IllustrationWHILE DRIVING ON WET ROADS CONSUMER RAN OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, HITTING A TREE HEAD-ON, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK *ML
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 reportsWHILE MAKING TURNS THE STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, CAUSING THE STEERING SYSTEM TO BE INOPERATIVE AND ALMOST CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL. DEALER SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE STEERING SENSOR. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
WHILE MAKING A FULLY LEFT OR RIGHT HAND TURN THE TIRES HIT THE CONTROL ARM AND SWAY BARS, PREVENTING THE VEHICLE FROM COMPLETING THE TURN. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER STATES NORMAL OPERATIONS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE IS WEARING OUT BRAKE PADS TOO SOON FOR NORMAL WEAR AT 28000 MILES. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT NOTHING COULD BE DONE AT THIS TIME. CONSUMER WAS CHARGED FOR REPAIR AND SERVICE. *AK CONSUMER STATES THERE IS NOISE IN THE REAR AXLE AREA WHILE TRAVELING OVER BUMPS, DEALER UNABLE TO LOCATE R…
Read full complaint
VEHICLE IS WEARING OUT BRAKE PADS TOO SOON FOR NORMAL WEAR AT 28000 MILES. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF PROBLEM BUT NOTHING COULD BE DONE AT THIS TIME. CONSUMER WAS CHARGED FOR REPAIR AND SERVICE. *AK CONSUMER STATES THERE IS NOISE IN THE REAR AXLE AREA WHILE TRAVELING OVER BUMPS, DEALER UNABLE TO LOCATE RATTLE. *SLC
UNSAFE BOUNCING ON CERTAIN PAVEMENT, DIFFICULT TO CONTROL VEHICLE.
DOOR LATCH FAILURE.
SEAT BELT DOES NOT COME OUT ALL THE WAY TO SNAP SHUT AS IS REQUIRED. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. *AK
WHEN STEPPING ON BRAKES THE STEERING WOULD SHIMMY, AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE OCCURRED. DEALER REPAIRED BRAKES. UPON LEAVING THE SHOP THE BRAKES LOCKED UP, DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
STEERING WHEEL WILL JERK TO THE RIGHT/STRAIGHT AWAY AND TURNING CURVES. DEALER CONTACTED ABOUT TEN TIMES FOR THE FRONT END REPAIR WORK, PROBLEM STILL OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY, DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
VEHICLE IS CUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING, AND THERE IS NO INDICATION OR WARNING THAT THE POWER WILL BE LOST. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE 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.