1998 Chevrolet Silverado problems & reliability
279 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado. 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.
10 complaints report injuries (12 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 84 | 30% |
| Visibility | 45 | 16% |
| Steering | 21 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 20 | 7% |
| Tires | 16 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 15 | 5% |
| Power Train | 14 | 5% |
| Seats | 13 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 11 | 4% |
| Suspension | 11 | 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.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 73,500 miles (middle 50% between 51,250 and 104,500 miles), based on 86 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Vehicle left roadway and went into a drainage ditch. The airbags failed to deploy resulting in the drivers death. *js”
Air Bags · filed Jul 7, 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet silverado. One year ago while driving approximately 45 mph the vehicle lunged forward, began to accelerate and respond as if it were a standard vehicle. The failure occurred intermittently; however, more recently it began to occur every time he drove the vehicle. When the failure…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Apr 3, 2014
“I almost hit a person crossing the street, I was coming to a slow stop, the brakes started making a boing boing noise, everytime it made the noise the brakes stopping power went away the person crossing the street realised the truck was having problems... I"ve had 3 of this model truck my first was a 97 tahoe bad…”
Service Brakes · filed Oct 13, 2013
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLES
Engineering Analysis EA05007 · opened Apr 14, 2005 · closed Apr 11, 2006 · led to recall 06V066000
- TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLE BREAKAGE
Recall Query RQ04010 · opened Sep 28, 2004 · closed Apr 14, 2005
Technical service bulletins
17 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado. The 10 most recent:
Reduced steering effort (diagnose/replace steering wheel position sensor). *kb
070232001 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2007
Antilock brake (abs) activation at low speeds. *tt
020525006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2006
Diagnosis of cracked or broken transmission case. *tt 2006 and prior cars and light duty trucks. *tt
020730024A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2005
Replacement of connector when replacing fuel tank module/fuel pump module. *tt
040604088 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2005
Rattle noise in engine. *tt
030601024A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2004
Engine coolant leak at intake gasket. * mj
01225 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
4l60e, 4l65e forward and low reverse waved steel clutch plate appearance change. *tt
01599 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
Malfunction indicator lamp on with a p0300 set and a misfire. Various models including 1996 - 1999 p32 models. Sit bulletin 1416475. *tt
00149D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
Spring slap noise from the rear of the gmt 400 series truck. *mn
01570 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
Malfunction indicator lamp on with a p0300 set and a misfire. Various models including the 1996-1999 p32 and the 1996-2002 gmc c/k truck. *tt
00149C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 18, 2003
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 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?
- · 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 73,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.