AI Damage1999 Chevrolet C/K Series: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Chevrolet C/K Series filed 9 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and exterior lighting. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 9
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 67% of all complaints
- 2 Exterior lighting 22% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 4 Parking brake 11% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 6 complaints (67% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 2 complaints (22% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 1 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Parking brake: 1 complaints (11% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 9 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Found ruptured, corroded brake line to be leaking brake flluid. Had brake line replaced. Later had another brake line do same thing.. Had all lines replaced at my expense.
Unwanted abs activation, causing rearend collision. Unwanted abs activation at low speed increases stopping distance unexpectedly. No repairs made yet. Abs deactivated.
The vehicle hit a deer and ran into an embankment and then a tree stump. The air bags did not deploy. Chevrolet c/k 1500.
When consumer attempted to apply brakes, brakes failed to operate properly and stop, resulting in extended stopping distance, and brake pedal had no resistance behind it. Dealership has examined vehicle, and determined that rear brake shoes wer not worn, but were "coming apart".
I came home from work pulled into drive went to put truck in park and lights just went out. Both low beams at the same time.
The emergency brake pedal goes to the floor and there is no brake I bought this truck used however the brake should never go to the floor and not hold the vehicle this is a manufactures defect and it should be corrected by the makers of this vehicle it is a 1999 chevy z71 4 x 4 vin num [xxx] information redacted…
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 11,366 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 31% most complained about).
On average one model year of the C/K Series has 4 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 9, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Parking brake. Electric parking brake, codes, calipers.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Chevrolet C/K Series?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, exterior lighting, air bags. Total complaints: 9. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (22%), airbags did not deploy (11%), rust, corrosion (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Chevrolet C/K Series?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1999 Chevrolet C/K Series from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1999 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.