IllustrationTHERE WAS REDUCED STEERING, AND STEERING WANDERED TO ONE SIDE. HAPPENED AT ABOVE 25 MPH. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR REPAIRS. *AK TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 86-32-06 WAS USED BY THE DEALER TO FIX. CAN RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL IN STEERING. *YH
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
What owners actually said
238 reportsMY TRUCK WAS IN FOURTEEN MONTHS LATER FOR THE SAME REPAIR-I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE- THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE REPLACED MANY OF THESE SENSORS - I DID NOT FEEL SAFE LETTING MY WIFE DRIVE MY TRUCK, ESPECIALLY AT SPEEDS OVER 45MPH. NO PRECISE SAFETY DEFECT LISTED *AK
ACCELERATOR CABLE WAS BADLY FRAYED AND COMING APART. VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP RIGHT AWAY AFTER BRAKES WERE APPLIED. ENGINE KEPT REVVING. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 20 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE AND VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN, TRANSMISSION HAD GONE OUT. *AK CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS A NOSIE AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 2ND, 4TH, OR REVERSE AND HAD NO COMPRESSION BRAKING ON A HILL .*JB
AFTER A LONG RUN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD FROM 1ST TO 2ND, CONDITION LEADS EVENTUALLY TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE.*AK
CV JOINTS ON FRONT END NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, THIS WOULD BE 3RD TIME.*AK
I HAVE COMPLAINED TO GMC ABOUT MY PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING AND THEY GAVE ME A FILE # C0344768. BASICALLY, THEY DIDN'T CONSIDER IT A SAFETY ISSUE BUT I WAS CONCERNED WITH MY GEAR BOX FREEZING ON ME OR SOMETHING. I HAD REPLACED THE PUMP ONCE AND ALL IT TOOK TO RUIN THE PUMP AGAIN WAS A 500 MILE TRIP. I KNOW THAT THINGS GO W…
Read full complaint
I HAVE COMPLAINED TO GMC ABOUT MY PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING AND THEY GAVE ME A FILE # C0344768. BASICALLY, THEY DIDN'T CONSIDER IT A SAFETY ISSUE BUT I WAS CONCERNED WITH MY GEAR BOX FREEZING ON ME OR SOMETHING. I HAD REPLACED THE PUMP ONCE AND ALL IT TOOK TO RUIN THE PUMP AGAIN WAS A 500 MILE TRIP. I KNOW THAT THINGS GO WRONG WITH VEHICLES BUT AT 55,000 MILES POWER STEERING SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE. I AM GLAD THAT IT DIDN'T CAUSE ANY INJURIES. *AIK
I FOUND 29 PAGES OF THE SAME PROBLEMS ON NET LEMON LAW. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
EVO SYSTEM IS CREATING A DANGERIOUS DRIVING SITUATION AND SHOULD BE SAFETY RECALLED, I HAVE CONTACTED GMC AND HAVE RECIEVED NO SATISFACTION AT ALL.*AK
BRAKE ROTOR SEPARATING FROM HUB, CAUSING EXCESSIVE WEAR, VIBRATIONS; ULTIMATELY THE WHEEL WILL FALL OFF
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.