IllustrationWHEN BRAKING A LITTLE HARDER THAN NORMAL BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOORBOARD, AND THERE WAS NO STOPPING ABILITY, CAUSING A REAR CRASH. THE VEHICLE IS BEING REPAIRED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *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
What owners actually said
238 reportsNO SUMMARY MODEL (1500)
WHEN MAKING TURNS, PRIMARILY RIGHT TURNS, STEERING WILL BECOME VERY LOOSE WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF CONTROL. *AK
WHENEVER DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED APPROX. 20 MPH OR LESS, HAD TO APPLY BRAKES IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, BUT BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP VEHICLE PROPERLY, AND EXTENDED I STOPPING DISTANCE OCCURRED. ALSO, COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. SEEKING HELP FROM NHTSA IN THIS MATTER OR PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK
THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN WAS LOOSE AND WAS ABLE TO MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE. MECHANIC TIGHTENED THE BOLTS. *AK
PASSENGER'S SIDE SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT, STUCK IN THE CLOSED POSITION, CAUSING LOSS OF PROTECTION. *AK
WE HAVE HAD VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NO RESULTS THEY TELL US THEY CAN NOT FIND ANY THING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. WE TOLD THEM THAT NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN YOU APPLY BRAKES OVER RUFF SURFACE VEHICLE BRAKES FAIL AND DO NOT STOP. I HAVE SKIDDED THROUGH INTERSECTIONS HOPING NOT TO HIT ANYONE AND HUSBAND HAS HAD NUMEROU…
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WE HAVE HAD VEHICLE BACK TO DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NO RESULTS THEY TELL US THEY CAN NOT FIND ANY THING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. WE TOLD THEM THAT NUMEROUS TIMES WHEN YOU APPLY BRAKES OVER RUFF SURFACE VEHICLE BRAKES FAIL AND DO NOT STOP. I HAVE SKIDDED THROUGH INTERSECTIONS HOPING NOT TO HIT ANYONE AND HUSBAND HAS HAD NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS APPLYING BRAKES AND NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP. SINCE WE HAVE OWNED VEHICLE IN THE LAST 2 1/2 YEARS WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS TWICE. ONCE AT 22,000 MILES AND AT 70,000 MILES. BOTH TIMES WERE FACTORY PADS. WE HAVE ALSO CONTACTED GM THEY TOLD US THAT THEY HAD NOT HAD ANY COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE BRAKES AND IN TODAYS PAPER 7/22/99 THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON 91 TO 96 VEHICLES WILL THE 97 GMC PU'S ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL? WHILE I AM COMPLAINING WE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR END WHICH BLEW UP AFTER OWNING IT ONLY 2 WEEKS THE DEALER REPLACED CARRIER BEARINGS ONLY AND NOW IT IS MAKING NOISES AGAIN. ALSO THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 6000 BECAUSE IT WENT OUT, ALSO LAST YEAR WE HAD TO HAVE THE POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED BECAUSE IT WENT OUT AND THE BATTERY AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE WHEN IT LEFT THE MANUFACTURE SOME ONE BOLTED THE BATTERY DOWN AND PUT THE SCREW RIGHT THROUGH THE BATTERY. COULD YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THE RECALL WILL INCLUDE THE 97'S ALSO. THANK YOU. GLENDORA WRIGHT. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 25-35-MPH OVER SOME BUMPS IN THE ROAD, THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, CAUSING INJURIES TO DRIVER. PREVIOUSLY, THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS COMING ON / OFF. DEALER SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG CHIP, AND THEY WOULD NOT DEPLOY. BUT IN THIS CASE, THEY DID. *AK *YC
DRIVER LOSES CONTROL OF THE STEERING. THE FRONT LEFT TIRE FEELS LIKE IT'S SLIDING ON ICE. HAPPENS SPORADICALLY. DEALER CAN'T DUPLICATE PROBLEM. *AK
FUEL PUMP CAUGHT ON FIRE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *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.