IllustrationTHE CONSUMER HAD TO APPLY THE BRAKE SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE GETTING THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THE DEALER REPLACED THE DRUMS, ROTORS, PADS, MASTER CYLINDER AND THE BRAKE LINE. *JB
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
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
123 reportsAT LOW SPEED ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SENSOR ACTIVATES, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO FORWARD WHILE APPROACHING THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF IT. *AK
I HAVE A 1997 4WD CHEVY PICKUP WITH 4 WHEEL ABS. WHEN COMING TO A STOP, JUST BEFORE THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE ABS ACTIVATES, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, AND THE TRUCK SURGES FORWARD ANOTHER FEW FEET. THIS HAPPENS ON DRY PAVEMENT! THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE ABS TO ACTIVATE AND THIS CAUSES A DANG…
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I HAVE A 1997 4WD CHEVY PICKUP WITH 4 WHEEL ABS. WHEN COMING TO A STOP, JUST BEFORE THE VEHICLE ACTUALLY COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE ABS ACTIVATES, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, AND THE TRUCK SURGES FORWARD ANOTHER FEW FEET. THIS HAPPENS ON DRY PAVEMENT! THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE ABS TO ACTIVATE AND THIS CAUSES A DANGEROUS SITUATION WITH THE UNPREDICTABLE SURGE FORWARD OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND TONS OF OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. YAHOO SEARCH: "ABS ACTIVATES ON DRY PAVEMENT" REVEALED THOUSANDS OF HITS OF CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. BECAUSE IT IS RELATED TO BRAKES, I BELIEVE THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK TO CONSUMERS AND GM SHOULD RECALL THE DEFECT. THIS HAPPENS EVERYDAY AND IS VERY NOTICEABLE. I LEAVE EXTRA SPACE WHILE BRAKING UNTIL I AM ABLE TO GET THIS FIXED. *LA
1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO K1500. REAR BRAKE LINE NEAR WHEEL WELL RUPTURED CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. CAUSE OF LINE RUPTURE WAS DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST/CORROSION OF THE LINE ITSELF. I HAVE DIGITAL PICTURES OF THE THE DEFECTIVE LINE. CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO SEND. (SOMEONE AT GM REALLY SHOULD REVIEW THESE!…
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1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO K1500. REAR BRAKE LINE NEAR WHEEL WELL RUPTURED CAUSING LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. CAUSE OF LINE RUPTURE WAS DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST/CORROSION OF THE LINE ITSELF. I HAVE DIGITAL PICTURES OF THE THE DEFECTIVE LINE. CONTACT ME VIA EMAIL AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO SEND. (SOMEONE AT GM REALLY SHOULD REVIEW THESE!) THE ENTIRE LINE FROM FRONT TO REAR EXHIBITS SIGNS OF EXCESSIVE/PREMATURE CORROSION. THE TRUCK ITSELF SHOWS NO OTHER SIGNS OF RUST DAMAGE. THE DEALER REPAIRED ONLY THE PORTION OF THE LINE THAT FAILED. WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT THE REMAINING CORROSION, THE SERVICE MANAGER SHRUGGED IT OFF AND ACVISED ME IT WASN'T A PROBLEM. TOTAL COST OF REPAIR INCLUDING TOW IN WAS $349.93. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAIT WITH GM CUSTOMER SERVICE...SO FAR I HAVE GOTTEN NO WHERE. I FEEL THIS IS A VALID SAFETY CONCERN AND OTHER OWNERS OF THIS MODEL TRUCK SHOULD BE NOTIFIED OF THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM.
WHILE DRIVING, THE BRAKE ROTORS FAILED. *AK THE CENTER PART OF THE ROTOR SEPARATED.*TS ALSO THE TRANSMISSION, FUEL PUMP AND ABS SENSOR WAS REPLACED. *JB
ABS WOULD ENGAGE AT LOW SPEED. VEHICLE BEEN TO DEALER ON TWO OCCASIONS, AND PROBLEM STILL OCCURRING. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
WHEN COMING TO A STOP, VEHICLE WILL SLAM INTO THE STOP WITH A LOT OF FORCE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT THE BRAKES FEEL LIKE STEPPING ON AN EGG, ONLY HAPPENS DURING SLOW SPEEDS. *SLC
WHILE DRIVING LESS THAN 10MPH ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM BEGINS TO "PULSATE" AS IF VEHICLE IS GOING THROUGH A SKID.*AKI
HEARD A NOISE WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, AND BRAKES DIDN'T HOLD. HAD TO SLAM ON BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE. AFTER SLAMMING ON BRAKES VEHICLE WOULD STALL. CONTACTED DEALER.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *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.