IllustrationVEHICLE HAS ERRATIC STEERING. THE STEERING WHEEL UNEXPECTEDLY TWITCHES OR JERKS GOING DOWN THE ROAD. IT IS MORE PREVALENT WITH JUST NORMAL DRIVING (STEERING DOWN A ROAD). *AK
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
Steering complaints
140 reportsSTEERING WHEEL WOULD SLIP & THEN JERK OUT OF DRIVER'S HAND WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAPPENS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS & IS INTERMITTENT. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER TO HAVE MECHANIC CHECK IT & REPAIR IT. *AK
WHEN MAKING RIGHT HAND TURNS ONLY THE STEERING WHEEL SHIFTS, CAUSING AN OVERTURN. WHEEL MOVES 1 TO 2 INCHES WHEN THIS HAPPENS. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR ONCE, THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AGAIN. *AK
COMMON PROBLEM WITH STEERING, I.E. WANDERING WHILE 35MPH OR HIGHER, STEERING WHEEL RESISTANCE CHANGES DURING TURNS, VEHICLE WANTS TO RESIST STEERING INPUTS.
NO SUMMARY.
STEERING FAILURE. LOSS OF STEERING AT VARYING SPEEDS. WHEEL IS EXTREMELY LOOSE AND UNRESPONSIVE.INCIDENTS OCCURRED ABOUT 10 TIMES PRIOR TO MAJOR OCCURANCE.MAJOR OCCURRANCE NEARLY CAUSED ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED 'EVO' SENSOR.
THE DESIGN OF SPEED SENSITIVE STEERING CAUSED SUDDEN OVER STEERING DURING TURNS OR LANE CHANGED. YH
WHEN TURNING A CORNER LEFT OR RIGHTSTEERING WHEEL JERKED IN THE DIRECTION THAT VEHICLE WASGOING. IF IT WAS SHARPER IT COULD PROBABLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. TOOK TO DEALER, AND DEALER REPLACED THE STEERING SENSOR. *AK
STEERING SPEED SENSOR REPLACED TO FIX OVERSTEER PROBLEM; ABS REGULARLY FAIL TO KEEP WHEELS FROM LOCKING UP DURING EMERGENCY BRAKING; ELECTRONIC 4WD TRANSFER CASE CONTINUES TO STICK IN 4HIGH FOR SEVERAL MINUTES AFTER DISENGAGED WITH BUTTON. *AK
HOW MANY PEOPLE MUST DIE BEFORE GM ISSUES A RECALL ON DEFECTIVE STEERING SPEED SENSORS? THIS IS A WELL-KNOW PROBLEM IN 1997 AND 1998 CHEVROLET PICKUP TRUCKS. THE DEALER CALLS THIS A 6.624 STEERING SENSOR FAILURE; PART NUMBER 26064468. THIS FAILURE CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO ABRUPTLY CHANGE LANES WHEN CORNERING. I THINK IT IS DEPL…
Read full complaint
HOW MANY PEOPLE MUST DIE BEFORE GM ISSUES A RECALL ON DEFECTIVE STEERING SPEED SENSORS? THIS IS A WELL-KNOW PROBLEM IN 1997 AND 1998 CHEVROLET PICKUP TRUCKS. THE DEALER CALLS THIS A 6.624 STEERING SENSOR FAILURE; PART NUMBER 26064468. THIS FAILURE CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO ABRUPTLY CHANGE LANES WHEN CORNERING. I THINK IT IS DEPLORABLE FOR GM TO IGNORE THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS TRUELY A LIFE-THREATENING COMPONENT FAILURE. *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.