1) near crashes have been caused by an erratic condition in the steering. Called gm national customer service number and gave all information and was promised someone would contact me. (never happened) 2 other families here in rochester have the same vehicle and the same problem. 2) upon turning the steering wheel, the wheel itself suddenly free-wheels several inches. This rapidly accelerates the degree of turn and makes the driver feel as if they have lost control and the entire vehicle often swerves out of control. 3) I brought it to 2 dealers here in rochester and neither was able to detect the problem on a test drive. The problem comes and goes. When it happens, it will scare the living out of you, and the driver on the other side of the road. We have all but lost control on more than one occasion. A friend of mine who also has a suburban said he had the same problem and finally someone suggested replacing something called the power steering assist? We have a 98' suburban and have had it since it was 7,000 miles old. It has a 350 and is an lt and has 3rd seat and four wheel drive. I think this problem affects most if not all suburban's in our year class. Chevy is not responding to my questions. Please help.
1998 Chevrolet Suburban steering problems
21 complaints (10% of all complaints for this car).
- owner complaints
- 21
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Hydraulic power assist system8
- Hydraulic power assist: pump2
- Electric power assist system2
- Steering wheel/handle bar1
- Rack and pinion1
- Gear box (other than rack and pinion)1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Suburban steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Erratic power steering assist while driv
The office of defect investigation (odi) has investigated allegations of power steering assist fluctuations in the subject vehicles.for details and a basis for the investigation conclusions, please see the closing report in the ea99-011 public file.odi has not identified a safety-related defect trend in the subject vehicle population.futher expenditure of agency resources on this subject does not appear to be warranted at this time.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.the engineering is closed.
EA99011
What 1998 Chevrolet Suburban owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Steering sensor failed, causing steering wheel to skip when turning and feels like control of steering is lost momentarily. Sensor was replaced once and problem was cured for a time, but it is now recurring.
Consumer complained about a power steering problem. When turning left resistance increasesed all at once, driver received power assistance when turning right.
I am having the same trouble with my 1998 suburban that was filed on the federal safety agency investigation ea99011. I also notice that it happens worse when driving in winter when temperatures are colder. It seems once vehicle has been driven for awhile its not as bad. But still seem to loose steering control as indicated in the report mentioned above. A very serious problem and scary. Loss of steering for split second causing vehicle to jerk in both directions when the loss occurs.
1998 suburban almost wrecked several times to do faulty electronic variable orifice (evo) sensor located under steering column. When in a right hand turn vehicle will suddenly lunge to the right to do sudden increase in power steering. This is very dangerous and gm or anyone for that matter is doing anything about it. I think it should be a recall immediately. There are plenty of documented cases of this problem and gm knows it too... But they refuse to fix the problem.
Steering would grab momentarily while making right curve turns at 55-70 MPH. Dealer was not notified at this time. Feel free to provide any further information.
When turning to right vehicle will make a sharper turn, like steering wheel is being jerked in that direction. Took vehicle to dealer, and they changed steering sensor. Consumer felt that this was very dangerous, car could tip over. Please provide any further information.
While driving around curves steering wheel would make noise. Later, noise would disappear while still driving around curves. Dealer has been contacted. Please provide further information.
Dealer said this happens all the time? Why not have a recall? No safety defect listed.
Faulty injectors caused the vehicle to misfire and caused the check engine light to illuminate.nlm
Questions about the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban steering
Does the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban have steering problems?
Owners have filed 21 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban, 10% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Chevrolet Suburban steering problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Chevrolet Suburban steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chevrolet Suburban have bad steering?
The Chevrolet Suburban model years with the most steering complaints are 1997 (105 complaints), 2015 (61 complaints) and 1999 (52 complaints).
Other 1998 Chevrolet Suburban problems
Brakes 63Visibility 48Transmission 19Engine 17Electrical 14Suspension 14Tires 14Fuel system 11Lights 5Locks 5Seat belts 5Airbags 4Body 4Seats 3Wheels 3Acceleration 2
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