IllustrationESTIMATOR STATED FIRE ORIGIN IS THE DRIVER DOOR, POSSIBLE CAUSE IS WINDOW MOTOR, CLAIM 49-3174-064. *SLC
1998 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
110–25K
1725–50K
4050–75K
2075–100K
31100–150K
13150K+
132 reports with mileage · 229 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 59 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
14 crash reports11 fire reports3 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
23 reportsREMOTE MIRROR SWITCH FAILED IN DRIVERS DOOR CATCHING ON FIRE AND CAUSING OTHER DAMAGE, CLAIM 05-4615-211. *SLC
A FIRE STARTED FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR, CLAIM 43-R679-836. *SLC
ESTIMATOR STATED FIRE ORIGIN IS THE DRIVER DOOR, POSSIBLE CAUSE IS WINDOW MOTOR, CLAIM 49-3174-064. *SLC
REMOTE MIRROR SWITCH FAILED IN DRIVERS DOOR CATCHING ON FIRE AND CAUSING OTHER DAMAGE, CLAIM 05-4615-211. *SLC
A FIRE STARTED FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR, CLAIM 43-R679-836. *SLC
BATTERY WAS LEAKING BATTERY ACID. POST THAT WAS HOOKED UP TO CABLE FELL OFF, AND THAT WAS WHY VEHICLE WOULDN'T START. ELECTRICAL SOCKET AND BRAKE LINE HAD SOME PAINT DAMAGE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC TOLD HIM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT WARRANTY. *AK
BATTERY IS LEAKING ONTO RIGHT SIDE STEERING MECHANISM. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET AT ABOUT 30MPH WHEN WE SMELLED SMOKE, I PULLED OVER AND SAW FLAMES SHOOTING FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE DRIVER DOOR PANEL. I TORE OPEN THE DOOR PANEL AND SAW THAT THE ELECTRIC OUTSIDE MIRROR CONTROL WAS ON FIRE. I BEAT THE FIRE OUT WITH A TOWEL, AFTER THE SMOKED CLEARED I STARTED THE …
Read full complaint
MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN A CITY STREET AT ABOUT 30MPH WHEN WE SMELLED SMOKE, I PULLED OVER AND SAW FLAMES SHOOTING FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE DRIVER DOOR PANEL. I TORE OPEN THE DOOR PANEL AND SAW THAT THE ELECTRIC OUTSIDE MIRROR CONTROL WAS ON FIRE. I BEAT THE FIRE OUT WITH A TOWEL, AFTER THE SMOKED CLEARED I STARTED THE ENGINE AGAIN AND THE CONTROL BURST INTO FLAMES AGAIN, AT THIS POINT I SEVERED THE WIRING HARNESS.
VEHICLE WENT IN FOR REPAIR, NOT REPAIRED, STILL DOESN'T WORK. COULD NOT PASS TEXAS SAFETY INSPECTION. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, HORN ALLOWS OTHER DRIVERS TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, DOES NO GOOD WHEN THE HORN DOESN'T WORK.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.