IllustrationWHEN MAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN STEERING WHEEL JERKS LOOSE INTO THE DIRECTION THAT THE WHEEL IS TURNED, BUT THE VEHICLE ITSELF DOES NOT RESPOND TO THE JERK. IF HELD IN THE TURNING POSITION, WHEEL PULSATES. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
1997 GMC Sierra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Sierra years
Owner complaints for the 1997 GMC Sierra are substantially higher than the model-year median of 53.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Sierra 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: 49 of 238 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
6 crash reports5 fire reports4 injury reports
Steering complaints
63 reportsNO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
I HAVE 5# OF PAPER WORK ON THIS ONE,HAD TROUBLE WITH THIE STEERING GEAR BOX AT 1150 MILES, HAD ROCKER AND LIFTERS DONE AT 4407 MILES, AGAIN AT 6344 MILES, BRAKES AGAIN AT 15986 MILES,24116 DRIVE SHAFT OUT OF BALANCE, I'M STILL HAVEING TROUBLE WITH THE BRAKES SOME TIMES IT IS LIKE ON BRAKE AND SOME TIMES IT'S LIKE THEY LOCK UP TH…
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I HAVE 5# OF PAPER WORK ON THIS ONE,HAD TROUBLE WITH THIE STEERING GEAR BOX AT 1150 MILES, HAD ROCKER AND LIFTERS DONE AT 4407 MILES, AGAIN AT 6344 MILES, BRAKES AGAIN AT 15986 MILES,24116 DRIVE SHAFT OUT OF BALANCE, I'M STILL HAVEING TROUBLE WITH THE BRAKES SOME TIMES IT IS LIKE ON BRAKE AND SOME TIMES IT'S LIKE THEY LOCK UP THE BACK WHEELS AT THE SPEED OF 5MPH ON DRY PAVEMENT OR WHAT EVER SURFES, OR AT THE STOP SIGN WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKE,YOU CAN HERE THE ABS. I HAVE TRYED DEALING WITH BBB, AND GMC PUT GOT NO WHERE, I WROTE TO THE ATT GEN'S OF BOTH MN AND TX, BUT GOT NO WHERE.I HAVE ALL THE PAPER WORK FROM DAY ONE, I"M PAYING OVER 40.000.00 FOR THIS. *AK
CONSUMER STATES WHEN TRAVELING UPON MAKING A LEFT OR A RIGHT HAND TURN CONSUMER NOTICE THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOOSE CAUSING POOR STEERING CONTROL, CONSUMER ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
POWER STEERING SUDDENLY JERKS WHILE CHANGING LANES OR MAKING TURNS. YH
STEERING BECOMES IRRATIC WHEN TURNING. VEHICLE SUDDENLY OVERSTEERS THEN RETURNS BACK TO NORMAL ,CAUSING MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL. DEALER REPLACED (SVS)SENSOR TO CORRECT PROBLEM. *AK
THE STEERING SYSTEM WORKS INTERMITTENTLY CAUSING THE WHEEL TO FEEL"LOOSE" WHICH MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL. *YC
WHEN DRIVING AT HIGH SPEED, FRON WHEEL STEERING FRONT SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED, ALLOWING WRONG SIGNALS INTO STEERING. WHEN GOING AROUND A CURB OR CORNER THE STEERING LOOSENS UP. *AK
INTERMITTENT STRONG UNEXPECTED STEERING WHEEL MOVEMENT AT APPROX. 35 MILES PER HOUR AN ABOVE THIS WILL HAPPEN WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT BUT IS MOST SEVERE WHEN TAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN IT FEELS LIKE THE STEERING WHEEL SLIPS APPROX 3 TO 4 INCHES INCREASING THE RATE OF TURN THE VEHICLE ALSO VIOLENTLY MOVES IN THAT DIRECTION.
NO SUMMARY MODEL (1500)
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.