Most common 1998 Chevrolet Pickup problems
Share of the 50 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Chevrolet Pickup complaints by model year
Best Pickup years: 2003, 2002, 2001. Years to avoid: 1995, 1997, 1996. Compare all years →
What 1998 Chevrolet Pickup owners say
Brakes
The ABS brake system when braking and or you hit a bump, pothole or depression the brakes go into anti lock and do not come out. It takes about 1/3 more distance to stop. I had one accident where I was on the I-5 freeway, traffic stopped, I applied the brakes and had to go between two cars. I hit the side of one car. This problem occurs most of the time. It is very dangorous since normal stopping distance is suddenly increased and there is nothing I can do when it happens. I have had it in the shop about 6 times.
After driving 259 miles of a 319 mile trip, I noticed a grinding noice when I applied the brakes. There was no brake light showing on the instrument panel, or "feeler" noice from the rotors. I took the next off ramp being carefull to leave 100 yards between me and the car in front of me, dropping it into low gear as I stopped, and only applying the brake if absolutely necessary. If I applied the brakes, I would have to with great pressure in order to stop. Both front pads and rotors were beyond repair. The truck had 21,852 miles on it at the time of the incident and all but 7,000 where put on it by me. I always start breaking long before I need to stop in an effort to length the life of the pads. It is not only desturbing that brakes should fail before 22,000 miles, but also that they did so without warning. I am thank full that I was the one driving and not my wife or son !
Transmission & drivetrain
While vehicle was making right hand turn passenger side axle assembly come out of differential housing. Axle came about 24 inches out of housing before vehicle came to stop. After disassembly of wheel hub /axle assembly found retaing clip for axle nut had worked off of differential and allowed axle nut shaft key to come out of axle nut, this in turn allowed axle nut to come off and axle to come out of differential . This differential has no retaining "c" lock on axle spline end as prior year modles had . This axles only means of being secured to differential is through this very weak retaining clip I would consider this as insufficient considering what would happen to a vehicle and it's occupants if this were to happen at highway speeds.
The truck was bought by my deceased uncle. My aunt ([redacted]) and myself, [redacted] are on the title as owners. I really don't know the exact month the truck was bought, but it was bought new. The truck worked perfectly on Sunday, July 21, 2002, went to use it today and I have all my forward gears but no reverse. I was never contacted about an extended warrenty on the truck. The numbers listed and the e-mail address is mine, [redacted] is in a nursing home and unable to be reached. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 U.S.c. 552(b)(6).
Wheels & tires
In August, while driving down a road the right rear blew out unexpectedly. The reason it was unexpected is because I did not run over anything. I replaced the tire with an exact match and continued using the truck, on the oct. 24, while driving on highway 99n around 7 pm, at 65mph, the front right tire blew out unexpectedly. I felt the tire was at fault in the first accident, but gave super swamper the benefit of the doubt. Now with the second accident acting the same way as the first, with the only exception I wasn't able to stop as quickly the second, the front of my truck was destroyed. The tire shreaded from the rim, and everything was destroyed from that point on. The truck is currently at a body shop and the estimate is currently at $4500. Needless to say, I was lucky to be able to keep control of the truck and to be able to make this complaint today. …
We purchased this vehicle used in June 2000 and it now has 30K miles on it. The previous owner has informed us that he had a right front tire delaminate at 20K miles that caused him to run off the road into a ditch. Firestone would not acknowledge a problem at that time and the owner had to purchase a new tire. We have e mailed our concern and information to Firestone at [email] and also faxed it to [phone]. We have not heard any response from Firestone. The local dealers and the Firestone hotline will notd listen to us. I am quite concerned about driving the vehicle now that we know that one of the tires has delaminated. Please help us and also use this information for your data base of defective tires. Thanks joe nichols. (dot number: bmo 5324-1 tiresize: lt24575r16)
1998 Chevrolet Pickup engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 20 / 26 / 22 |
| 2.2L 4-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 17 / 24 / 19 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 16 / 21 / 18 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 20 / 17 |
| 4.3L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 18 / 16 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 18 / 15 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 6.5L 8-cyl turbo diesel | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 17 / 15 |
| 6.5L 8-cyl turbo diesel | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 17 / 15 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 17 / 14 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 12 / 18 / 14 |
EPA ratings. Class: Small pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Chevrolet Pickup a good car?
Based on 50 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 1998 Pickup rates average: 1.4× as many complaints as a typical year of the Pickup at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 1998 Chevrolet Pickup?
The brakes — 16 complaints, 32% of all complaints for this model year, most often about antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (9) and wheels & tires (7).
How many recalls does the 1998 Chevrolet Pickup have?
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 1998 Chevrolet Pickup. You can still confirm with your VIN using our VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Chevrolet Pickup?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2003, 2002 and 2001. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 1995, 1997 and 1996. See the full Chevrolet Pickup years comparison.
At what mileage do 1998 Chevrolet Pickup problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 112,000 miles; 0% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.