IllustrationSTEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP WHEN TURNED TO ITS TRAVEL LIMIT IN EITHER DIRECTION. *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 ABS THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. ABS FAILED AT 10MPH AND CRASHED INTO BUILDING. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES IN ANY TYPE OF WEATHER OR SPEED, THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND THE BRAKES FAIL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. AK
INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS WHEN VEHICLE REAR ENDED.
UNSPECIFIED: AFTER BEING REAR ENDED, AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSED VEHICLE TO SWERVE INTO OTHER LANE, HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE, RESULTING IN FATALITY. (ATTORNEY FOR CLIENT)
THE BRAKE DISC AND DRUMS HAVE BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES AND THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. WHEN STEPPING ON AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE SPEED SENSITIVE POWER STEERING HAS PROBLEMS THERE IS LOW RESISTANCE AT HIGH SPEEDS, CAUSING OWNER TO MAINTAIN A TIGHT CONTROL. TOOK TO SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT STEERING PUMP HAS LOW PRESSURE. *AK
STEERING WHEEL OFF CENTER.
UPON STARTING UP EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE, CAN ONLY TURN ONE REVELATION BEFORE STEERING BINDS, AND BECOMES EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN WHEEL. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 40MPH, EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE, REQUIRED EXCESSIVE EFFORT TO CONTROL VEHICLE, DEALER'S ALSO REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP …
Read full complaint
UPON STARTING UP EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE, CAN ONLY TURN ONE REVELATION BEFORE STEERING BINDS, AND BECOMES EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN WHEEL. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 40MPH, EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE, REQUIRED EXCESSIVE EFFORT TO CONTROL VEHICLE, DEALER'S ALSO REPLACED POWER STEERING PUMP TWICE, AND POWER STEERING GEAR BOX ONCE, PROBLEM PERSISTS. *AK
WHEN MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT ANY SPEED, THE VEHICLE LOSES ITS POWER STEERING. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *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.