IllustrationTHE DESIGN OF THE PASSENGER'S SEATBELT TIGHTENED TOO HARD WHICH CAUSED SMALL INJURIES TO THE PASSENGER . THE PASSENGER CANNOT WEAR THE SEATBELT. *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 reportsTHE REAR SAFETY BELT COMFORT GUIDES ARE MADE OF THIN PLASTIC AND BREAKS VERY EASILY.
ANTI LOCK BRAKES FAILED SEVERAL TIMES RESULTING IN TWO ACCIDENTS.
ENGINE IDLES AT 1500-2000 RPM DURING WARM-UP IN COLD WEATHER. VEHICLE USUALLY REACHES THESE RPMS AT 25-40MPH. OWNER BELIEVE IT'S THE ENGINE CONTROL COMPUTER DESIGN PROBLEM.
FUEL PUMP IS VERY NOISY, ADVISED THAT PUMP WILL SOON FAIL.
REAR AXLE SEALS LEAK.
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES ON DRY PAVEMENT THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE POWER ASSIST WILL GO TO FULL ASSIST WHEN TURNING, CAUSING TEMPORARY LOSS OF STEERING. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN HIGHWAY IS SNOW COVERED. *AK
TIRE RUBS FENDER WELL AND STEERING WHEEL, CAUSING RUBBING NOISE WHEN TURNING.
ENTIRE CHASSIS SHAKES AND SHUDDERS FROM 38-49 MPH. DEALER CLAIMS CHEVROLET MOTOR DIVISION HAS TOLD THEM ITS A FRAME DESIGN PROBLEM.
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.