IllustrationWHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED TO TURN ON WHEN ENGAGED. THIS RESULTED IN POOR VISIBILITY. THERE WAS A WINDSHIELD WIPER RECALL 03V159000, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INVOLVED DUE TO VIN. *AK *SC
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
Visibility complaints
75 reportsWHILE DRIVING IN A RAIN STORM A 75 MPH WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED. AS A RESULT, DRIVER'S VISIBILITY WAS IMPAIRED. A RECALL WAS ISSUED. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK
THE CONSUMER STATED THAT HIS WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE GIVING HIM TROUBLE. HE STATED THAT SOMETIMES THEY DID NOT WORK. THE CONSUMER FOUND THAT OTHER VEHICLES WERE ON RECALL, HOWEVER HIS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED. *JB
WHILE DRIVING IN A RAIN STORM, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. A RECALL WAS ISSUED. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK *SC *JB
WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT WORK OT ARE INTERMITTEN IN THE RAIN, DOOR HANDLES BREAK OFF, AND THE TALIGATE CABLES HAVE BROKEN BY RUSTING IN THE MIDDLE.
CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A WINDSHIELD WIPER PROBLEM. THEY WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. THIS PROBLEM WAS SERVICED BY THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK
WHEN DRIVING IN THE RAIN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED, WHICH CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO PULL OFF THE ROAD. THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK RECALL# 03V159000 WAS ISSUED BUT THE CONSUMER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. WHICH AT THE TIME THE WIPERS DID NOT FAIL. THE CURRENT PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. (CK1500/MODEL) *SC *JB
WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY WEATHER FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED. RECALL 03V159000 WAS ISSUED. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK
MASSIVE SUDDEN FAILURE OF WINDSHIELD WIPER SYSTEM DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE WIPER MOTOR CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. DEALER REFUSED TO CORRECT THE DANGEROUS SITUATION AT NO CHARGE. CHEVROLET CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER DOCUMENTED THEIR DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR THE SITUATION IN MY CASE FILE NUMBER 1-218373806, …
Read full complaint
MASSIVE SUDDEN FAILURE OF WINDSHIELD WIPER SYSTEM DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE WIPER MOTOR CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. DEALER REFUSED TO CORRECT THE DANGEROUS SITUATION AT NO CHARGE. CHEVROLET CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER DOCUMENTED THEIR DENIAL OF RESPONSIBILITY TO REPAIR THE SITUATION IN MY CASE FILE NUMBER 1-218373806, FILED BY LATOSHA CULPEPPER ON 5/18/2004.*AK
1997 SILVERADO Z71 WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL STOP & START ON OWN.*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.