Vehicle left roadway and went into a drainage ditch. The airbags failed to deploy resulting in the drivers death.
The worst 1998 Chevrolet Silverado problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Brakes89
- Visibility45
- Steering21
- Electrical20
- Tires16
- Engine15
- Transmission14
- Seats13
- Fuel system12
- Suspension11
- Body10
- Lights9
- Seat belts9
- Acceleration7
- Airbags7
- Locks2
- Wheels2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado
Wipers 37ABS 29Brake failure 14Jerking 8Stalling 7Pulling 7Tire blowout 7Overheating 5
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
Tailgate support cables
General motors is conducting a safety recall to remove and replace the tailgate support cables installed in 805,368 model year 1999 and 2000 gmt 800 model vehicles.the model year 1999 and 2000 gmt-800 series vehicles that will be campaigned had contributed a significant majority of the total complaints (87%) and injuries (79%) associated with the tailgate support cable breakage in the model year 1998 - 2000 c/k series vehicles addressed by this investigation.
EA05007
Tailgate support cable breakage
Odi is upgrading rq04-010 and opening an engineering analysis to further investigate the tailgate support cables installed in 1998, 1999, and partial year 2000 silverados and sierras (c/k models).general motors is conducting recall campaign 04v‑129 to replace the tailgate support cables originally installed in certain model year 2000 - 2004 sierras and silverados.general motors has advised odi that the materials used for the tailgate cable sheathing installed in c/k models had inadvertently changed in october 1999, increasing the propensity for voids in and around the galvanized steel cable strands which can allow moisture to wick among the strands, leading to oxidation and weakening of the strands.since odi initiated rq04-010 in september 2004, odi has received 10 additonal non-injury complaints on my 1998-99 c/k vehicles, but no additional injury complaints.during this same period, gm has received 564 non-injury and 35 injury complaints. Odi has received 6 injury complaints and 38 non-injury complaints from owners of model year 2000 c/k vehicles and requires further investigation to determine whether these incidents occurred in vehicles within the scope of campaign 04v‑129 or should be added to the injury summary for rq04-010.
RQ04010
Technical service bulletins for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado 17
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Reduced steering effort (diagnose/replace steering wheel position sensor)
- Antilock brake (ABS) activation at low speeds
- Supplement to bulletin 99-06-04-047A for fuel system cleaning
- Diagnosis of cracked or broken transmission case
- Replacement of connector when replacing fuel tank module/fuel pump module
- Rattle noise in engine
- Spring slap noise from the rear of the gmt 400 series truck
- Malfunction indicator lamp on with a P0300 set and a misfire
- 4L60E, 4L65E forward and low reverse waved steel clutch plate appearance change
- Engine coolant leak at intake gasket
What 1998 Chevrolet Silverado owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
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 occurred the vehicle lunged forward and was within one inch of a crash forcing the contact to apply the brake pedal with excessive force. The contact stated that the transmission/ccc solenoid does not disengage while releasing the accelerator pedal. All of the warning lights on the instrument panel were illuminated. A complaint was filed with the manufacturer; however, they did not offer or provide any assistance. The contact replaced every component in the transmission in order to correct the failure; however, the failure continued to occur. He was unable to drive the vehicle for two days due to the safety risk. The contact added an on/off switch that controlled the tcc solenoid. The failure was not diagnosed by the dealer. The current mileage was 140,000. The approximate failure mileage 130,000.
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 breaks I actually got into an accident with that truck rear ended honda civic, my other one was a 94 silverado I had to brake hard once the breaks gave way n the pedal was soft after that. My new one, the one I'm actually complaning about is a 98 silverado 3500 with defective brakes this is a poor design by gm motors this has to be recalled and repaired. I do know someone who crashed his 2 door blazer into a water tanker he brake hard n the brakes gave out 88-98 gm trucks and SUV's have deeeeeeefective brakes 3/3 I've had problems with this is not right.
Got in leaned back and ended up laying into the back seat area. Now seat-back won't latch in any position.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated that while at an independent mechanic for the replacement of the tires the mechanic noticed corrosion and cracks on the front drivers side frame. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 158,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet silverado 1500. The vehicle was equipped with cooper discoverer h/t tires, tire size 235/75/15. The dot number was 3dhlc5u0607. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an excessive vibration and the vehicle began to sway across the road. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road. The contact noticed that the rear driver's side tire tread was completely separated and the steel was visible. The tire was replaced with a spare tire. The vehicle was then taken to four different independent mechanics. The defective tire had not been replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and there were no resolutions. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.
Returning from deliveries, backing into drive to reload, steering completely failed. No steering at all. You can spin the steering wheel in either direction with no response.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet silverado. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated the failure found was related to the security system. The vehicle was repaired by replacing the ignition. The failure recurred approximately six times. The dealer was unable to determine the exact failure. The manufacturer was not made aware. The VIN was unavailable. The current mileage was 135,000. The failure mileage was 127,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet silverado 1500. The contact stated that the running lights were constantly illuminated and there was no way to deactivate the lights. The contact expressed displeasure with the feature and felt that it affected his driving. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the situation and informed the contact that the vehicle was operating as designed. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The brakes on this truck are spongy and do not stop the vehicle well at all. No repairs done seem to help improve the stopping distance. Worst brake I have ever seen on a vehicle. Definitely not normal.
Compare the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado
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Questions about the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado
Is the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado reliable?
Owners have filed 279 complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado, 2.2 times a typical Silverado model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado?
Brakes, with 89 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles. Next is visibility (45).
How many recalls does the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the Chevrolet Silverado have bad brakes?
The Chevrolet Silverado model years with the most brakes complaints are 1999 (1,003 complaints), 2000 (607 complaints) and 2001 (418 complaints).
VIN decoder
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