1998 Gmc C/K SUBURBAN (GMC) problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1 owner complaints analyzed
0 distinct recall campaigns
153,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1998 model year. Data updated: . 1 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.
This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.
Most common problems
Steering:Electric Power Assist System is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 1 complaints (100.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Steering behavior | 1 | 100.0% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Steering:Electric Power Assist System | 1 |
Steering:Electric Power Assist System: 1
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 0 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 0 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 0 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 0 |
| 150,000 and above | 1 |
Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 1
150,000 and above miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 0 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 1 |
2008: 1
Pattern summary
Steering:Electric Power Assist System leads the component reports. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10215080 · 2008-01-16 (January 16, 2008)
IN THE LAST WEEK (NO CHANGES IN DRIVING OR RECENT REPAIRS)I HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME VERY SCARY TURNING IN MY 1998 GMC SUBURBAN. BETWEEN 11 AND 1 'O'CLOCK ON THE STEERING WHEEL AT SPEEDS OF BETWEEN 20-35MPH (APPROX), THE FRONT WHEELS SEEM TO SLIP AWAY FROM THEIR INTENDED "LINE'- AS IF I HIT A PATCH OF BLACK ICE. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TIME- THERE WERE SOME PATCHES AROUND; BUT NOW THE PAVEMENT IS CLEAR AND THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE- MORE FREQUENT. OFTEN AFTER EXPERIENCING THIS I TEND TO OVER CORRECT AS IT SEEMS I MAY BE SLIPPIN…
Owner-reported narrative. 153,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10215080 at NHTSA ↗
Vehicle analysis explorer
Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.
Data completeness
1 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.
Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.
Problems by model year
Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.
| Component | 1994 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 10457814 · 245,000 miCOMING TO A STOP BEHIND A LINE OF CARS (NOT TOO LONG AFTER SUBURBAN PURCHASED) & BRAKE PEDAL STARTED GIVING RESISTANCE & MAKING NOISE (GROWLING-LIKE/PUSHING BACK) & DID NOT WANT TO STOP. HAD ALMOST CONSTANT TROUBLE W/ IT AFTER THAT, ESPECIALLY IN COLD & WET CONDITIONS & WE LIVE IN THE NORTHWEST, SO THIS IS HAPPENS A LOT! COUPLE OF TIMES, ALMOST SLID OFF OF ROADWAY OR INTO BACK OF PEOPLE, EVEN W/ MORE THAN ENOUGH STOPPING DISTANCE. BEFORE WE BOUGHT VEHICLE (WE HAVE GONE LESS THEN 5K MI) SEVERAL BRAKE COMPONENTS WERE CHANGED (PADS/DRUMS/ROTORS/CA… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 555.6%ODI 10238131 · 97,300 miANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVATES AT SLOW SPEEDS CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKING. THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE IN CANADA AND 14 STATES. WISCONSIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE ROAD SALT CORRODING THE WHEEL SPEED SENSORS. WISCONSIN USES ROAD SALT AND SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST. *TR |
| Service Brakes | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 10466961 · 82,359 miAPPLIED BRAKES TO STOP FOR RED TRAFFIC LIGHT AND PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR. FRONT SECTION OF METAL BRAKE LINE HAD FAILED DUE TO RUST. HAD LEAKING BRAKE LINE REPLACED. GARAGE NOTED THAT REAR SECTION OF METAL BRAKE LINES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED IN FUTURE BECAUSE THEY WERE RUSTED AND WOULD PROBABLY START TO LEAK. ON JULY 20, 2012 THE REAR SECTION OF LINE FAILED. MILEAGE 87,697. *TR | 1100.0%ODI 10606847 · 178,000 miANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM FAILED. BACK UP SYSTEM IS INADEQUATE TO STOP VEHICLE LOADED TO GVW SAFELY. *TR | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 111.1%ODI 10509792 · 85,000 miBRAKE FAILURE- METALLIC BRAKE LINE CORRODED AND RELEASED FLUID UNDER PRESSURE CAUSING BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE. *TR |
| Electrical System | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 111.1%ODI 10641368 · 203,000 miENGINE STOPPED DURING ACCELERATION ONTO HIGHWAY. LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING. AS THEY MAKE A RELOCATION KIT FOR THE MODULE, I ASSUME THIS IS A KNOW DEFECT. IN A. CURVE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR |
