IllustrationTHE THIRD DOOR ON THE VEHICLE DID NOT OPEN, THERE WAS A TEAR IN THE SEATS, AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHIFTING LATE AND HARD, THE TRANSMISSION WAS EVENTUALLY REPLACED AT 56,000, CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION FAILED ON THE SECOND VEHICLE AT 126,000 MILES.*JB
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
What owners actually said
555 reportsTRUCK WAS RUNNING FINE WITH NO INDICATION OF TROUBLE WHEN PARKED, UPON REENTRY TRUCK DID NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO START, ENGINE WOULD TURN SPIN FREELY. TOWED TO SHOP. FUEL PUMP SUPPOSEDLY FAILED ACCORDING TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND WAS REPLACED WITH 46,000 MILES ON TRUCK. TRUCK DROVE LESS THAN 500 MILES AND FAILED TO START WITH …
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TRUCK WAS RUNNING FINE WITH NO INDICATION OF TROUBLE WHEN PARKED, UPON REENTRY TRUCK DID NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO START, ENGINE WOULD TURN SPIN FREELY. TOWED TO SHOP. FUEL PUMP SUPPOSEDLY FAILED ACCORDING TO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP AND WAS REPLACED WITH 46,000 MILES ON TRUCK. TRUCK DROVE LESS THAN 500 MILES AND FAILED TO START WITH SEEMINGLY THE SAME PROBLEM. TOWED TO CHEVEROLET DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. FUEL PUMP SENDING UNIT CONNECTION INSIDE THE TANK WAS BURNED OUT. SERVICE MANAGER SAID THIS WAS A COMMON FAILURE FOR ALL CHEVEROLET TRUCKS WITH VORTEC ENGINES. HE RETURNED THE DEFECTIVE SENDING UNIT TO ME AND I COULD PLAINLY SEE THE BURNED ELECTRICAL CONNECTION AT THE TOP OF THE UNIT. UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS AN EXPLOSION WOULD BE POSSIBLE IF SUFFICIENT OXYGEN WAS IN THE TANK. FUEL PUMP AND COMPONENT PARTS SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN 46,000 MILES.
WHILE DRIVING IN WET WEATHER, VEHICLES' WINDSHIELD WIPERS EITHER HESITATES TO WORK OR QUIT WORKING, OR DON'T WORK AT ALL. THIS RESULTS IN DRIVER HAVING POOR VISIBILITY, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE WIPER MODULE, AND ALSO THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MO…
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WHILE DRIVING IN WET WEATHER, VEHICLES' WINDSHIELD WIPERS EITHER HESITATES TO WORK OR QUIT WORKING, OR DON'T WORK AT ALL. THIS RESULTS IN DRIVER HAVING POOR VISIBILITY, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE WIPER MODULE, AND ALSO THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE CONSUMER STATES' THE VEHICLES BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON CONSTANTLY. TOOK TO A MECHANIC AND THEY STATED THE CIRCUIT BOARD IN TAIL LIGHT MAY HAVE A SHORT IN IT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
THE FEUL PUMP WENT OUT, FIRST TIME AT 61013 MILES, WAS RELACED WITH 200 DOLLAR DEDUCTABLE. THEN WENT OUT AGAIN AT75860 MILES, BUT THIS TIME THEY SAID ALSO THE SENDING UNIT. THAT HOLDS THE PUMP WENT OUT. THEY SHOWED ME BURNT WIRES ON THIS PART, SO SENCE IT WASNT ONLY THE PUMP ,COST ME ANOTHER 200 DEDUCTED INSTEAD OF GETTING …
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THE FEUL PUMP WENT OUT, FIRST TIME AT 61013 MILES, WAS RELACED WITH 200 DOLLAR DEDUCTABLE. THEN WENT OUT AGAIN AT75860 MILES, BUT THIS TIME THEY SAID ALSO THE SENDING UNIT. THAT HOLDS THE PUMP WENT OUT. THEY SHOWED ME BURNT WIRES ON THIS PART, SO SENCE IT WASNT ONLY THE PUMP ,COST ME ANOTHER 200 DEDUCTED INSTEAD OF GETTING REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. I'VE READ OTHERS HAVE HAD SAME PROBLEMS AS I, AND FEEL THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS BEFORE IT DOES CAUSE A FIRE AND FATALITYS. DT
WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL TURN QUICK AND HARD TO THE LEFT. CONSUMER FEELS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE GEAR BOX. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH
WHEN PARKING, CONSUMER PUT VEHICLE INTO REVERSE GEAR. THE VEHICLE DIDN'T REVERSE, THE ENGINE JUST ACCELERATED. CONSUMER PUT VEHICLE INTO DRIVE GEAR WHICH RESULTED IN VEHICLE MAKING A CLANKING NOISE AND HESITATED TO MOVE FORWARD. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO INDICATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAD BLO…
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WHEN PARKING, CONSUMER PUT VEHICLE INTO REVERSE GEAR. THE VEHICLE DIDN'T REVERSE, THE ENGINE JUST ACCELERATED. CONSUMER PUT VEHICLE INTO DRIVE GEAR WHICH RESULTED IN VEHICLE MAKING A CLANKING NOISE AND HESITATED TO MOVE FORWARD. CONSUMER HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO INDICATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAD BLOWN AS A RESULT OF THE REACTION SHELL BRUSTING. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO INDICATED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE MODEL VEHCILE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS
WHILE DRIVING ABS BRAKE WILL ENGAGE WITHOUT CAUSE. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THEIR IS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT THAT WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM AS A RESULT OF VEHICLE MILEAGE. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS.TS
DURING 50 DEGREE OR LOWER WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE VEHICLE WOULD PULL ERRATIC WHILE TURNING. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS
DURING AN ACCIDENT THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, IN WHICH CONSUMER SUFFERED BURNS TO HIS FACE AND ARMS. DEALER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED. [XXX] LO QUE DICE ES QUE LA BOLSA DE AIRE ESPLOTO SIN NINGUNA RAZON. QUEMANDOLE SU ROSTRO Y LOS BRAZOS. MR *JG *JB INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552…
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DURING AN ACCIDENT THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, IN WHICH CONSUMER SUFFERED BURNS TO HIS FACE AND ARMS. DEALER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED. [XXX] LO QUE DICE ES QUE LA BOLSA DE AIRE ESPLOTO SIN NINGUNA RAZON. QUEMANDOLE SU ROSTRO Y LOS BRAZOS. MR *JG *JB INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
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.