IllustrationPARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WARMING UP, BAG ENGAGED. LEFT EAR HURT BY BLAST AND RINGING IN LEFT EAR. *TR
1997 Chevrolet Silverado
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Silverado years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado are substantially higher than the model-year median of 76.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 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
Limited mileage data: 64 of 272 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 59 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports6 fire reports13 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
8 reportsWHILE DRIVING, THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONT END COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. AS A RESULT OF THE DEPLOYMENT, THE AIR BAGS BURNED THE CONSUMERS FACE AND ARMS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB
INFLATER MODULE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE INFLATOR MODULE WAS DESIGNED POORLY. THE WIRES BREAK DUE TO WEAR IN THE STEERING WHEEL, PROBABLY FROM TILTING OF STEERING WHEEL. THIS CAUSES THE AIR BAG COMPUTER TO SHORT OUT. *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, HITTING THE CONSUMER. CONTACTED DEALER, WHO WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK THE DEALER DISCOVERED THAT THE MODULE MALFUNCTION WAS DUE TO WATER DAMAGE. AFTER FUTHER DISMANTLING THE CONSOLE IN ORDER TO REPAIR, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE WATER DAMAGE WAS D…
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WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, HITTING THE CONSUMER. CONTACTED DEALER, WHO WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK THE DEALER DISCOVERED THAT THE MODULE MALFUNCTION WAS DUE TO WATER DAMAGE. AFTER FUTHER DISMANTLING THE CONSOLE IN ORDER TO REPAIR, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE WATER DAMAGE WAS DUE TO A LEAK IN THE LEFT COWL AREA. CONSUMER FEELS THAT GMC SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR NOT HAVING ADEQUATE SEALING TO PREVENT WATER FROM SEEPING INTO THE COWL AREA. *SCC
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, APPLIED BRAKES BUT VEHICLE DID NOT STOP IN TIME,AND REAREND VEHICLE IN FRONT. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING BACK AND NECK INJURIES. *AK
WHEN AT SLOW SPEED THERE IS A POPPING NOISE WHEN GEARS CHANGE, DEALER COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. *MJS
ABS BRAKE FAILURE; WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES TRUCK SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE, BUT DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, CAUSING DRIVER TO REAREND ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED ON DRY PAVEMENT, NO INCLEMENT WEATHER. DRIVER HAD PLENTY OF BRAKING DISTANCE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WITH…
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ABS BRAKE FAILURE; WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES TRUCK SLOWED DOWN A LITTLE, BUT DID NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP, CAUSING DRIVER TO REAREND ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS HAPPENED ON DRY PAVEMENT, NO INCLEMENT WEATHER. DRIVER HAD PLENTY OF BRAKING DISTANCE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE TRUCK WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WITH MAJOR BUMPER DAMAGE. *AK
VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE A DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER 'S AIRBAGS OR STANDARD PASSENGER ON/OFF SWITCH. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *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.