IllustrationCONSUMER HAS EXPERIANCED PORBLEMS WITH LOSING POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES. CHECKED FLUIDS, AND THE FLUIDS LOOKED FINE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WILL REPLACE A PUMP IN ENGINE. *AK
1997 Chevrolet Pickup
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Pickup years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 8 of 75 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports
Steering complaints
21 reportsDRIVER'S SEAT ROCKS. I HAD THE SEAT BRACKET REPLACED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY AND NOW THE SEAT BRACKET HAS PLAY IN IT AGAIN. THIS IS UN-SAFE BECAUSE WHEN YOU ACCELERATE (AT ANY SPEED) THE SEAT ROCKS BACK EFFECTING THE GRIP ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND REACH TO THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE. THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THERE IS NO RECALL AND…
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DRIVER'S SEAT ROCKS. I HAD THE SEAT BRACKET REPLACED TWICE UNDER WARRANTY AND NOW THE SEAT BRACKET HAS PLAY IN IT AGAIN. THIS IS UN-SAFE BECAUSE WHEN YOU ACCELERATE (AT ANY SPEED) THE SEAT ROCKS BACK EFFECTING THE GRIP ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND REACH TO THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE. THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THERE IS NO RECALL AND I COULD PAY TO HAVE THE BRACKET REPLACED. THIS WOULD MAKE THREE TIMES AND THERE WOULD BE NO GUARANTEE IT WON'T WORK ITS WAY LOOSE AGAIN. THIS ITEM PROBABLY REQUIRES A RE-DESIGN. P.S. I'M OF AVERAGE BUILT 6 FEET TALL, 180 POUNDS SO MY SIZE SHOULDN'T BE CAUSING THE PROBLEM.*AK
SINCE FIRST PURCHASED, THIS VEHICLE HAS A TENDENCY TO PULL TO EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT WITHOUT CAUSE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED A STEERING SENSOR UNIT, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK. SINCE THEN I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SUDDEN PULLING AT LEAST 50 TIMES. A FRI…
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SINCE FIRST PURCHASED, THIS VEHICLE HAS A TENDENCY TO PULL TO EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT WITHOUT CAUSE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED A STEERING SENSOR UNIT, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK. SINCE THEN I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SUDDEN PULLING AT LEAST 50 TIMES. A FRIEND OF MINE ALSO BOUGHT A NEW 1997 CHEV. P.U. AND HAS HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. TODAY HE CALLED ME AND SAID THERE IS A WEB SITE DEVOTED TO THIS SAME PROBLEM. ON ICY ROADS AND FOR THE INEXPERIENCED DRIVER, THIS COULD BE A POTENTIALLY FATAL DEFECT. HOW MANY ROLLOVERS AND DEATHS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CAUSED BY THIS UNEXPLAINED STEERING PROBLEM??
WHEN DRIVING AND UPON MAKING A SLIGHT TURN, POWER STEERING SENSOR ENGAGED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO GO INTO A FULL TURN, RESULTING IN POOR STEERING CONTROL. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
BAD STEERING SENSOR. MJS
STEERING WHEEL STICKS WHEN TURNNING AND THEN LOOSENS AND TURNS FREELY, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK
STEERING WHEEL WILL MOVE WHEN CORNERING OR DRIVING STRAIGHT, WHEN STEERING WHEEL MOVES IT IS A SUDDEN MOVEMENT. THE FEELING IS LIKE NORMAL RESISTANCE TO NO RESISTANCE AT NO PARTICULAR SPEED OR CONDITION.
WHENEVER DRIVING VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 25-35MPH STEERING WHEEL WOULD START TO TWITCH. IT WOULD THEN TURN ON ITS OWN. WILL BE TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE STEERING WHEEL CHECKED. *AK
WHEN DRIVING IN LOW SPEED AND TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN THE VEHICLE WON'T ALLOW THE CONSUMER TO MAKE A COMPLETE TURN, AND THE POWER STEERING LOCKS UP. CONSUMER HAS TO FIGHT THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO MAKE A TURN. *AK CHEVROLET CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE INFORMED CONSUMER TO RETURN VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER. *SLC
CONSUMER STATES THE THE POWER ASSIST STEERING INTERMITTENTLY COMES AND GOES. (THE POWER ASSIST IS SUPPOSED TO KICK IN WHEN TRUCK IS DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS). CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ABOUT 60 MPH WHEN THE POWER ASSIST STEERING KICKED IN, CAUSING THE TRUCK TO SWERVE OFF THE ROAD. THE DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE TRUCK. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.