1999 Chevrolet C/K Pickups problems & reliability
37 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 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 (6 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 16 | 43% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 6 | 16% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 11% |
| Structure | 3 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 5% |
| Equipment | 2 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 5% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 1 | 3% |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 3% |
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 61,000 miles (middle 50% between 48,237 and 84,775 miles), based on 30 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The vehicle is 16 years old. It currently has 201,352 miles. The body is starting to rust over the rear tire and the frame is really rusted. Driver power window switch went out and rolled itself down and cant get it to go up at all. Really love the truck but gm could have built it to last longer..my 1974 gmc is in…”
Structure · filed Oct 28, 2015
“I was driving on a highway and came to a light. I applied the brakes and they went to the floor. I had to go through the light into a wall. It was towed to a garage and was told all the brake lines were rotted and had to be replaced. *js”
Service Brakes · filed Sep 2, 2013
“Brake line failed on 1999 chevy silverado 4wd pick up. Crashed into the back of a ups freight truck at stop light. I applied the brake pedal app. 50 yards to try to stop my truck the brake pedal went to the floor I was helpless cars on one side telephone poles on the other luckily put truck in 2nd gear to slow the…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed May 26, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- PARKING BRAKE FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE03057 · opened Dec 8, 2003 · closed Apr 9, 2004
- VACUUM BRAKE BOOSTER
Preliminary Evaluation PE01001 · opened Jan 8, 2001 · closed May 22, 2001
Technical service bulletins
10 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Chevrolet C/K Pickups.
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
This bulletin is to inform dealers of the release of a new torque converter bolt for certain transmissions. *tt
010730007 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2001
Some owners may comment on the manual transmission coming out of gear. Typically 1st gear is most affected. *tt
010729001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2001
Campaign parts bulletin regarding fmvss neck extension requirements. *tt
00152 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 22, 2000
Subject regarding fmvss neck extension requirements. *tt
00044 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2000
The purpose of this message is to address inquires regarding the time allowance on campaign 00045 - front seat belt compliance for chevrolet and gmc c/k pickup trucks. *tt
00045 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 20, 2000
Some customers may comment on a higher than expected accelerator pedal effort from the idle position, c/k series pick ups (silverado and sierra). *mjs
000604007 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2000
A complete remail of the replacement insert page was scheduled for engines built with the wrong engine oil filter part number. *ak
120298 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 2, 1998
Subject regarding the wrong oil filter part number listed on the 'normal maintenance replacement parts' page of the owner's manual. *ak
112398 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 23, 1998
Ipc, interior lights and/or headlamps flicker. *ak fb2
3170E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions ·
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 1999 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 1999 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 61,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.