How many miles will a 1998 Chevrolet Venture last?
Half of the 124 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture that list mileage came after 81,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 135,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 409 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 124 complaints on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture that list mileage, the middle half came between 64,000 and 105,000 miles; 32 (26%) came after 100,000 miles, 5 (4%) after 150,000 and 1 (1%) after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 1998 Venture last?
The 124 mileages owners gave run from 45 to 314,215 miles. A quarter are at or under 64,000 miles, half at or under 82,000, three quarters at or under 105,000 and nine in ten at or under 136,000; 32 (26%) came after 100,000 miles, 5 (4%) after 150,000 and 1 (1%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1998 Venture wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 45 miles |
| 25th percentile | 64,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 82,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 105,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 136,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 314,215 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 32 (26%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 5 (4%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 1 (1%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 1,052 NHTSA owner complaints on the Chevrolet Venture that list mileage came after 64,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Chevrolet Venture last? →
Common problems with the 1998 Venture
NHTSA's file holds 409 owner complaints on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture. Owners named engine cooling most often: 111 complaints, and half of the 68 that list a mileage came after 74,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 111 | 68 | 75,000 |
| Exterior Lighting | 59 | 9 | 91,000 |
| Steering | 36 | 11 | 90,000 |
| Electrical System | 31 | 4 | Under 5 mileages |
| Structure | 30 | 3 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 409 complaints, 27 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 23 report an injury (39 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1998 Venture a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1998 is a good or a bad Venture: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1998 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 409 complaints, the 1998 ranks 2nd of the 9 Chevrolet Venture model years from 1997 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1997 (432). The fewest: the 2005 (42).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Venture | 432 | 91 | 78,000 |
| 1998 (this page) | 409 | 124 | 82,000 |
| 1999 Venture | 349 | 142 | 65,000 |
| 2000 Venture | 350 | 171 | 65,000 |
| 2001 Venture | 222 | 130 | 56,900 |
| 2002 Venture | 220 | 140 | 50,000 |
| 2003 Venture | 185 | 133 | 64,688 |
| 2004 Venture | 124 | 90 | 65,350 |
| 2005 Venture | 42 | 31 | 50,000 |
1998 Chevrolet Venture recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 10 recall campaigns that name the 1998 Chevrolet Venture (7 vehicle campaigns and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 09E005000 | Feb 17, 2009 | STEERING |
| 08E050000 | Aug 11, 2008 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS |
| 07E021000 | Mar 12, 2007 | FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:PRESSURE RELIEF DEVICES |
| 04V597000 | Dec 22, 2004 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH |
| 02V286000 | Nov 4, 2002 | STEERING:RACK AND PINION |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1998 Venture lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1998 Venture.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 285 of the 409 complaints on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: VENTURE. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: VENTURE.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1998 Chevrolet Venture questions
How many miles will a 1998 Chevrolet Venture last?
Half of the 124 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture that list mileage came after 81,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 135,000 miles. Of the 124 complaints on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture that list mileage, the middle half came between 64,000 and 105,000 miles; 32 (26%) came after 100,000 miles, 5 (4%) after 150,000 and 1 (1%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 1998 Venture that never had one.
What are the most common 1998 Chevrolet Venture problems?
NHTSA's file holds 409 owner complaints on the 1998 Chevrolet Venture. Owners named engine cooling most often: 111 complaints, and half of the 68 that list a mileage came after 74,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 409 complaints, 27 report a crash, 3 report a fire and 23 report an injury (39 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1998 Chevrolet Venture a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1998 is a good or a bad Venture: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1998 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 409 complaints, the 1998 ranks 2nd of the 9 Chevrolet Venture model years from 1997 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 1997 (432). The fewest: the 2005 (42).
How many recalls does the 1998 Chevrolet Venture have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 10 recall campaigns that name the 1998 Chevrolet Venture (7 vehicle campaigns and 3 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1998 Chevrolet Venture before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1998 Chevrolet Venture.