| Engine | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 111.1%ODI 10641368 · 203,000 miENGINE STOPPED DURING ACCELERATION ONTO HIGHWAY. LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKING. AS THEY MAKE A RELOCATION KIT FOR THE MODULE, I ASSUME THIS IS A KNOW DEFECT. IN A. CURVE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. *TR |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine | 133.3%ODI 10345764 · 65,000 miTHIS OCCURS ONLY DURING HOT WEATHER, AND ONLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE SUBURBAN DIES ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE OUTSIDE TEMPS ARE 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER. AFTER WAITING 10-15 MINUTES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE CAR WILL START AND THE TRIP CONTINUED. I'VE TAKEN IT TO SHOPS AND THERE IS NO COMPUTER CODE TRIGGERED. I'VE REPLACED THE FUEL FILTER (INLINE) AND THIS DOESN'T HELP. (I DON'T HAVE THE OLD FILTER). THE SUBURBAN ONLY HAS 65K MILES ON IT AND PASSES SMOG AND RUNS FINE OTHERWISE. THIS IS A HAZARD AS THEIR OFTEN I… | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Belts And Associated Pulleys | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 133.3%ODI 10206749THE SERPENTINE BELT COMES OFF WHILE I AM DRIVING,THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND VAN OVER HEATS AND I CANNOT MOVE THE VAN. I CAN BARLEY GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, BECAUSE OF THE STEERING.IT HAPPENS WHEN IT RAINS . AND SOMETIMES WHEN IT IS NOT RAINING. THIS HAS HAPPEN TO ME AT LEAST 12 TIMES IN THE PAST 2 YEARS. I GAVE THE DATE OF THE LAST TIME . IT IS IN MY DRIVE NOW BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO SEND IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN. I HAVE HAD DIFFERENT GARAGES WORK ON IT BUT IT STILL CAME OFF. SO I TOOK IT TO SCORE A DEALERSHIP. THEY HAVE HAD IT 4 … | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. |
| Fuel System, Diesel | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 111.1%ODI 10312334 · 160,000 miPUMP MOUNTED DRIVER (PMD) INTERMITTENT TO COMPLETE FAILURE CAUSES DIESEL ENGINE TO STALL UNPREDICTABLY AT ANY SPEED OR RPM. THIS CAUSES A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND POWER ASSISTED BRAKING. HAVE PURCHASED 3 REPLACEMENT PMD'S SO FAR. *TR |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 00.0%No examples available for this selection. | 111.1%ODI 10664416 · 178,575 miFIRE HAZARD ON MY 99 GMC SUBURBAN K1500 FROM METAL FUEL LINE FAILURE WITH LEAKING FUEL WHEN ENGINE IS RUNNING. THE DANGER IS FROM MORE RUSTED OUT LINES SIMILAR TO THE METAL BRAKE LINE FAILURE I HAD IN THE PAST ON THIS TRUCK AND HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE SYSTEM. THE TRUCK WAS ASSEMBLED IN MEXICO WITH INFERIOR OR CHEAP PARTS THAT RUST PREMATURELY. *TR |
Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.
Failure mileage by component
Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.
| Component | Mileage range (25th–75th percentile) | Median | Usable records | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering:Electric Power Assist System | Too few reports for a range | 153,000 mi | 1 (sparse) | ODI 10215080 · 153,000 miIN THE LAST WEEK (NO CHANGES IN DRIVING OR RECENT REPAIRS)I HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME VERY SCARY TURNING IN MY 1998 GMC SUBURBAN. BETWEEN 11 AND 1 'O'CLOCK ON THE STEERING WHEEL AT SPEEDS OF BETWEEN 20-35MPH (APPROX), THE FRONT WHEELS SEEM TO SLIP AWAY FROM THEIR INTENDED "LINE'- AS IF I HIT A PATCH OF BLACK ICE. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TIME- THERE WERE SOME PATCHES AROUND; BUT NOW THE PAVEMENT IS CLEAR AND THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE- MORE FREQUENT. OFTEN AFTER EXPERIENCING THIS I TEND TO OVER CORRECT AS IT SEEMS I MAY BE SLIPPIN… |
Complaint and recall timeline
Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.
Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.
Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples
| Month | Complaints | Campaigns announced | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2024-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-10 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-11 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2025-12 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-01 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-02 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-03 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-04 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-05 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-06 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-07 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-08 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-09 | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
| 2026-10 (partial) | 0 | None | No examples available for this selection. |
Emerging complaint spikes
Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.
This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.
No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.
Equal-age model-year comparison
Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.
1998: 0 complaints · 1999: 1 complaints
| Model year | Through age 0 | Through age 1 | Through age 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Date coverage across each selected cohort
| Year | Incident dates used | Filing date fallbacks | Excluded dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.
Components reported together
Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.
| Component | Steering:Electric Power Assist System |
|---|---|
| Steering:Electric Power Assist System | — |
Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.
Recurring narrative patterns
Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.
0 patterns with matching reports.
No narratives match the published patterns.