Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 GMC Jimmy owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
After getting an oil change I was informed of a leak in my oil pan, as I got home the next morning I noticed that my car leaked out all the oil in the car resulting from a fault o-ring seal, also now having problems with the suspension as my idler arm is about to snap at any moment resulting in the lose of steering for the car. The car was taken to a mechanic before I purchased it and only one bushing was replaced instead of all of them at the same time, also the mechanic improperly replaced the front shocks as instead of replacing the grease bearings the mechanic used bolts to assemble and hold them in place resulting in an annoying sqeak in the front end of the car since the shocks cant be properly greased as there are not grease fittings.
Purchased new tires and went to have the front alligned, and they advised they could not align due to the needed replacement of the lower ball joints. The vehile had around 64000 miles and I returned it to the dealer who said it did not nned the repair only allignment.prior to allignment the vehicle always drifted to the right side of the raod if the steering was released, it always seemed to be a strugle from drifting or pulling even with both hands of wheel to the right. The dealer alignment took care of the problem for about a month or two , but the problem has returned. Now I am wondering if the front end ball joints and arms are worn. This is a 1998 GMC Jimmy 4wd 2 door sport utility it now has 77,000 miles has there been similar complaints?
Dt*: the contact stated while driving in normal conditions, the vehicle pulls to the left or right. The vehicle was taken to the local independent repair shop for alignment. The repair personnel discovered the upper and lower ball joints needed to be replaced on the front of the vehicle. Both the upper and lower ball joints were replaced after the first incident. The problem returned two additional times, but only the lower ball joints were replaced during these incidents. Updated 3/9/2006 -
While driving at any speed vehicle vibrated and a roaring noise was heard. Consumer, stated the problem was the premature wear of front wheel bearing. Consumer replaced three sets of front wheel bearings within 70,000 miles of wear. The dealer and manufacturer were notified.
Upper ball joint failure. The ball joint broke, causing the tire to go up under the vehicle resulting in loss of steering. Owner had to have the vehicle towed to a repair shop. Provide further details.
Consumer states that van is giving her problems. When she drives the vehicle sometimes she hears a loud noise. Then the light comes on, the dashboard with says "security." also, brake failure. She took vehicle to dealer, and was told that the ball joints had no grease on them, and had a lots of play, if she hit a hole in the street, she could have an accident because of the alignment and the ball joints. She took vehicle back to the dealer, and he wanted to sell her another van, and she has no money. Please help.
I didn't bring the vehicle to the dealership because they told me it was out of warranty. Figures...it went out of warranty in May 2001. I don't think that a vehicle should need new ball joints at 28,916 miles. It is my understanding that the ball joints are being replaced on other GM Jimmy's that are older than mine. I aslo, included the emergency brake which I was told was frozen in place. This emergency/parking brake was not used. How would it be frozen in place????
Vehicle pulls to the right and after three attempts to correct the problem the vehicle now exhibits uneven tire wear and a popping noise from front right suspension. Also, after several attempts to correct the air conditioning problem, it continues to cool the interior down well below selected temperature.
Front wheel bearings failed. This caused wheels to become loose. Vehicle made a loud terrible grinding noise. Took vehicle to mechanic who indicated bearings could have sheared off. ABS brake failed. Also, u-joint failed causing grinding noise and vibration.
My foot with shoes or boots is 6 inches wide and I get stuck under the brake pedal (and against the console) when switching from gas to brake. Several times, I had to avoid the cars in front of me and hit the ditch. Now, I brake with my left foot in emergencies.
Related recalls
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower arm
Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicle equipped with 4-wheel drive or all-wheel-drive. One or both of the attaching nuts for the right-hand lower control arm are under torqued. This can allow the attachment bolt to loosen and subsequent break resulting in separation of the lower control arm from the frame.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and retighten the right-hand lower control arm nuts to the proper torque specification.
Suspension complaints in other Jimmy years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1998 GMC Jimmy?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the suspension of the 1998 GMC Jimmy, 11% of the model year's 238 complaints. The component named most often is front (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 GMC Jimmy suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 98V-053 (lower arm, Mar 9, 1998). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 GMC Jimmy suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.