IllustrationI WAS STOPPED FOR NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT. SEAT BELT STOPS ARE ILLEGAL. I AM EXEMPT BECAUSE OF A DISABILITY. WATCH MY VIDEO HERE, HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QB2VETMMZT0. *JS
1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 1500 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
60–25K
1725–50K
2850–75K
3975–100K
35100–150K
22150K+
147 reports with mileage · 408 unknown
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.
- Steering. Review the 140 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 123 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
29 crash reports13 fire reports13 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
8 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE CONTACT DROVER OVER BLACK ICE AND SLID OFF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT SIDESWIPED TWO TREES BEFORE CRASHING HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER TREE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED YET THE SEAT BELT DETACHED FROM THE LOCK AND THE ENTIRE UNIT THAT HELD THE SEATBELT I…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE CONTACT DROVER OVER BLACK ICE AND SLID OFF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT SIDESWIPED TWO TREES BEFORE CRASHING HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER TREE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED YET THE SEAT BELT DETACHED FROM THE LOCK AND THE ENTIRE UNIT THAT HELD THE SEATBELT IN PLACE WAS FRACTURED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED SEVERE BURNS AND A BROKEN NOSE AS A RESULT. A POLICE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A SALVAGE LOT. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 132,000.
BRAKE ROTORS WARPED AND PADS FAILED CAUSING VIBRATION AND PULLING WHEN APPLYING BRAKES.
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WILL FULLY LOCK UP WHEN RETRACTED FROM TIME TO TIME--RENDERING SEAT BELT INOPERATIVE. DEALER WILL NOT FIX UNLESS A SERVICE TECHNICIAN SEES THE PROBLEM (SALES PERSON HAS SEEN THE PROBLEM). GM WILL NOT AUTHORIZE REPAIR UNLESS PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT AND READILY DUPLICATABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS CONCER…
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FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WILL FULLY LOCK UP WHEN RETRACTED FROM TIME TO TIME--RENDERING SEAT BELT INOPERATIVE. DEALER WILL NOT FIX UNLESS A SERVICE TECHNICIAN SEES THE PROBLEM (SALES PERSON HAS SEEN THE PROBLEM). GM WILL NOT AUTHORIZE REPAIR UNLESS PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT AND READILY DUPLICATABLE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS CONCERN FOR ME--PASSENGERS ARE OFTEN NOT ABLE TO BUCKLE-UP WITHOUT 5-10 MINUTES OF FIDDLING WITH THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM BEFORE IT WILL RELEASE.
CK1500 THE SEAT BELT STICKS, YOU CAN NOT GET IT TO RELEASE SOMETIMES WE HAVE TAKEN IT IN TWICE FOR THIS PROBLEM AND WILL HAVE TO DO SO AGAIN THIS COMING WEEK. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD.
SEAT BELT DOES NOT COME OUT ALL THE WAY TO SNAP SHUT AS IS REQUIRED. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. *AK
THE DESIGN OF THE PASSENGER'S SEATBELT TIGHTENED TOO HARD WHICH CAUSED SMALL INJURIES TO THE PASSENGER . THE PASSENGER CANNOT WEAR THE SEATBELT. *AK
THE REAR SAFETY BELT COMFORT GUIDES ARE MADE OF THIN PLASTIC AND BREAKS VERY EASILY.
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.