1998 GMC Sierra 2500: common problems

Owners of the 1998 GMC Sierra 2500 filed 15 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 15

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 53% of all complaints
2 Powertrain 20% of all complaints
3 Steering 13% of all complaints
4 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
5 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
6 Fuel/propulsion system 7% of all complaints
7 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
8 Visibility 7% 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: 8 complaints (53% of all).
Powertrain: 3 complaints (20% of all).
Steering: 2 complaints (13% of all).
Electrical system: 1 complaints (7% of all).
Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (7% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 15 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

brake failure5 · 33%
knocking, grinding or other noise1 · 7%
vibration1 · 7%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Service brakes	8	0	0
Powertrain	3	0	0
Steering	2	0	0
Electrical system	1	0	0
Engine and cooling	1	0	0
Fuel/propulsion system	1	0	0
Fuel system	1	0	0
Visibility	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.

The truck shut off no power brakes, steering. This happened while pulling a trailer. The gmc dealer informed me that the shut off was the result of a pump mounted driver (pmd) failure on the 6.5l diesel motor. Very unsafe should have resulted in a accident.
Powertrain · 2014-12-16 · NHTSA complaint #10664566
The horn suddenly quit working . I checked all electrical components and found that the horn it's self has failed. I have not corrected the problem to this point.
Electrical system · 2009-07-26 · NHTSA complaint #10278319
Windshield wipers began to fail suddenly on and off while driving in the rain and eventually quit working all together. I checked with the dealer for recalls and found that there were recalls for this problem on chevy & gmc trucks from 1994 to 1996. My truck is a 1998 but it was built in 1997.
Visibility · 2009-07-26 · NHTSA complaint #10278318
The vehicle's fuel injections system is leaking. As a result, fuel was spraying over the whole engine compartment. The cause has yet to be determined.
Fuel system · 2004-05-28 · NHTSA complaint #10074423
Consumer stated that rear seals were leaking. Consumer purchased vehicle used, and was told that seals were replaced at 30000 miles by the original owner. Currently, these seals needed to be replaced again.
Powertrain · 2004-02-06 · NHTSA complaint #10057686
Constant rear brake failure with heavy braking on rough roads. Can be duplicated as desired.
Service brakes · 2004-01-13 · NHTSA complaint #10053039
Knock in 5.7 g.m. Motor with 60,000 miles. I was told this is a common problem and it would go away after the truck is started cold this is normal. How can this be normal? How can gm get away with this? I bought the truck new in 1998 and have all the oil change records at every 3000 miles.
Engine and cooling · 2003-03-12 · NHTSA complaint #10010369
Upon attempting to brake front brakes over powered rear brakes causing anti- lock brakes to kick in, and resulting in complete loss of braking ability. Consumer has contacted dealer, dealer has replaced parts, but problem still occurs. Please provide any further details.
Service brakes · 2001-01-03 · NHTSA complaint #877293

When owners complained

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

19983
19991
20002
20012
20031
20043
20092
20141

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 9,286 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 25% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Sierra 2500 has 59 complaints (31 years in the data). This year has 15, below average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1998 GMC Sierra 2500?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, powertrain, steering. Total complaints: 15. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (33%), knocking, grinding or other noise (7%), vibration (7%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1998 GMC Sierra 2500?

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 2500 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.