The simplified analysis of piles in liquefying and laterally spreading soils is burdened by uncertainties. Key parameters affecting the pile response, such as the stiffness degradation and lateral displacement of the soil, cannot be uniquely defined, but rather vary over a wide range. In this paper a simplified, pseudo-static analysis method is used to model the soil-pile system and explore the effect of uncertainties on the predicted pile response. The strength and stiffness of the liquefied soil, and the load from any overlying nonliquefied crust are found to govern the pile response, and their relative importance reflects the mechanism of soil-pile interaction.