IllustrationSTEERING BECOMES ERRATIC AT SPEEDS OVER 35 MPH, VEHICLE WILL TURN SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING. STEERING POSITION SENSOR WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES, PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS.*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 reportsSTEERING GEAR BOX LOCKED . MANUFCTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED .*AK
NO SUMMARY
EA 99011; CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET AT 75 MPH WHEN A DEER JUMPED OUT OF THE MEDIAN, CONSUMER SWERVED TO MISS DEER, BUT STEERING WHEEL OVERSTEERED, AND VEHICLE SLID INTO A DITCH AND ROLLED OVER.*AK
WHILE MAKING A TURN STEERING WHEEL FEELS LOOSE, AND PULLS TO THE RIGHT. TECHNICIAN SAID THAT PROBLEM WAS WITH AVA CENTER.*AK
WHEN MAKING A RIGHT TURN STEERING WHEEL WILL ACTUALLY TURN MORE, WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH. STEERING SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES IN APRIL 1998/ AUG 1998, AND APRIL1999. SENSOR WAS STARTING TO GO AGAIN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
THE VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED CONTINUED INTERMITTENT STEERING PROBLEMS, WHICH PULLS THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY, UNABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *MJS
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD POWER STEERING IS NOT CONSTANT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO PULL FROM ONE SIDE TO ANOTHER INTERMITTENTLY. CONTACTED DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SENSOR ON POWER STEERING UNIT WAS DEFECTIVE. *AK
THE STEERING CAUSES THE TRUCK TO SWERVE OUT OF DRIVING LANE. THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HWY. WITH NO WARNING. THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR WOULD WORK INTERMITANTLY WHEN EVER IT FELT LIKE, THIS SAME WIPER MOTOR IS USED ON GMC TRUCKS AND HAS BEEN RECALLED WHY HASN'T IT BE RCALLED ON CHEVROLET TRUCKS, IT'S THE EXACT …
Read full complaint
THE STEERING CAUSES THE TRUCK TO SWERVE OUT OF DRIVING LANE. THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HWY. WITH NO WARNING. THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR WOULD WORK INTERMITANTLY WHEN EVER IT FELT LIKE, THIS SAME WIPER MOTOR IS USED ON GMC TRUCKS AND HAS BEEN RECALLED WHY HASN'T IT BE RCALLED ON CHEVROLET TRUCKS, IT'S THE EXACT SAME PART #. ENGINE COOLING LINES LEAKED AT OIL COOLER, DEALER BANNER CHEVROLET CHANGED OIL PAN GASKET , REAR OIL CRANK SEAL AND THEN OIL PAN GASKET AGAIN TO NO AVAIL, BROUGHT TO BRYAN CHEVROLET WHICH IS ANOTHER DEALER AND THEY FIXED THE LEAK TURNED OUT TO BE O RING ON OIL COOLER HOUSING.
DRIVING VEHICLE & TRYING TO MAINTAIN IT ON THE ROAD WHEN THE STEERING JERKED AWAY FROM DRIVER'S HAND. TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC & INFORMED CONSUMER THAT A SPOOL VALVE IN POWER STEERING BOX CAUSED PROBLEM. DID NOT ALLOW FLUID TO FLOW THROUGH TO STEERING, STEERING BY ITSELF. AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED…
Read full complaint
DRIVING VEHICLE & TRYING TO MAINTAIN IT ON THE ROAD WHEN THE STEERING JERKED AWAY FROM DRIVER'S HAND. TOOK VEHICLE TO MECHANIC & INFORMED CONSUMER THAT A SPOOL VALVE IN POWER STEERING BOX CAUSED PROBLEM. DID NOT ALLOW FLUID TO FLOW THROUGH TO STEERING, STEERING BY ITSELF. AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK *ML
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.