1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups

Typical pattern

3.4% of complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 1998 vehicle — around the middle of the 180 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is visibility (35 complaints), typically at 6.2 yr or about 68,500 miles.

Complaints: 88
Median age at failure: 6.8 yr
Median mileage: 69,000 n=64
Crash / fire / tow: 5.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

03V093000 2003-03-07

Visibility:rearview mirrors/devices:exterior

CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, MINI VANS, AND PICKUP TRUCKS MAY DEVELOP A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE ELECTRIC OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR SWITCH.

IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN, IT COULD RESULT IN AN INOPERATIVE SWITCH, HEAT DAMAGE TO THE DRIVER'S DOOR, AND/OR IGNITION OF COMPONENTS IN THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND A SUBSEQUENT VEHICLE FIRE WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

In owners’ own words

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 2.8 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 60-70MPH AND APPLYING BRAKES, BRAKES WILL GO ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR, MAKING IT HARD TO STOP. AT TIMES DOES NOT STOP AT ALL. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER DID NOT FIX CAR.*AK TWO STUDS WERE REPLACED. PCM WAS UPDATED TO CORRECT THE ENGINE SUGE UNDER LOAD. *YH

Service brakes, hydraulic 53,000 mi 5.9 yr in service

WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE REAR LEFT STEEL BRAKE LINE BROKE DUE TO RUST. *AK. THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE APPLIED THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP AND THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE CONSUMER REPLACED THE PART HIMSELF. *JB

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 7.4 yr in service

TRUCK PULLS VIOLENTLY TO RIGHT WHEN BRAKING. DEALER INFORMED ME IT WAS A COLLAPSED BRAKE LINE. BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED. I DO HAVE OLD PARTS. *JB

Visibility 60,075 mi 5.7 yr in service

WINDSHIELD WIPERS START AND STOP. SOMETIMES YOU CAN GET THEM TO RESTART BY SWITCHING THEM OFF AND WAITING A FEW SECONDS. OTHER TIMES YOU HAVE TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND THEN RESTART IT BEFORE THEY WILL OPERATE AGAIN. APPARENTLY THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH PREVIOUS YEARS UP TO 1997. WHY 1998 WAS NOT INCLUDED IS A GOOD QUESTION SINCE THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *JB

Other C/K Pickups model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1998 Chevrolet C/K Pickups

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other C/K Pickups model years

How to read this