IllustrationDT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE LYING UNDER THE VEHICLE CHANGING THE OIL, THE RADIATOR BURST. THIS OCCURRED AT AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED SECOND DEGREE BURNS TO BOTH ARMS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE RADIATOR.
1998 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 35.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 3500 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
Limited mileage data: 17 of 67 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
67 reportsDT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE TAILGATE SUPPORT CABLES FRACTURED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE OPENING THE TAILGATE. THE DEALER WAS ALERTED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL # 06V066000 REGARDING THE TAILGATE HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.
I BELIEVE GENERAL MOTORS HAS GENERATED A DEFECT IN MY 1998 K3500 PICKUP BY EQUIPPING IT WITH DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. ON THE INCIDENT DATE I WAS TRAVELING EAST ON MD RT 16 NEAR HARMONY, MD. I NOTICED A VEHICLE APPROACHING AND FLASHING HIS HEADLIGHTS. THINKING SOMETHING WAS WRONG I SLOWED DOWN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I ROUNDED A SH…
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I BELIEVE GENERAL MOTORS HAS GENERATED A DEFECT IN MY 1998 K3500 PICKUP BY EQUIPPING IT WITH DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. ON THE INCIDENT DATE I WAS TRAVELING EAST ON MD RT 16 NEAR HARMONY, MD. I NOTICED A VEHICLE APPROACHING AND FLASHING HIS HEADLIGHTS. THINKING SOMETHING WAS WRONG I SLOWED DOWN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER I ROUNDED A SHARP CURVE AND FOUND A VERY LARGE TREE HAD FALLEN FULLY ACROSS THE TRAVELED PORTION OF THE HIGHWAY. I WAS ONLY ABLE TO GET AROUND IT BY LEAVING THE ROADWAY. AFTER SUCCESSFULLY NEGOTIATING THIS OBSTACLE I PROCEEDED ON MY WAY. AFTER TRAVELING ANOTHER HALF MILE I MET ANOTHER CAR WHICH I WAS UNABLE TO WARN BECAUSE OF MY HEADLIGHTS ALWAYS BEING ON DUE TO THE DRL FEATURE. THIS UNWARNED VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND COLLIDED WITH THE TREE. RATHER THEN BEING A SAFETY DEVICE I FEEL, AS A RESULT OF MY EXPERIENCE, THAT DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS ARE A HAZARD AND SHOULD BE BANNED!! *NM
WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WORKING DURING RAINSTORM. THE PROBLEM ISINTERMITTENT SO YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. THE WIPERS MAY OR MAY NOT WORK WHEN YOU TURN THEM ON.
HAVE HAD 2 1998 K3500 TRUCKS. BOTH HAVE HAD WHAT I CONSIDER SEVERE ANTI-LOCK FAILURES WHICH OCCUR ANYTIME, ESPECIALLY AT SLOW SPEEDS. BOTH WERE TAKEN TO MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS WITH NO PERMANENT FIX. CONSENSUS OF PROBLEMS ON BOTH TRUCKS WAS THAT THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR WAS FAILING, WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE ANTI-LOCK TO ACTIVATE WHE…
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HAVE HAD 2 1998 K3500 TRUCKS. BOTH HAVE HAD WHAT I CONSIDER SEVERE ANTI-LOCK FAILURES WHICH OCCUR ANYTIME, ESPECIALLY AT SLOW SPEEDS. BOTH WERE TAKEN TO MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS WITH NO PERMANENT FIX. CONSENSUS OF PROBLEMS ON BOTH TRUCKS WAS THAT THE WHEEL SPEED SENSOR WAS FAILING, WHICH WOULD CAUSE THE ANTI-LOCK TO ACTIVATE WHEN NOT NEEDED. THIS RESULTS IN INCONSISTENT STOPPING DISTANCES. BOTH TRUCKS ALSO HAVE A COLD WEATHER REAL END DRAG PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. WHEN THE WEATHER IS COLD, THE BACK WHEELS WILL LOCK UP AND SKID WHILE STOPPING NO MATTER HOW LIGHT YOU TOUCH THE BRAKES. THIS LOCK UP LASTS FOR ABOUT THE FIRST 1/2 MILE, UNTIL THE AXLE HEATS UP, THEN THE BRAKES WORK FINE - EXCEPT FOR THE ABS. SECOND OF K3500 TRUCKS (1998) HAS AN INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE. SOMETIMES THE POWER STEERING DROPS OFF, AND THEN SUDDENLY COMES BACK. THIS TYPICALLY HAPPENS AT SLOW SPEEDS. OH HAVE TO EITHER MUSCLE THE WHEEL TO MAKE YOUR TURN IN A LARGER RADIUS, OR FEATHER THE CASE TO PUMP UP THE HYDRAULICS ON THE POWER STEERING. THE LATER RESULTS IN A LURGE AND THE FORMER RESULTS IN A WIDE SWING. *LA
THE DRIVER SMELLED GASOLINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE FUEL TANK COLLAPSED WHICH CAUSED IT TO LEAK. THE DEALER HAS NOT FIXED IT. PLEASE DESCRIBE FURTHER. *NLM
WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STARTED TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY AND PULLED VERY HARD TO THE RIGHT. UPON INSPECTION THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM THE SIDEWALL (TIRE SIZE LT 22575R16 DOT NUMBER AD1D7A1697. ) PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *NLM
VEHICLE'S WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR HAS FAILED. THERE WAS A RECALL ISSUED; HOWEVER VEHICLE IS OUTSIDE OF THE REMEDY SCOPE. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *PH
PROBLEMS WITH ALL SIX FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES ON DUAL AXLE PICKUP TRUCK. *MR THE CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE ALL SIX OF THE TIRES, BECAUSE OF A BLOW OUT. SEVERAL DAYS LATER THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM ON ONE OF TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT HE DESERVES COMPENSATION FOR THE TIRES. THE FIR…
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PROBLEMS WITH ALL SIX FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES ON DUAL AXLE PICKUP TRUCK. *MR THE CONSUMER HAD TO REPLACE ALL SIX OF THE TIRES, BECAUSE OF A BLOW OUT. SEVERAL DAYS LATER THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM ON ONE OF TIRES ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER FELT THAT HE DESERVES COMPENSATION FOR THE TIRES. THE FIRST TIRE HAD BLOWN OUT AT 71200K MILES, THEN ON THE SECOND TIRE THE TREAD SEPARATED AT 71427K MILES. *SCC *JB
PAINT IS PEELING OFF THE VEHICLE, 1998 CHEVROLET TRUCK, 45000 MILES ON IT.TS
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.