1998 GMC Sierra 1500: common problems

Owners of the 1998 GMC Sierra 1500 filed 59 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and visibility. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 59
involving a crash: 6

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 31% of all complaints
2 Visibility 19% of all complaints
3 Powertrain 12% of all complaints
4 Steering 10% of all complaints
5 Air bags 7% of all complaints
6 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
7 Structure 7% of all complaints
8 Electrical system 5% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 18 complaints (31% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Visibility: 11 complaints (19% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 7 complaints (12% of all).
Steering: 6 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Air bags: 4 complaints (7% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 59 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

rust, corrosion4 · 7%
jerking, harsh shifts3 · 5%
vibration3 · 5%
A/C or heater2 · 3%
fuel system, fuel smell2 · 3%
smoke, burning smell, fire2 · 3%
stalls while driving2 · 3%
airbag warning light1 · 2%
airbags did not deploy1 · 2%
brake failure1 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	18	1
Visibility	11	1
Powertrain	7	0
Steering	6	1
Air bags	4	2
Fuel system	4	0
Structure	4	0
Electrical system	3	0
Engine and cooling	3	0
Exterior lighting	1	0
Latches, locks, linkages	1	0
Seat belts	1	0
Seats	1	0
Suspension	1	1

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the vehicle needed a front end alignment due to the collision. The contact received injuries to the head and knee, which required medical attention.
Air bags · crash · 2016-11-28 · NHTSA complaint #10928367
"takata recall" on 02/17/2015 I [xxx] was involved in a single passenger (me) mva at "the macinac bridge" on the north side of the mackinac bridge rolling my truck into the toll booths located on the north end of the macinac bridge in the city of st ignace, mackinac county, michigan.
Air bags · crash · 2016-02-05 · NHTSA complaint #10824525
When raining they go off or stall. Pulling on wippers manually will retart them occationaly.
Visibility · crash · 2007-05-16 · NHTSA complaint #10190875
While driving steering would be free wheeling(oversteering) when making turns. Had lost control of vehcle and hit a post. Managed to take vehicle to dealership, and was informed by the mechanic that there was a defective sensor in steering.
Suspension · crash · 2001-04-10 · NHTSA complaint #885620
Intermittently steering wheel becomes loose, and it will steer either to the left or to the right. The dealer has been notified.
Steering · crash · 2000-01-21 · NHTSA complaint #845195
Well they again rattled and buzzed, the pedal went to the floor and the truck did not stop. I in turn bumped the car in front of me. There was little damage to the car. My truck instead suffered to an overinflated body shop bill to the tune of #3,000.00. The selling dealer did the body repairs and checked the brakes.
Service brakes · crash · 1999-09-23 · NHTSA complaint #711889
While traversing a freeway overpass going 60 to 65 mph the truck suddenly lurched to the left. Fortunately no immediate traffic on my left. Really frightened me. After much research I discovered that a component (circuit board) of the new "speed sensitive" power steering could fail, making the truck think it was going…
Steering · 2020-02-26 · NHTSA complaint #11311592
My dashboard became brittle, and falls apart if you touch it! Also my transmission has had to be rebuilt three times. But im only worried about my dash.
Powertrain · 2014-07-29 · NHTSA complaint #10617386

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

19981
19994
20004
20014
20022
20032
20047
20056
20066
20074
20086
20092
20102
20111
20122
20141
20162
20191
20201
20211

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 4,893 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Sierra 1500 has 266 complaints (34 years in the data). This year has 59, below average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1998 GMC Sierra 1500?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, visibility, powertrain. Total complaints: 59. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: rust, corrosion (7%), jerking, harsh shifts (5%), vibration (5%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 GMC Sierra 1500?

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 1998 GMC Sierra 1500 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 1998 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.