IllustrationCONTINUOUS PROBLEMS WITH STEERING JERKING/PULLING VEHICLE. THE STEERING MODULE AND THREE STEERING SENSORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED TO RECTIFY THIS PROBLEM, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS UNSOLVED.
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 reportsTHE STEERING LACKS THE SELF STRAIGHTING FEATURE. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY NOT HAVING ADAQUATE ALIGNEMET ADJUSTABILITY, IT MAKES THE TRUCK HARD TO CONTROL. *AK
STEERING - AT TIMES WHEN STOPPED, THERE IS NO POWER ASSIST; AT TIMES WHILE MOVING AT ANY SPEED, THERE WILL BE WAY TOO MUCH POWER ASSIST CAUSING VEHICLES TO CHANGE LANES/RUN OFF ROAD RAPIDLY. (THIS IS DANGEROUS) --- HEATER BLOWER MOTOR MAKES INTERMITENT TICKING NOISE --- NEITHER PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED BY DEALER; DEALER SAYS ALL …
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STEERING - AT TIMES WHEN STOPPED, THERE IS NO POWER ASSIST; AT TIMES WHILE MOVING AT ANY SPEED, THERE WILL BE WAY TOO MUCH POWER ASSIST CAUSING VEHICLES TO CHANGE LANES/RUN OFF ROAD RAPIDLY. (THIS IS DANGEROUS) --- HEATER BLOWER MOTOR MAKES INTERMITENT TICKING NOISE --- NEITHER PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED BY DEALER; DEALER SAYS ALL LIKE MODELS DO IT; DEALER SAYS THEY HAVE CONTACTED MANUFACTURER AND THERE IS NO FIX.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE STEERING BOX WENT OUT AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF CONTROL. DEALER HAS SEEN. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK AT HIGHWAY SPEED THE STEERING SEEMS UNPREDICTABLE. THE DRIVER HAS VERY LITTLE STEERING CONTROL. THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. A NUMBER OF PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. OWNER CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE STEERING PROBLEMS, STEERING IS VERY LOOSE. *AK
WHILE MAKING TURNS THE STEERING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, CAUSING THE STEERING SYSTEM TO BE INOPERATIVE AND ALMOST CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL. DEALER SAID IT WAS A DEFECTIVE STEERING SENSOR. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
STEERING EFFORT WILL BECOME EXCESSIVE WITH OUT WARNING. WHEN PUT IN AN EMERGENCY STOPPING CONDITION WAS UNABLE TO TURN STEERING TO THE RIGHT. THIS CONDITION HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE. BUT THE EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WILL BECOME EXCESSIVE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AND APPLING THE BRAKES WHEN MOVING AT A SLOW RATE …
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STEERING EFFORT WILL BECOME EXCESSIVE WITH OUT WARNING. WHEN PUT IN AN EMERGENCY STOPPING CONDITION WAS UNABLE TO TURN STEERING TO THE RIGHT. THIS CONDITION HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE. BUT THE EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WILL BECOME EXCESSIVE WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AND APPLING THE BRAKES WHEN MOVING AT A SLOW RATE OF SPEED. VERY NOTICABLE WHEN PULLING INTO OR OUT OF PARKING SPOTS. DEALER HAS BE UNABLE TO REPAIR.
POWER STEERING INTERMITTENTLY EXPERIENCES OVER SENSITIVITY RESULTING IN UNPREDICATABLE STEERING CONTROL.
POWER STEERING WILL GO FROM POWER ASSIST TO FULL POWER WITH NO STEERING WHEEL FEELING AND THE VEHICLE OVER STEERS.
WHEN MAKING A RIGHT TURN VEHICLE LOSES STEERING CONTROL, AND STEERING WHEEL MUST BE TURNED LEFT TO RIGHT TO REGAIN CONTROL. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT DEALERSHIP. PROBLEM INTERMITTENT. *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.