Total Complaints
22 filings
GMC PICKUP · model year
1998 GMC PICKUP
22 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998GMCPICKUP carries 22 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 PICKUP is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 5 filings, followed by structure:body:door (2) and vehicle speed control (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1998 PICKUP. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
22
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 5 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:WHEEL CYLINDERS | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR | 1 |
| STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20070914STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
1998 GM PICKUP TRUCK WITH SEVERE CORROSION ON FRONT FRAME. CUSTOMER STATES THAT 7 OTHER VEHICLES ARE UNSAFE TO USE DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. *ACCORDING TO THE CONSUMERS OBSERVATION. THE DESIGN OF THE CROSSMEMBER PROVIDED NO EXIT POINT FOR ACCUMULATED WATER, WHICH ALLOWED THE BUILD-UP OF SEDIMENT AND THE SUBSEQUENT CORROSION FROM WITHIN THE FRAME STRUCTURE. *JB
20070914EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES
1998 GMC PICKUP HAS FROSTED HEADLIGHT LENSES. CUSTOMER STATES THEY LOOKED SCRATCHED. MECHANIC TOLD THE CONTACT THAT THIS MODEL IS SUBJECT TO SAND BLASTING BY ROAD DEBRIS. *KB
20040924VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. WHILE DRIVING AND IF HITTING A BUMP OR SOMETHING THEY MAY COMPLETELY FAIL, OR COME ON WHILE IN A RAIN STORM. CONTACTED THE DEALER. THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK *TC
Mileage: 80,000
20040308VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING
I HAVE A 1998 GMC SIERRA P/U MY WISHIELD WIPERS HAVE THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS: WIPERS WILL NOT WORK OR WORK INTERMITTENTLY; WIPERS STOP WORKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON, MAYBE EVEN IN MID-STROKE; WIPER FUNCTION IS ERRATIC, WITH NO DELAY FEATURE, DELAY IS THE SAME REGARDLESS OF SETTING, OR NO LOW- OR HIGH-SPEED SETTING. I'VE NOTICED THAT GENERAL MOTORS HAS ISSUED A RECAL FOR 1996 MODELS AND FEEL THIS IS SIMILAR.*AK
20030321ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1998 GMC PICKUP HAD THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET REPLACED AND STILL CONTINUES TO LEAK. I'M TOLD BY DEALERS ITS A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM AND IS VERY COSTLY TO REPAIR $600 AND MY HAVE CAUSED ENGINE DAMAGE. *NLM
Mileage: 68,000
20011210VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
20011126ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
20011126ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
20011126ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
20011126POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
MANUFACTURER'S LATEST "FIX IT" KIT FAILED. DEFINITELY DEFECTIVE. NO SAFETY DEFEC TLISTED. *AK
20010327SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM:WHEEL CYLINDERS
RIGHT FRONT RUBBER GASKET/GROMMETS IN WHEEL CYLINDERS FAILED. *SLC
20010129SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHEEL CYLINDER CAP CRACKED, BRAKES OVERHEATED, THE DEALER REPLACED BOTH REAR WITH CYLINDER AND BLED THE BRAKES, LATER THE DEALER FOUND ON THE ABS SYSTEM THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL CYLINDER WAS LEAKING, DEALER REPLACED REAR BRAKE SHOES AND REAR WHEEL CYLINDER. *SLC
20010129STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
WEATHER STRIP CAME LOOSE. *SLC
20010129VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE DRIVING, THE THROTTLE TENDS TO REMAIN OPEN, IT WON'T DECELERATE ONCE THE GAS PEDAL IS RELEASED, THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES, HOWEVER THERE HAS NOT BEEN A FIX TO THE PROBLEM. *SLC
20010123SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHEEL CYLINDER CAP CRACKED, BRAKES OVERHEATED, THE DEALER REPLACED BOTH REAR WITH CYLINDER AND BLED THE BRAKES, LATER THE DEALER FOUND ON THE ABS SYSTEM THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL CYLINDER WAS LEAKING, DEALER REPLACED REAR BRAKE SHOES AND REAR WHEEL CYLINDER. *SLC
20010123STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
WEATHER STRIP CAME LOOSE. *SLC
20010123VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE DRIVING, THE THROTTLE TENDS TO REMAIN OPEN, IT WON'T DECELERATE ONCE THE GAS PEDAL IS RELEASED, THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER MANY TIMES, HOWEVER THERE HAS NOT BEEN A FIX TO THE PROBLEM. *SLC
20000918CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
BRAKE PEDAL GOES COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR UNDER SEVERE BRAKING CONDITIONS.
20000914CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
BRAKE PEDAL GOES COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR UNDER SEVERE BRAKING CONDITIONS.
20000627WHEELS
ALL 5 WHEELS CAME FROM THE FACTORY BENT.MAUNFACTURER REFUSES TO PROVIDE CONSUMER WITH STRAIGHT WHEELS. NO DEALER WILL REPLACE TIRES WITH WHEELS BENT.*AK
Compare 1998GMCPICKUP to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1998 GMC PICKUP have?▼
The 1998 GMC PICKUP has 22 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1998 GMC PICKUP?▼
The most-complained component for the 1998 GMC PICKUP is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 5 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.
Is the 1998 GMC PICKUP safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.