1998 Chevrolet Silverado 1500

Typical pattern

15.5% of complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 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 4.4 yr in service. The most-reported system is service brakes, hydraulic (118 complaints), typically at 3.6 yr or about 67,000 miles.

Complaints: 380
Median age at failure: 4.4 yr
Median mileage: 73,000 n=158
Crash / fire / tow: 6.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

07E088000 2007-10-24

Equipment

CERTAIN HONEYWELL FRAM RACING BRAND HP4 AND HP8 OIL FILTERS THAT WERE MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 25, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14, 2007, AND SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR VEHICLES LIST ABOVE. THE AFFECTED FILTERS ARE MARKED WITH A DATE CODE A61451 THROUGH A72571 SEQUENTIALLY. THE DATE CODE AND PART NUMBER APPEAR ON THE FILTER HOUSING. FRAM RACING HP4 AND HP8 OIL FILTERS NOT BEARING A DATE CODE IN THIS RANGE ARE NOT AFFECTED BY THIS RECALL. THE GASKET OF THE OIL FILTER BECOMES MORE PLIABLE UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURES AND PRESSURES.

THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE INADEQUATE SEALING AND LOSS OF ENGINE OIL, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.

06E043000 2006-05-19

Fuel system

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR USE ON THE VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE AND ON CERTAIN SCHOOL BUSES. (TO SEE THE SCHOOL BUS ENGINE SIZES, CLICK ON "DOCUMENT SEARCH" AND THEN "BUS APPLICATIONS"). THE CONNECTOR ON THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO HONEYWELL'S SPECIFICATION. AS A RESULT, THE O-RING MAY NOT SEAT CORRECTLY ON THE FUEL LINE.

THIS CONDITION MAY CAUSE AN INADEQUATE SEAL AT THE CONNECTION, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO A FUEL LEAK. IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.

In owners’ own words

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 7 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 20 MPH BRAKE PADS DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. WHEN APPLIED BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE STARTED PULLING TO EITHER SIDE (LEFT OF RIGHT). THE OTHER SAFETY PROBLEM INVOLVED THE THROTTLE STICKING WHEN TRAVELING BETWEEN SPEEDS 10-25 MPH RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE OPERATING AS IF THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 1.0 yr in service crash / fire / tow

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45 MPH WHEN HE WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. APPLIED BRAKES AND THE BRAKES WENT STRAIGHT TO THE FLOORBOARD. CONSUMER HIT THE CURB, AND THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP. DRIVER'S AIR BAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. CONTACTED THE DEALER FOR REPAIR SERVICE. *AK

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 1.1 yr in service

VEHICLE WOULD SQUEAL AND GRIND. ALSO, PULLED TO THE LEFT WHEN STOPPING. DEALER FOUND THE LEFT CALIPER SLID/FROZE UP. IN ADDITION, ROTORS AND FRONT PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO GRINDING OF ROTORS, REPAIRS WERE MADE AT OWNERS EXPENSE.*AK

Visibility mileage not reported 2.4 yr in service

WARRANT IS 3/36 BUT CHEVY NOW SAYS 12000 MILES. I THINK THATS B/S A WINDSHIELD SHOULD NOT START GOING BAD IN TWO YEARS. D. *AK

Other Silverado 1500 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 Silverado 1500

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Silverado 1500 model years

How to read this