IllustrationWHEN CHANGING LANES OR TURNING, STEERING PULLS WITH A QUICK MOTION. *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
Steering complaints
140 reportsWHILE DRIVING AND MAKING RIGHT HAND TURNS THE SPEED SENSITIVE STEERING CHANGES BETWEEN HIGH AN LOW SPEED MODE. NLM
WHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL FEELS LIKE IT IS BEING JERKED RIGHT OUT OF DRIVER'S HAND, ERRATIC POWER STEERING. CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE STEERING SENSOR IS BAD. *AK
EA99011, THE STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE STEERING TO BIND AND MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. COMMON PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY POWER STEERING GOES OUT AT 25MPH AND LOWER. DEALER HAS DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM, BUT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED ANDWHEN CHANGING LANES OR TURNING A CORNER, STEERING SEEMS TO GET VERY LOOSE. OWNER HAS TRIED TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM TO THE DEALERSHIP. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
TRUCK STEERS ERRACTICALLY WHEN TAKING (NAVIGATING CURVES) A MILD RIGHT TURN AT MODERATE SPEEDS (20-50MPH). THIS DOES NOT OCCUR ON LEFT TURNS AND SEEMS TO MANIFEST ITSELF BY GIVING MORE "ASSIST" TO STEERING EFFORT THAN NEEDED. WHEN STEERING INTO A CURVE, WITH A STATIC, STEADY GRIP AND FORCE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, THE POWER ASSIST…
Read full complaint
TRUCK STEERS ERRACTICALLY WHEN TAKING (NAVIGATING CURVES) A MILD RIGHT TURN AT MODERATE SPEEDS (20-50MPH). THIS DOES NOT OCCUR ON LEFT TURNS AND SEEMS TO MANIFEST ITSELF BY GIVING MORE "ASSIST" TO STEERING EFFORT THAN NEEDED. WHEN STEERING INTO A CURVE, WITH A STATIC, STEADY GRIP AND FORCE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, THE POWER ASSIST MECHANISM SUDDENLY "MAKES IT EASIER" TO STEER, HENCE CAUSING OVERSTEER. ONE DEALER CLAIMS THAT A STEERING POSITION SENSOR HAS GONE DEFECTIVE. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND IT WAS BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT WHEN TODAY, DRIVING AT 30MPH, I NEARLY OVERSTEERED INTO A YOUNG WOMAN AND HER BABY ON THE SIDEWALK WHEN NEGOTIATING A VERY MILD RIGHT CURVE. I'M GETTING THIS FIXED AT THE NEXT OIL CHANGE ...
POWER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY EXPERIENCES OVER SENSITIVITY RESULTING IN UNPREDICATABLE STEERING CONTROL.
POWER STEERING CONTINUALLY OVER CORRECTS/ASSISTS. THE STEERING WILL SUDDENLY JUMP DURING TURNS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS NUMEROUS TIMES. THE STEERING FEELS AS THOUGH IT IS TRYING TO OVER ASSIST DURING TURNS (BOTH GRADUAL AND TIGHT TURNS).
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED IF STEERING WHEEL IS MOVED VEHICLE WILL GO INTO THE NEXT LANE. *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.