IllustrationTHE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *JB
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
Visibility complaints
24 reportsWHEN RAINING WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING, IT HAS HAPPENED TOO MANY TIMES TO COUNT. IT STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO. VIN # IS NOT INCLUDED IN PRESENT RECALL. YOUR AFRAID TO DRIVE ANYWHERE WHEN RAIN IS POSSIBLE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WORKING. THERE WAS A WINDSHIELD WIPER RECALL 03V15900 BUT THE VIN NUMBER WASN'T INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *NM *SC *JB
POWER STEERING GOES OUT OCCASIONALLY. THIS HAS BEEN NOTED MANY TIMES ON THE NHSTA WEB SITE AS WELL AS OTHER CONSUMER COMPLIANT WEB SITES EXPLAINING THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE SERIES. *AK THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE INTERMITTENT. *SC *JB
THE VEHICLE STALLED 5 TIMES IN ONE MORNING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. THE WEATHER WARMED UP OUTSIDE AND THE VEHICLE RAN AND STARTED FINE. THE NEXT EVENING THE VEHICLE STARTED FINE, I GOT 1/2 BLOCK DOWN THE ROAD IT STALLED AGAIN. I WAITED FOR A FEW MINUTES AND IT RAN FINE. THE NEXT MORNING IT STARTED FINE AND I DROVE IT FOR MILES, H…
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THE VEHICLE STALLED 5 TIMES IN ONE MORNING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. THE WEATHER WARMED UP OUTSIDE AND THE VEHICLE RAN AND STARTED FINE. THE NEXT EVENING THE VEHICLE STARTED FINE, I GOT 1/2 BLOCK DOWN THE ROAD IT STALLED AGAIN. I WAITED FOR A FEW MINUTES AND IT RAN FINE. THE NEXT MORNING IT STARTED FINE AND I DROVE IT FOR MILES, HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT STALLING. WE CALLED GMC TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR, BECAUSE THE WIPERS WOULD WORK WHEN THEY WANTED TO WORK. NOT WHEN YOU NEEDED THEM TO WORK. THEY HAD TOLD US THAT THERE WAS ALSO AN IGNITION COIL PROBLEM WITH THIS TRUCK-THEY CALLED THE GMC DEALER THAT WAS TO DO THE RECALL WORK. A FAULTY IGNITION COIL CAN GIVE THE SAME SIDE EFFECTS AS A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP. WE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHEN WE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF IT WOULD NOT RESTART. THE RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, BUT STILL WOULD NOT START. THE GMC DEALER TOLD US IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE FUEL PUMP, THE DEALER TOLD US THE FUEL PUMPS IN THIS VEHICLE GO OUT "FREQUENTLY." BUT, HE OFFERED US TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP FOR $450.+ INCLUDING LABOR. OR SELL US ONE OVER THE COUNTER FOR APPROXIMATELY $425.00 + TAX. AND WE COULD INSTALL IT OURSELVES. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO OUR HOUSE AND NOW ARE DECIDING WHAT TYPE OF FUEL PUMP SHOULD BE BOUGHT FOR A VEHICLE THAT THE FUEL PUMP GOES OUT FREQUENTLY IN. OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT THIS TRUCK HAS 85,066 MILES ON IT, AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS. WHY ARE THE VEHICLES FITTED WITH FAULTY/DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS. THE PUMP CAN CATCH ON FIRE, OR GO OUT IF YOU HIT TOO MANY BUMPS IN THE ROAD. THAT IS A MANUFACTURER PROBLEM OF A FAULTY PRODUCT. PLEASE LET US KNOW, HOW MANY FUEL PUMPS WE SHOULD PLAN ON REPLACING IN THE NORMAL LIFE OF THIS VEHICLE. *LA
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK ERRATICALLY, SOMETIMES WILL JUST CUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING WHEN IN USE.CONTACTED DEALER.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING INTERMITTENTLY, CAUSING LOSS OF VISION. 1995 GMC RECALL (98V150001) SHOULD INCLUDE THIS MODEL YEAR ALSO.*AK
WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN, CONSUMER TURNED ON WINDSHIELD WIPERS, THE MOTOR RAN, BUT THE WIPERS DID NOT COME ON.*AK *TT
HEATER CAUSES 3RD DEGREE BURNS ON DRIVER'S RIGHT FOOT, MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. FEEL FREEE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. ALSO, SOMETIMES THEY COME ON WHEN TURNED OFF.*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.