On september 24, 2015, my wife was driving our monte carlo. Unbeknownst to her the car began smoking underneath, causing loss of control with neither steering nor braking capability. Other drivers, noticing the smoke, were attempting to notify her of the impending fire. She was able to drive about another mile before losing control and crashing into a tree on my neighbor?s yard. The car became completely engulfed in flames and was destroyed. Were it not for several good samaritans, and police and fire personnel, she would have been killed. The following is a history of issues with this car, documented fully by service records from its purchase in 1998. 1.brake lights working intermittently or not at all. 2.turn signal failure. 3.unable to start due to short in electrical system. 4.wheel hub assembly replaced. 5.power steering pump replaced. 6.rear suspension (passenger's side) broken. 7.premature alternator failure. 8.premature brake replacement, I.e., pads, calipers, rotors. 9.total brake failure from hard braking (incident not connected with fire) 10.intake manifold gasket replaced due to coolant flowing into cylinders and crankcase. 11.premature radiator replacement. 12.electrical spike distributed through system when starting, causing full-scale deflection of instrumentation and lights to become extremely bright.
1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo: fire, smoke or burning smell
9 of the 100 complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical mileage
- 180,000
- recalls
- 0
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
On september 24, 2015, my wife was driving our monte carlo. Unbeknown to her the car began smoking underneath, causing loss of control with neither steering nor braking capability. Other drivers, noticing the smoke, were attempting to notify her of the impending fire. She was able to drive about another mile before losing control and crashing into a tree on my neighbor's yard. The car became completely engulfed in flames and was destroyed. Were it not for several good samaritans, and police and fire personnel, she would have been killed. All documentation is available for review.
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 chevrolet monte carlo. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire near the engine. The vehicle was destroyed. No further details were available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 05/11/16*bf
1998 chevrolet monte carlo. Consumer writes in regards to engine compartment fire recall notice and seeks reimbursement. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle caught fire, prior to receiving the recall notice. The vehicle was taken to a junk yard.
While driving the speed limit (70 MPH) down the interstate I-20 returning home from a weekend vacation, my car (1998 chevrolet monte carlo) had a slight putter and smoke started roaring out the rear. I pulled over, turned off the engine, popped the hood and flames were all over the backside of the engine. I called 911 to come put the fire out. No person was injured but my engine is totaled. The engine is completely burned up and melted.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet monte carlo. The vehicle caught fire without warning while at a stop sign. The fire department concluded that the fire was caused by faulty wires. A fire report was filed. There were no injuries. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 198,000.
Arrived at work after about a 20 minute drive. Went to change into my uniform and my supervisor paged me over the intercom system telling me I had to get to my car immediately. When I arrived a co-worker was standing there with a fire extinguisher as my car was smoking from under the hood. I tried to release the hood but the cable had melted through. While waiting for the fire department to arrive, the car attempted to start its self causing the flames to get bigger as it was shooting smoke out of the tailpipes. After the fire department arrived, they preceded to get into the hood by taking an ax and saw to the hood. Fire fighter said it looked like a possible electrical fire since there was no smell of fuel or oil. Needless to say the car is totaled because the engine melted, my windshield was blown out from the heat an so was the drivers side window.
While on vacation in williamsburg va. Heard annoucment over the intercom at a cracker barrel resturaunt .. Owner of white chevy monte carlo with md tags go to your car asap.. When arrived in parking lot.. Manager of rest. Was standing next to my car with a fire ext. And the engine was engulfed in flames.. The vehicle traveled only about 4 miles from the hotel we were staying at, so it was not extremely hot...the vehicle continued to burn until the fire department ( york county) arrived and ripped open the hood because the hood latch release cable had burned through and you cound not get the hood up.. The car was very well maintained, engine had been recently degreased and looked and drove like a new car... The car has been totalled out by erie ins co. And left in va. We had to get a rental back to baltimore.... The fire appeared to be electrical in nature due to the fact that the area worst burned on the hood was right over the distibutor. Pictures are available if needed for any investigation... Has this type of unexpected engine fire occurred in other 3.1 series chevy engine or monte carlo's?
The gas tank on my 1998 monte carlo has rusted through ,I have checked at the federal safety agency web site and this seems to be a defective problem, I have also check at a junk yard and this was also the case the gas tank was runted through . I made complaint to chevy but was told car to old and warrenty had run out, I feel this is a real big problem and very dangerous for all the people driving thses cars should they every be in an accident it would proably go up in flames this is something that should be looked into before lives are lost.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Electrical system
- This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco...
- Electrical system
- General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation.
- Wire harness may be stretched, or the pcs may not be oriented in the same position, after installing a...
- Subject on on-board diagnostic (OBD) system improvements
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo?
9 of 100 owner complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (9%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2000.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo?
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 Monte Carlo
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