IllustrationTRANSMISSION PROBLEMS.ALSO, SMOKE WAS COMING FROM EXHAUST, FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS NOTIFIED. *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 reportsFALSE DEPLOYMENT OF PASSENGER AIR BAG WHEN VEHICLE WAS STARTED. NLM
FUEL INDICATOR FAILED CAUSING THE NEEDLE TO READ FULL WHEN IT IS EMPTY CAUSING THE DRIVERS VEHICLE TO STALL/RUN OUT OF GAS IN TRAFFIC. NLM
VEHICLE EXPERIENCES PROBLEMS WITH STEERING CONTROL CONTINUALLY, LOSS OF STEERING ABILITY WHEN PASSING OR IN LARGE SWEEPING CURVE. *YC
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS STEERING WHEEL WILL EITHER TURN TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
MY 1997 C-1500 PICKUP HAS THE PROBLEM OF VEERING AT HIGH SPEED. MY RESPONSE IS DUE TO A ARTICLE THAT I READ IN THE NEWSPAPER THAT THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS PROBLEM. MY TRUCK DOES THIS MORE OFTEN IF THERE HAS BEEN A SUDDEN CHANGE IN THE WEATHER OR IF IT IS COLD WEATHER. THE PROBLEM IS MOST NOTICED WHEN NEGOTIATING CURVES…
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MY 1997 C-1500 PICKUP HAS THE PROBLEM OF VEERING AT HIGH SPEED. MY RESPONSE IS DUE TO A ARTICLE THAT I READ IN THE NEWSPAPER THAT THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS PROBLEM. MY TRUCK DOES THIS MORE OFTEN IF THERE HAS BEEN A SUDDEN CHANGE IN THE WEATHER OR IF IT IS COLD WEATHER. THE PROBLEM IS MOST NOTICED WHEN NEGOTIATING CURVES AT HIGH SPEED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF OVER 40 MPH THE TRUCK WILL SUDDENLY VEER TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT WITHOUT WARNING. BEARINGS AND ALIGNMENT HAVE BEEN CHECKED AND ARE OKAY. DEALER HAS NOT YET SEEN THE VEHICLE, BUT HAS BEEN NOTIFIED BY PHONE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
I AM HAVING THE SAME STEERING PROBLEM THAT I HAVE JUST HEARD ABOUT IN THE NEWS. MANY TIMES, WHEN I AM TRAVELLING ABOVE 35 MPH, ON A SMALL RIGHT STEERING MOVEMENT THE TRUCK SEEMS TO TAKE OFF TO THE RIGHT. SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY. *AK
THE VARIABLE EFFORT POWER STEERING ASSIST CHANGES STEERING FORCES AT ALL SPEEDS. THIS CAUSES ERRATIC STEERING WHICH CAUSES UNEXPECTED SWERVING AND LANE CHANGES. I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER 6 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, THE SAME PART , THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES ,AND THE VALVE ON THE POWER…
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THE VARIABLE EFFORT POWER STEERING ASSIST CHANGES STEERING FORCES AT ALL SPEEDS. THIS CAUSES ERRATIC STEERING WHICH CAUSES UNEXPECTED SWERVING AND LANE CHANGES. I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER 6 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, THE SAME PART , THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES ,AND THE VALVE ON THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE. I CONSIDER THIS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION THAT CHEVROLET HAS APPARENTLY FAILED TO ADDRESS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, VEHICLE STALLS AND CUTS OFF. ALSO, SOMETIME'S IT IS HARD TO START THE VEHICLE AND TO KEEP VEHICLE RUNNING. DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT CAN'T DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *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.