IllustrationWHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE VEERED OFF THE ROAD AND HIT A TREE. UPON IMPACT, AIRBAGS DIDN'T GO OFF. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*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
What owners actually said
555 reportsWHEN APPLYING BRAKES, THERE IS A VIBRATION AND PULSATION COMING FROM PEDAL.*AK. CONSUMER STATES BRAKES FAIL TO STOP VEHICLE AND TRAVELS AN EXTRA 10-20 FEET WHICH CONSUMER BELIEVES IS ABS FAILURE, THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A BAD MODULE AND THE ABS FUSE HAD TO BE REOMVE IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO OPERATE.*JB
AFTER PARKING VEHICLE OWNER NOTICED THAT THERE WAS ANTIFREEZE LEAKING FROM VEHICLE DUE TO A LEAKY HEAD GASKET. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
POWER BRAKE BOOSTER FAILED ALL AT ONCE ALL MOST CAUSED A REAR END COLLISION
WHEN TURNING TO RIGHT OR LEFT, STEERING WHEEL SLIPS FOR A SECOND LEAVING YOU WITH NO CONTROL OVER VEHICLE, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. NO FIX YET?
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35MPH ON A COUNTRY ROAD ENGINE CHECK LIGHT AND ABS BRAKING LIGHT LIGHT FLICKED OFF AND ON ,AND CONSUMER LOST POWER. VEHICLE TURNED OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, AND VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH ENGINE STALLED. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER AND THEY THE REPLACED FUEL PUMP MODULE ASSEMBLY. *AK *YD
WHEN VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, AND WHEN MAKING A RIGHT OR A LEFT HAND TURN, FRONT END WAS MAKING LOUD NOISES. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER,, THEY DETERMINED THAT STEERING GEAR BOX WAS LOOSE CAUSING THE PROBLEM.*AK
WIRES LEADING TO FUEL PUMP AND FUEL LEVEL GAUGE INSIDE TANK INSULATION HAD GOTTEN HOT ENOUGH AND MELTED IN UPPER CONNECTOR. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER HAD THE PROBLEM REGULARLY.*AK *YD
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED MID-CYCLE; MOTOR STOPS WORKING; WILL NOT RESTART IMMEDIATELY. *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.