RoadVitals

1998 GMC C/K 3500

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Aug 20, 2008
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1998 GMC C/K 3500, most frequently naming the fuel system category. 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 1 manufacturer communication is on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Fuel system1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA02005ClosedEngineering Analysis

DRIVER DOOR ELECTRICAL FIRES

Opened May 17, 2002
Closed May 1, 2003

BY LETTER DATED MARCH 19, 2003, THE MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED NHTSA OF THE DECISION TO INITATE A SAFETY RECALL CAMPAIGN ON SELECTED VEHICLES WITHIN THE SUBJECT POPULATION.THE CAMPAIGN INVOLVES 507,000 C/K AND M/L VEHICLES BUILT DURING MODEL YEARS 1997-1998.THE RECALL INVOLVES VEHICLE MODELS WITH HIGH INCIDENT RATES AND BUILT AT SELECTED ASSEMBLY PLANTS.A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THE DEFECT WASINHERENT VARIATIONS IN ASSEMBLY CONDITIONS, WORKER SKILL LEVELS ANDPROCESSES THAT EXIST FROM ONE ASSEMBLY LOCATION TO ANOTHER.TO REMEDY THE DEFECT, DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED JUMPER HARNESS TO THE ELECTRIC OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR SWITCH.NHTSA HAS ASSIGNED CAMPAIGN NO. 03V-093 TO THE RECALL.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMLed to recall 03V093000

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Fuel system
Filed Aug 20, 2008

I HAVE A 1998 GMC K3500 PICK-UP TRUCK WITH A 6.5 TURBO DIESEL HO ENGINE. WHILE DRIVING ALONG THE ENGINE CONTINUOUSLY CUTS OFF AS IF IT IS NOT GETTING FUEL EVEN THOUGH THE TANK IS FULL OF FUEL. TOOK TRUCK TO DEALER TO HAVE PROBLEM CORRECTED. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT FUEL IN TANK WAS BIO-DIESEL AND MY TRUCK WOULD NOT BURN BIO-DIESEL. THEY INFORMED ME MY TANK NEEDED TO BE REMOVED AND CLEANED ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE FUEL SYSTEM. THEY REMOVED TANK/CLEANED SYSTEM - COST $691.78, AND ADDED NEW FUEL. I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE, TRAVELED LESS THAN .25 MILES AND SAME PROBLEM RECURRED. RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALER, THIS TIME THEY INFORMED ME I NEEDED TO HAVE THE INJECTOR PUMP REPLACED - $1,363.00. I AGREED. THEY REPLACED THE INJECTOR PUMP AND REMOVED AND CLEANED FUEL TANK AGAIN. AFTER PICKING UP THE VEHICLE AFTER THIS REPAIR, THE FUEL LINES FROM ENGINE TO FUEL TANK BEGAN TO LEAKING. THIS COST ME AN ADDITIONAL $123.72 WHICH I PAID TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD TO FINALLY STRAIGHTEN OUT MYSELF. I STARTED ACROSS TOWN TO THE POST OFFICE AND THE SAME PROBLEM, HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAD TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. I GAVE THE SHOP FOREMAN THE KEYS, EXPLAINED TO HIM THE SAME PROBLEM EXISTED - STALLING AS IF OUT OF FUEL. THE NEXT DAY I WAS CALLED BY A SERVICE ADVISOR AND TOLD THEY HAD CHECKED OUT MY VEHICLE AND I NEEDED FUEL INJECTORS FOR THE ENGINE REPLACED WHICH WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH THE BIO-FUEL - $1,935.00. CONCLUSION: IF THE DEALERSHIP ON MY FIRST VISIT UPON FINDING BIO-FUEL IN MY TANK, FUEL WHICH I PURCHASED FROM THE SERVICE STATION, SHOULD HAVE SUGGESTED AT THAT TIME THAT I CHANGE THE INJECTORS. THIS WOULD HAVE SAVED ME $2,148.50. I WOULD ONLY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE INJECTORS BEING INSTALLED. NOT ONLY IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE REGARDING WORK BEING PERFORMED THE DEALERSHIP, BUT IT IS ALSO A MONETARY ISSUE AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT RECOURSE I HAVE AGAINST THE DEALER. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE INJECTORS INSTALLED AT NO-COST . *TR

NHTSA ID
10239087
Incident
Jun 17, 2008
Mileage
119,865 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

010604037

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING FUEL TRANSFER PUMP INOPERATIVE. *TT

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

GMC C/K 3500 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1999200—
1998Viewing101—
1997000—
1996200—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.