steering loss 6Pulling 6Loss of power 5
VIN decoder
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