1998 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 problems & reliability
67 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 23 | 34% |
| Tires → | 10 | 15% |
| Suspension | 8 | 12% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 6 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 9% |
| Power Train | 5 | 7% |
| Steering | 5 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 4 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I was driving my ~ chevy dually diesel truck ~ on a freeway pulling a trailer with my antique car in it when the truck kind of hesitated / sputtered and died ! I lost power brakes - but was able to get pulled over to side and after a period of time the truck restarted ... Numerous times after this I had the truck die…”
Fuel System, Diesel · filed Nov 13, 2012
“98 chev k3500 with 6.5 turbo diesel would stall at highway speeds causing loss of power steering and power brakes. Engine sometimes would restart when vehicle put in neutral other times it may take sveral minutes. On several occasions the engine would hickup then begin to accelerate on it's own despite removing my…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed May 5, 2012
“Fuel injection pump failed.....loss of power, sudden acceleration with no warning, replaced unit 3x....dealer stated that was the way they were, sometime having to install 2 to get it out of shop. *tr”
Fuel System, Diesel · filed May 4, 2012
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
17 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado 3500. The 10 most recent:
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that the Hydro-Boost is not serviceable and will need to be replaced if the brake pedal moves or applies on its own at a full turn.
PIT3665L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 18, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication advises the technician that the Hydro-Boost is not serviceable and will need to be replaced if the brake pedal moves or applies on its own at a full turn.
PIT3665H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 24, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2017
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest calibrations to correct a condition of the rear entertainment system not operating as intended in colder ambient…
16NA260 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2016
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 Silverado 3500?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
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