IllustrationVEHICLE WOULD NOT START.THERE WAS A FIRE IN LOWER GAS TANK FLOAT, WIRES WERE BURNED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
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
What owners actually said
272 reportsWHILE DRIVING ON WET OR DRY PAVEMENT AND APPLYING BRAKES, ANTI-LOCK BRAKES KICKED IN. THIS PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. ALSO, DEALER SAID BEARINGS WERE WORN OUT. *AK
MILEAGE NOW 100000 DEALER NOW IDENTIFIED EVO SENSOR TO BE FAULTY. THE NUMBER OF THESE FAILURES ON THE NHTSA IS EXTENSIVE IS A MANUFACTUERER RECALL IN EFFECT? MY OPINION IS FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS MANDATORY TO AVOID CATASTROPHIC FAILURES AND INJURY.
ERRATIC STEERING. DEALER HAS INSPECTED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK SPEED DEPENDENT STEERING ELECTRONIC VARIABLE DEVICE SYSTEM FAILED CAUSING THE POWER STEERING ERRATIC. *YH
4TH GM CVEHICLE TO HAVE SAME PROBLEM. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED. *AK
FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, THE TRUCK HAS BEEN CUTTING OFF UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS IT LOSES POWER STEERING AND IS VERY HARD TO CONTROL. IT HAS CUT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF BUSY INTERSECTIONS AS WELL. GM IS AWARE THERE IS A PROBLEM - THEY RECENTLY SENT OUT A NOTICE CLAIMING THEY WERE EXTENDING THE WARRANTY …
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FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, THE TRUCK HAS BEEN CUTTING OFF UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS IT LOSES POWER STEERING AND IS VERY HARD TO CONTROL. IT HAS CUT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF BUSY INTERSECTIONS AS WELL. GM IS AWARE THERE IS A PROBLEM - THEY RECENTLY SENT OUT A NOTICE CLAIMING THEY WERE EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THE FUEL INJECTION PUMP. HOWEVER, WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. NOT ONLY THAT THEY REFUSED TO SELL ME PARTS SO THAT MY MECHANIC COULD FIX IT. I AM NOW STUCK WITH A $35,000 TRUCK THAT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND I CANNOT GET REPAIRED.
WINDSHIELD WIPERS DO NOT OPERATE IN THE INTERMITTENT MODE, OFTEN DO NOT CEASE WHEN PLACING THE SWITCH TO THE 'OFF' POSITION RIGHT AWAY AND DO NOT RETURN TO THE STANDBY POSITION.*AK
IN EARLY MAY 2000, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT GOING 65MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS ABLE TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND PULL INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE TO REPLACE IT. THE TIRE WAS A FIRESTONE STEELTEX AT TIRE WHICH WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON MY CHEN CK1500 WITH APPROX 60,000 MILES. THERE IS STILL ADEQUATE TREAD ON THE TIRES. IT LO…
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IN EARLY MAY 2000, THE LEFT FRONT TIRE BLEW OUT GOING 65MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS ABLE TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND PULL INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE TO REPLACE IT. THE TIRE WAS A FIRESTONE STEELTEX AT TIRE WHICH WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON MY CHEN CK1500 WITH APPROX 60,000 MILES. THERE IS STILL ADEQUATE TREAD ON THE TIRES. IT LOOKS LIKE A SIDEWALL BLOWOUT. (DOT NUMBER: VN11BAB157 TIRESIZE: LT24575R16)
LEFT REAR TIRE BLEWOUT WITHOUT WARNING AND VIOLENTLY SLID TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD (FIRESTONE STEELTEX RADIAL LT245/75R16 6 PLY)
STEERING SENSOR GOES OUT MAINLY AT HIGH SPEED. STEERING GETS REAL TIGHT. FASTER CONSUMER GOES. WHEN VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN STEERING IS SO LOOSE, IT'S LIKE BEING ON ICE. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. IT'S BEEN REPAIRED 10 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM THERE IS NO REMEDY.*AK THE SENSOR HAD BEEN REPLACED FIVE TIMES BUT THE PROBLEM STIL…
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STEERING SENSOR GOES OUT MAINLY AT HIGH SPEED. STEERING GETS REAL TIGHT. FASTER CONSUMER GOES. WHEN VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN STEERING IS SO LOOSE, IT'S LIKE BEING ON ICE. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. IT'S BEEN REPAIRED 10 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM THERE IS NO REMEDY.*AK THE SENSOR HAD BEEN REPLACED FIVE TIMES BUT THE PROBLEM STILL NOT SOLVED. *YH
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.