10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,650 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #6

Dec 012015

Lumina 6-cyl

  • miles
1998 Chevrolet Lumina. Consumer writes in regards to replacement parts not available to repair recall notice 15757. The consumer stated the vehicle has an oil leak, and she was advised not to park in a garage.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #5

Aug 072009

Lumina 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina. The consumer stated about 1/2 mile away from her house, the vehicle started sputtering. She pulled the vehicle over and decided to walk home. When she returned with her husband the fire department was putting out a fire from her vehicle. The consumer notified the manufacturer in reference to recall # 09V116000 (engine and engine cooling); however, a representative concluded that the statue of limitations in South Carolina does not require the manufacturer to assume responsibility after 7 months. The failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 11/04/09 updated 11/06/09.

- Murtle Beach, SC, USA

problem #4

May 142009

Lumina

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 09V116000 (engine and engine cooling) and immediately called the dealer. She was informed that the parts for the repair would be unavailable for another week. As a consequence, if the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond, thus increasing the risk of an engine compartment fire. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure and current mileages were 86,000.

- Ormond Beach, FL, USA

problem #3

Apr 132008

Lumina 6-cyl

  • 129,897 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina. In March of 2008, the vehicle was purchased with a cracked windshield. The dealer repaired the windshield. The following day, while driving 20 mph, the brakes failed and nearly caused a crash. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they kept it for three days. A few days later, the vehicle shut off completely. The vehicle was repaired once more, but it shut off again. The dealer refused to make any more repairs. The current mileage is 140,000 and failure mileage was 129,897. Updated 7/3/08 the consumer stated the vehicle stalled at least 10 times. The consumer was informed the engine was bad. Updated 07/03/08

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

problem #2

Nov 292004

Lumina 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
When the vehicle was parked antifreeze leaked from underneath the vehicle. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection, and the mechanic determined that the gasket needed to be replaced.

- Saint Joe, IN, USA

problem #1

May 162004

Lumina 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I bought a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina in 2000, and never experienced any significant problems, until recently. The engine began misfiring on cylinder 1 and I replaced the spark plugs and plug wires assuming it would correct the issue. During this time, I also did an oil change and checked all fluids and found the antifreeze to appear "rusted". I checked in the overflow resevoir and noted oil and a dirty appearance to the antifreeze. I had the antifreeze system flushed, and now the problems are back, less than 5,000 miles later. While searching for the potential problem on the internet, I found a lot of data talking about the dex-cool issues and head gasket problems. I have talked to several mechanics, and they seem to believe that the head gasket is bad, which is causing the misfire problem. This is going to be a costly repair, one of which I don't feel I should have to pay for since there seems to be a growing issue with head gaskets and the dex-cool antifreeze.

- Burlington, KY, USA