1998 Chevrolet Silverado Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems
Owners have filed 84 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado, 30% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 66,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “anti lock” (18% of reports).
- 84service brakes, hydraulic complaints
- 66,500median miles at failure
- 6mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,150typical repair cost reported by owners
- 18%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Anti lock: mentioned in 15 of 84 complaints (18%)
- Stopping distance: mentioned in 13 of 84 complaints (15%)
- Applying brakes: mentioned in 11 of 84 complaints (13%)
- Provide further: mentioned in 8 of 84 complaints (10%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical service brakes, hydraulic repair on the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado at $1,150, and half of them between $1,100 and $1,700.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2000–2006), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems happen?
Based on 24 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 84 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 2 an injury.
Chevrolet Silverado service brakes, hydraulic complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Silverado | 1 | 1% | 118,000 |
| 2015 Silverado | 2 | 3% | 95,000 |
| 2014 Silverado | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2011 Silverado | 4 | 5% | 4,105 |
| 2009 Silverado | 3 | 4% | 19,250 |
| 2008 Silverado | 4 | 2% | 71,500 |
| 2007 Silverado | 13 | 7% | 53,500 |
| 2006 Silverado | 19 | 10% | 24,000 |
| 2005 Silverado | 26 | 8% | 25,072 |
| 2004 Silverado | 84 | 14% | 19,750 |
| 2003 Silverado | 130 | 19% | 39,000 |
| 2002 Silverado | 245 | 35% | 42,638 |
| 2001 Silverado | 306 | 35% | 49,850 |
| 2000 Silverado | 450 | 34% | 54,000 |
| 1999 Silverado | 815 | 49% | 60,000 |
| 1998 Silverado | 84 | 30% | 66,500 |
| 1997 Silverado | 57 | 21% | 70,000 |
| 1996 Silverado | 31 | 17% | 78,000 |
| 1995 Silverado | 27 | 10% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes, hydraulic for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The brakes on this truck are spongy and do not stop the vehicle well at all. No repairs done seem to help improve the stopping distance. Worst brake i have ever seen on a vehicle. Definitely not normal. *tr
Have 1998 chevy silverado 1500 short-bed v-6 pickup with abs brake problems. Have researched and found there is a history of this problem. The maker is fully aware of the problem but only recalled 1999 and later models. I don't know how they decided that one, but i do know it has to do with money!…
Re: recall # 05v379000 for 1999 through 2002 chevrolet silverado pick up trucks. Please be advised that i have a 1998 silverado chevy truck and i experienced this exact same problem "(unwanted anti-lock brake system (abs) activation)" in jan. 2005 five (5) months prior to the recall. I was charged…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Chevrolet Silverados have service brakes, hydraulic problems?
No. NHTSA has 84 owner complaints about service brakes, hydraulic for the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado (30% of the 279 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado service brakes, hydraulic?
No recall currently lists service brakes, hydraulic for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems start?
The median reported mileage is 66,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,150 (half paid between $1,100 and $1,700), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 1998 Chevrolet Silverado?
The most frequent phrase is “anti lock”, in 15 of 84 complaints, followed by “stopping distance” (13).
See all 1998 Chevrolet Silverado problems or service brakes, hydraulic problems across all Silverado years.