IllustrationWHILE DRIVING STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL WHICH MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. *AK *ML
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 reportsUPON DEPRESSING BRAKES UNDER NORMAL STOPPING CONDITIONS, BRAKE PEDAL WAS VERY SLOPPY WHICH CAUSED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. ALSO, PROBLEM TENDED TO OCCUR MORE ON DRY PAVEMENT. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
INSTANTANEOUS POWER LOSS WHILE PASSING SEMI-TRUCK TRAILER. PROBLEM CONFIRMED BY CHEVROLET DEALER AS DUE TO STUCK FUEL INJECTOR. PLACED DRIVER, PASSENGER AND OTHER VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AT RISK OF COLLISION. PROBLEM HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY SERVICED BY ANOTHER CHEVROLET DEALER ONLY ONE MONTH BEFORE. DEALERS CLAIM THAT CHEVROLET VORTEC E…
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INSTANTANEOUS POWER LOSS WHILE PASSING SEMI-TRUCK TRAILER. PROBLEM CONFIRMED BY CHEVROLET DEALER AS DUE TO STUCK FUEL INJECTOR. PLACED DRIVER, PASSENGER AND OTHER VEHICLE OCCUPANTS AT RISK OF COLLISION. PROBLEM HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY SERVICED BY ANOTHER CHEVROLET DEALER ONLY ONE MONTH BEFORE. DEALERS CLAIM THAT CHEVROLET VORTEC ENGINE FUEL INJECTORS HAVE KNOWN STICKING PROBLEM WITH CALIFORNIA FORMULA FUELS. DIAGRAM OF POTENTIAL COLLISION SITUATION AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. *AK
WHILE DRIVING OUT OF A PARKING LOT WAS NOT ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. POWER STEERING SHAFT PUMP BROKE INTERNALLY. CONTACTED THE DEALER. *AK
SEVERAL TIMES DURING LONG SWEEPING TURNS THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY BECAME MORE EFFECTIVE AND A QUICK CORRECTION WAS NEEDED TO REMAIN IN MY LANE. AS IT WAS, THE TRUCK BECOMES SLIGHTLY UNBALANCED DUE TO THE QUICK CHANGES AND THIS COULD BE A REAL PROBLEM . *AK
A FIRE STARTED UNDER THE MIDDLE CONSOLE, CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO MALFUNCTION. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
CONSUMERS MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOOSE STEERING AND BRAKING ABILITY WHILE DRIVING AND SHE CRASHED INTO THE HIGHWAY DIVIDER, AS A RESULT THE AIR BAG DEPLOYEND, TRAPPING AND SUFFOCATING HER. THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE BECAME FILLED WITH SMOKE, THE DOORS WERE JAMMED AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO OPEN TH…
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CONSUMERS MASTER CYLINDER AND BRAKE BOOSTER FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOOSE STEERING AND BRAKING ABILITY WHILE DRIVING AND SHE CRASHED INTO THE HIGHWAY DIVIDER, AS A RESULT THE AIR BAG DEPLOYEND, TRAPPING AND SUFFOCATING HER. THE INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE BECAME FILLED WITH SMOKE, THE DOORS WERE JAMMED AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO OPEN THE UNTIL SOMEONE CAME TO HER VEHICLE AND OPENED THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. NLM
ABS PROBLEMS; INTERMITTENTLY WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES PEDAL FEELS VERY SPONGY AND GOES DOWN TO THE FLOORBOARD. THIS HAPPENS ON NORMAL ROAD SURFACES. NO DIFFERENCE ON WET ROAD SURFACES. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *AK
SIDE REAR VIEW MIRRORS SHAKE TO THE POINT WHERE THE VIEW IS OBSTRUCTED WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE MIRRORS TWICE. PROBLEM IS STILL PRESENT. *AK
THE REAR WHEEL BRAKE CYLINDERS HAD BLOWN THEIR SEALS CAUSING CONSUMERS TO EXPERIENCE LOW BRAKE PEDAL. NLM
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.