IllustrationWHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS & COMING TO A STOP LIGHT BRAKES LOCKED UP. CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO MOVE CAR AGAIN. HAD TO GET IT TOWED. CONSUMER DID NOT CONTACT DEALER. *AK
1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 525.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 1500 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
60–25K
1725–50K
2850–75K
3975–100K
35100–150K
22150K+
147 reports with mileage · 408 unknown
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 140 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 123 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
29 crash reports13 fire reports13 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
123 reportsBRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE ROTORS TO BE WORN OUT. ALSO, BRAKE PADS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FREQUENTLY. THIS CAUSED VEHICLE TO JUMP WHEN STOPPING, AND MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. HOWEVER, HAD ROTORS TURNED 5 TIMES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
ABS BRAKE PROBLEM: WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES UNDER NORMAL BRAKING CONDTIONS THE ABS KICKS, WHICH MAKES THE TRUCK TRAVEL AN ADDITIONAL 20 FEET BEFORE STOPPING. THIS HAPPENS WHILE TRAVELING ON A DRY/ SMOOTH ROAD SURFACE. TRUCK HAS BEEN SERVICED 5 OR 6 TIMES FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS. CONSUMER STILL CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE BRAKE PROBLEMS…
Read full complaint
ABS BRAKE PROBLEM: WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES UNDER NORMAL BRAKING CONDTIONS THE ABS KICKS, WHICH MAKES THE TRUCK TRAVEL AN ADDITIONAL 20 FEET BEFORE STOPPING. THIS HAPPENS WHILE TRAVELING ON A DRY/ SMOOTH ROAD SURFACE. TRUCK HAS BEEN SERVICED 5 OR 6 TIMES FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS. CONSUMER STILL CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE BRAKE PROBLEMS. *AK
BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING WITH ENTIRE FAMILY IN CAR.
WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH APPLIED THE BRAKES AND VEHICLE WA S MOVING TO THE RIGHT. UPON TAKING FOOT OFF THE BRAKES, VEHICLE WAS MOVING TO THE LEFT. *AK
WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED PEDAL BECAME HARD, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, AND CAUSING A COLLISION. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH AND APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES, THE SYSTEM PULSATED AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE OCCURRED, RESULTING IN A COLLISION. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK *ML
TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH BRAKES WERE APPLIED BUT VEHICLE WAS VERY HARD TO STOP. THERE WAS A HISSING SOUND FROM BRAKE PEDAL AREA. *AK
STEERING AND BRAKING FAILURE
THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS WHEN THE STEERING AND BRAKES HAVE GONE OUT. WE TOW A 2000 POUND TRAILER AND WE ARE WORRIED THIS WILL HAPPEN WHILE WE ARE TOWING HELP WHAT CAN WE DO? *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.