IllustrationDIDN'T GET RAPAIRED YET. CHEVY WILL REPLACE PUMPS, BUT I HAVE TO PAY FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM TO GET FLUSHED BECAUSE OF METAL IN THE SYSTEM THAT IS FROM THE DEFFECTIVE PUMP. WHICH THEY SAY IS $1100 AND I THINK IS OUTRAGEOUS.
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 reportsNo narrative supplied in this record.
THE PASSENGER PUSHED THE BUTTON FOR THE WINDOW TO ROLL UP AND STUCK HIS HEAD OUT, AND WITHOUT WARNING, THE WINDOW CLOSED AND CAUGHT HIS HEAD IN THE WINDOW. DRIVER HIT THE BUTTON FOUR TIMES, THEN IT RELEASED. THE PASSENGER WAS BLUE IN THE FACE, AND HAD TO BE REVIVED BY CPR, AND TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO HOSPITAL.*AK
1997 CHEVROLET SILVERADO EXT. CAB. 1500 SERIES, AT LOW SPEED I AM EXPERENCING INTERMITTENT LOSS IN MY POWER STEERING ON LEFT TURNS. *AK
SHIFTS HARD AND MAKES A LOUD SOUND AND JERKS THE VEH. I TALKED TO MANY TRANSMISSION SHOPS. AND THEY SAY THAT IT IS VERY COMMON WITH THE 97 MODELS IT COST AROUND $300.00 DOLLARS TO FIX. SOMETHING TO DO WITH SHIFTING TUBE THAT HAS TO BE DRILLED OUT BECAUSE OF FLUID PRESSURE. THIS IS ALSO TRUE WITH EVERY VEH WITH THE SAME TRANS…
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SHIFTS HARD AND MAKES A LOUD SOUND AND JERKS THE VEH. I TALKED TO MANY TRANSMISSION SHOPS. AND THEY SAY THAT IT IS VERY COMMON WITH THE 97 MODELS IT COST AROUND $300.00 DOLLARS TO FIX. SOMETHING TO DO WITH SHIFTING TUBE THAT HAS TO BE DRILLED OUT BECAUSE OF FLUID PRESSURE. THIS IS ALSO TRUE WITH EVERY VEH WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION. NOW YOU NOW THE TRUTH SO FIX THE PROBLEM GM. YOUR GETTING AS BAD AS F.O.R.D. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT STARTED SLIDING BACK AND FORTH ON THE TRACK. SEVERAL MINUTES LATER, THE ENTIRE SEAT BACK FELL BACKWARDS, AND CONSUMER NEARLY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE STEERING WHEEL GETS LOOSE. IF I'M ON A ROAD WITH A CURVE AND I HAVE PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT LET'S SAY OR LEFT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SUDDENLY LOOSEN UP AND QUICKLY TURN IN THE DIRECTION OF THE PRESSURE I'M APPLYING. AS IF OPENING A JAR. IT GETS THAT LOOSE. I ALMOST HIT A COU…
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WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THE STEERING WHEEL GETS LOOSE. IF I'M ON A ROAD WITH A CURVE AND I HAVE PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT LET'S SAY OR LEFT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SUDDENLY LOOSEN UP AND QUICKLY TURN IN THE DIRECTION OF THE PRESSURE I'M APPLYING. AS IF OPENING A JAR. IT GETS THAT LOOSE. I ALMOST HIT A COUPLE OF PARKED CARS BECAUSE OF THIS. THE ONLY REASON WE FOUND OUT ABOUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS IS WE OVERHEARD A CHEVY OWNER SHOWING SOMEONE THE PART HE HAD TO CHANGE. THIS WAS AFTER WE HAD THE FRONT END DONE TO NO AVAIL. THIS GUY HAD THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF FRONT END WORK DONE AT THREE DIFFERENT CHEVY DEALERS TO NO AVAIL. OUR PART COST $50 AND THE LABOR WAS $100. I'VE TALKED TO TAHOE OWNERS AND RODE IN THEIR VEHICLES AND THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS I DID. WE HAD TO TELL THEM WHAT THE FIX WAS. PRETTY LAME SEEING THE DEALERS DON'T EVEN KNOW. IF CHEVY WOULD AT LEAST TELL THEIR MECHANICS IF THEY WON'T RECALL. BY THE WAY THE PART IS A EVO SENSOR AND IT RAPS AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN INSIDE THE VEHICLE RIGHT ABOVE THE BRAKE PEDAL. WE WOULD HAVE CHANGED IT OURSELVES BUT YOU HAVE TO FOOL WITH THE AIRBAG, SO WE PAID SOMEONE TO DO IT. ALSO, THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED HUNDREDS OF TIMES BEFORE WE FIXED IT. THERE WASN'T JUST ONE INCIDENT DATE AS YOU MADE ME FILL OUT ON YOUR FORM. THANK-YOU. *LA
STARTED FROM STOP AND THE BACK OF THE DRIVER SEAT FLIPPED BACKWARDS. I WAS HOLDING ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND AS I FELL BACK MY FOOT CAME OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT SLID FORWARD. I WAS ABLE TO GET UP IN TIME TO HIT BRAKE AND AVOID HITTING CAR IN FRONT. I DID NOT SUSTAIN INJURY. SEAT IS NOW BROKEN. BACK WILL…
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STARTED FROM STOP AND THE BACK OF THE DRIVER SEAT FLIPPED BACKWARDS. I WAS HOLDING ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND AS I FELL BACK MY FOOT CAME OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT SLID FORWARD. I WAS ABLE TO GET UP IN TIME TO HIT BRAKE AND AVOID HITTING CAR IN FRONT. I DID NOT SUSTAIN INJURY. SEAT IS NOW BROKEN. BACK WILL NOT STAY UP AND BOTTOM WILL NOT LOCK IN PLACE. CANNOT DRIVE THE TRUCK SAFELY.*AK
CONSUMER WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. TRANSMISSION CHANGED ROUGHLY WHEN EXITING OFF A RAMP. DRIVER HAD TO TURN VEHICLE OFF AND WAIT 5-10 SECONDS, THEN RESTART TO RESET THE COMPUTER. *AK
THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO WORK. SOMETIMES THE OBSTRUCT THE DRIVERS VIEW. THE DEALER STATED NO RECALL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *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.