The 1998 Chevrolet Lumina is a midsize car that came with a choice of 3.1L 6-cyl and 3.8L 6-cyl engines. At 28 years old, many are reaching the point where repairs cost more than the car is worth. Running or not, we'll make you an offer and tow it away for free.
| Body style | Midsize Cars |
|---|---|
| Engines | 3.1L 6-cyl, 3.8L 6-cyl |
| Transmissions | Automatic 4-spd |
| Drive | Front-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
| Fuel economy | 16–17 city / 25–27 highway / 19–21 combined MPG |
| EPA annual fuel cost | $3,200–$3,550 a year (EPA estimate at current fuel prices, 15,000 miles) |
| Tailpipe CO₂ | 423–468 grams per mile |
| Versions tested by EPA | 3 configurations |
| Age | 28 years |
Specs, fuel cost and emissions from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov data. Your car's exact equipment may differ.
NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls covering the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 1998-1999 Chevrolet Lumina and Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1997-2004 Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix, 2000-2004 Chevrolet Impala, and 1998-2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo vehicles. The affected vehicles were previously repaired under recalls 08V-118, 09V-116, and 15V-201 to address the…
Risk: Engine oil that drips onto the hot surface of the exhaust manifold may result in a fire.
General motors is recalling 1,497,516 my 1997-2003 buick regal, my 1998-2003 Chevrolet Lumina, monte carlo and impala, my 1998-1999 oldsmobile intrigue, my 1997-2003 pontiac grand prix vehicles equipped with a 3.8l v6 naturally aspirated engine. Some of these vehicles have a condition in which drops of engine oil may be deposited on…
Risk: If the manifold is hot enough and the oil runs below the heat shield, it may ignite into a small flame and may spread to the plastic spark plug wire channel and beyond increasing the risk of an engine compartment fire.
Certain passenger vehicles have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These retainers could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Risk: If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wh
Owners have filed 323 complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina with NHTSA. 21 reports involved a crash and 14 reports involved a fire. Owners reported 23 injuries.
Complaints are reports from owners and aren't verified by NHTSA. One complaint can list several components. Mileage is the median odometer reading owners reported for that component.
Manufacturers have filed 60 technical service bulletins and communications with NHTSA covering the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina. These are repair instructions for known issues, not recalls.
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tes
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tes
This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco Radio with Theftlock.
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins).
NHTSA opened 4 defect investigations covering the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina.
Power rack and pinion steering failure
Gm's letter to NHTSA dated december 11, 2003, expands its original recall (NHTSA 02v286) to include certain w-body vehicles: 96-97 olds cutlass supreme; 98 olds intrigue; 97-98 olds cutlass; 97-98 chevy Lumina, monte carlo and malibu; 96 pontiac grand prix; and 96-98 buick regal.the number of vehicles recalled is 750,2
Power rack and pinion steering failure
Gm conducted a safety recall (NHTSA # 02v286) to address a steering defect pertaining to a lower pinion bearing (lpb) within the rack and pinion steering gear (r&p). The recall covered 1,159,156 model year 1997-1998 pontiac grand prix vehicles built between march 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, 1996-1998 pontiac trans sp
Engine compartment fires
Ea02-030 is closed with gmea02-030 is closed with gm?s actions in 03v-473 and 04v-090 recalling approximately 529,000 my 1998-99 c- and h-body vehicles equipped with defective fuel pressure regulators.these vehicles were equipped with plastic intake manifolds that are unable to contain pressures that occur in some back
Degraded braking performance
There is no summary currently available
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It depends on its condition, whether major parts like the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still there, and current scrap and parts prices where you live. Its parts make up much of its value. Enter your ZIP code above for a free offer on your specific car.
Yes. We buy 1998 Luminas that don't start, were in an accident, failed inspection or have a blown engine or transmission. Towing is always free.
Yes. Open recalls don't prevent a junk sale. NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina; you can check whether any are still open on yours with the VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Usually the title and a photo ID. Rules differ by state, including what to do with your plates and whether to file a notice of sale. Check our state-by-state car title guides for the official forms.
Data retrieved October 2026.
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