1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups problems & reliability
78 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 34 | 44% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 23 | 29% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 12% |
| Steering | 8 | 10% |
| Power Train | 3 | 4% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 1% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 1% |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 69,000 miles (middle 50% between 50,000 and 83,734 miles), based on 63 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While driving the power steering gave a quick lock up and lost power steering took pump off and pulley and shaft fell out of pump. *tr”
Steering · filed Aug 31, 2012
“Brake failure on 2 separate occasions due to brake line ruptures...once 6' below the master cylinder and 8 months later on a line to a rear brake. Both times lost the pedal. My truck is a 1998 ck 1500 with virtually no body rot. I was surprised that #1 there was a complete loss of pedal and #2 a second perforation…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Apr 17, 2010
“My 1998 chevy silverado pickup truck had a brake line failure due to the brake line rusting out because the design has the brake line laying on top of a steel guard under the front of the truck where snow gathers rather easily and it is almost impossible to inspect the line there. I rear ended another vehicle on a…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Apr 14, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- DRIVER DOOR ELECTRICAL FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA02005 · opened May 17, 2002 · closed May 1, 2003 · led to recall 03V093000
- VACUUM BRAKE BOOSTER
Preliminary Evaluation PE01001 · opened Jan 8, 2001 · closed May 22, 2001
Technical service bulletins
3 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups.
Electric outside rearview mirror switch short circuit. *tt
03006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 18, 2003
Installing a fuse jumper harness to correct a short circuit in the electric outside rearview mirror switch. *tt *jb
031403 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 14, 2003
The security lamp illuminates while driving; the engine cranks but will not start; and / or the engine starts then stalls and the security lamp is flashing. *tt
010856004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2001
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 69,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.