IllustrationTHE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAIL INTERMITTENTLY, SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN. MR *NLM *DT
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 reportsCONSUMER STATES THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON THE VEHICLE ARE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. CONTACTED DEALER AND THE DEALER IS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. NLM
MY WIPERS WORKED FINE ON LOW IT STARTED RAINING HARD I PUT THEM ON HIGH THEY WENT 1/3 UP AND STOPPED.THIS HAPPEND GOING 75MPH IN THE DARK ON A BUSY 4 LANE THEY CAME ON ABOUT 45 SEC. LATER.I ALSO DRIVE A 97 K2500 AT WORK AND IT DID THE SAME THING THERE MUST BE MANY MORE. NLM
NHTSA NO. 98V150 COVERS TILL MAY 1996 MY TRUCK WAS MANF. AUG 1996 SAME PROBLEMS, WIPERS WILL NOT WORK INTERMITTENT AND QUIT WHILE DRIVING THE OTHER DAY @ 70 MPH IN HEAVY RAINS.
CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH 2 SIDE VIEW MIRRORS, BOTH MIRRORS BLOW TOWARD THE VEHICLE WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.*JB
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING. TSB BULLETIN 98043 DEALS WITH THIS PROBLEM. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY FAIL TO OPERATE WHEN SWITCHED ON REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR MODE. THIS PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE IN THE LAST WEEK OR TWO, AND I AM GETTING READY TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO A TRUSTED NON-DEALER REPAIR FACILITY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. IS THIS PROBLEM COMMON WITH GM PRODUCTS (ESP. CHEVY TRUCKS) OF THA…
Read full complaint
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY FAIL TO OPERATE WHEN SWITCHED ON REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR MODE. THIS PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE IN THE LAST WEEK OR TWO, AND I AM GETTING READY TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO A TRUSTED NON-DEALER REPAIR FACILITY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. IS THIS PROBLEM COMMON WITH GM PRODUCTS (ESP. CHEVY TRUCKS) OF THAT AGE? IT IS A SAFETY-RELATED ISSUE. THE DATE CITED ABOVE IS ONLY THE MOST RECENT OF SEVERAL FAILURES.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING, BUT ONCE CONSUMER GETS OUT AND TAPS ON MOTOR WIPERS WILL COME BACK ON.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED MID-CYCLE; MOTOR STOPS WORKING; WILL NOT RESTART IMMEDIATELY. *AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS JUST STOP WORKING AFTER THEY ARE TURNED ON, AND SOMETIMES THEY DON'T COME ON AT ALL. *AK *SLC
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.