IllustrationWIRING HARNESS INSIDE THE GAS TANK ASSEMBLY BURNED UP, CAUSE UNKOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*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 reportsENGINE CHECK LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD, AND VEHICLE STALLED OUT AND CUT OFF. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER LINKED THE PROBLEM TO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT WITHIN THE FUEL TANK WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO MALFUNCTION. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED CONTINUED INTERMITTENT STEERING PROBLEMS, WHICH PULLS THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY, UNABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *MJS
AT 25 MPH AND ABOVE THE VEHICLES STEERING WHEEL WILL JERK WHEN ROUNDING A CORNER OR MAKING A TURN. IT WILL JERK THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN TURNING RIGHT AND LEFT. HIGHER SPEEDS TEND TO MAKE THE JERKING WORSE. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CERTIFIED MECHANICS EVALUATE THE PROBLEM FROM THE POWER STEERING PUMP, GEAR HOUSING OR EVEN THE SEN…
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AT 25 MPH AND ABOVE THE VEHICLES STEERING WHEEL WILL JERK WHEN ROUNDING A CORNER OR MAKING A TURN. IT WILL JERK THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN TURNING RIGHT AND LEFT. HIGHER SPEEDS TEND TO MAKE THE JERKING WORSE. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL CERTIFIED MECHANICS EVALUATE THE PROBLEM FROM THE POWER STEERING PUMP, GEAR HOUSING OR EVEN THE SENSOR. AFTER REASEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON THE LOCAL AND NATIONALLY LEVEL, I WOULD LIKE A DEFINATE SOLUTION BEFORE I SINK HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS INTO THIS VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN ROADS ARE WET AND UPON DEPRESSING BRAKES VEHICLE WOULD GO INTO A SKID. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED A CRASH. DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AT CONSUMER'S COST. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
UPON APPLYING BRAKES LEFT REAR WHEELS LOCKED UP ON WET PAVEMENT. ALSO, FRONT BRAKES OVERHEATED AND THERE WAS A SMELL. *AK
GMC STILL HAS A BRAKE PROBLEM, THE FRONT BRAKES. THEY LAST ABOUT 6000 MILES. I TRIED AFTER MARKET AND NOW THE DEALER. THE FRONT ROTORS COST $350 EA PLUS LABOR AND PARTS. THIS IS RIDICULOUS EVERTY 6000 MILES. THE MASTER CYLINDER RUBBER PARTS SLOWLY LEAK AND THE ANTI LOCK SYSTEM EITHER MAKES THE USUAL NOISE WHEN THE BRAKES LOCK UP…
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GMC STILL HAS A BRAKE PROBLEM, THE FRONT BRAKES. THEY LAST ABOUT 6000 MILES. I TRIED AFTER MARKET AND NOW THE DEALER. THE FRONT ROTORS COST $350 EA PLUS LABOR AND PARTS. THIS IS RIDICULOUS EVERTY 6000 MILES. THE MASTER CYLINDER RUBBER PARTS SLOWLY LEAK AND THE ANTI LOCK SYSTEM EITHER MAKES THE USUAL NOISE WHEN THE BRAKES LOCK UP OR OTHER TIMES THE WHEELS SKID. THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THERE IS NO POSTING ATTHE DEALER AND NO NOTICE BY GM, BUT THE DEALERS ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS. THE ROTORS HAVE A TENDENCY TO WARP EASY.*AK
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD POWER STEERING IS NOT CONSTANT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL FROM ONE SIDE TO ANOTHER INTERMITTENTLY. CONTACTED DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SENSOR ON POWER STEERING UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING STEERING WILL JERK IN BOTH DIRECTIONS WITHOUT WARNING. SENDING YOU TOWARDS TRAFFIC OR OFF THE ROAD
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.