IllustrationHEARD A NOISE WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, AND BRAKES DIDN'T HOLD. HAD TO SLAM ON BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE. AFTER SLAMMING ON BRAKES VEHICLE WOULD STALL. CONTACTED 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
What owners actually said
555 reportsSPORATIC ERRATIC STEERING. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
WHILE REPLACING FUEL PUMP, CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THREE WIRES THAT WENT INTO GAS TANK MELTED DOWN HALF WAY. CONTACTED DEALER AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK PUMP, SENDER, STRAINER, FUEL FILTER, FUEL CAM AND DAMPENER WERE REPLACED. *TT
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING. TSB BULLETIN 98043 DEALS WITH THIS PROBLEM. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK
WIRES WERE MELTING INTO GAS TANK.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY FAIL TO OPERATE WHEN SWITCHED ON REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR MODE. THIS PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE IN THE LAST WEEK OR TWO, AND I AM GETTING READY TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO A TRUSTED NON-DEALER REPAIR FACILITY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. IS THIS PROBLEM COMMON WITH GM PRODUCTS (ESP. CHEVY TRUCKS) OF THA…
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WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY FAIL TO OPERATE WHEN SWITCHED ON REGARDLESS OF SPEED OR MODE. THIS PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE IN THE LAST WEEK OR TWO, AND I AM GETTING READY TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO A TRUSTED NON-DEALER REPAIR FACILITY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED. IS THIS PROBLEM COMMON WITH GM PRODUCTS (ESP. CHEVY TRUCKS) OF THAT AGE? IT IS A SAFETY-RELATED ISSUE. THE DATE CITED ABOVE IS ONLY THE MOST RECENT OF SEVERAL FAILURES.*AK
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING, BUT ONCE CONSUMER GETS OUT AND TAPS ON MOTOR WIPERS WILL COME BACK ON.*AK
VEHICLE NEVER BEEN IN A CRASH, NEVER PULLED A LOAD, NO TOW HITH ON IT, WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, HEARD A WEIRD VIBRATION SOUND WHEN IT HAPPENNED, THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS OF THIS YEAR TRANSMISSION FAILING AROUND 50,000 MILES. THERE IS NO REASON THAT A TRANSMISSION SHOULD FAIL ON A TRUCK THAT IS NOT USED FOR HEAVY USE AND WHEN…
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VEHICLE NEVER BEEN IN A CRASH, NEVER PULLED A LOAD, NO TOW HITH ON IT, WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, HEARD A WEIRD VIBRATION SOUND WHEN IT HAPPENNED, THERE ARE OTHER REPORTS OF THIS YEAR TRANSMISSION FAILING AROUND 50,000 MILES. THERE IS NO REASON THAT A TRANSMISSION SHOULD FAIL ON A TRUCK THAT IS NOT USED FOR HEAVY USE AND WHEN CHEVY SAYS THEY ARE BUILT LIKE A ROCK, AS LONG AS YOU KEEP IT FOR 36,000 MILES WHEN THE FACTORY WARRANTY IS UP?I HAVE THE OLD PART, I PURCHASED TH VEHICLE AT 41,000 MILES, LOW MILLEAGE AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, THE GEAR SHEARED OFF , UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND I THINK IT IS A FAULTY PART THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS MAKING AND WHEN REPLACING IT WITH THE SAME PART IT IS JUST GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN. TOTALLY SENSELESS ! OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS MAIN GEAR ASSEMBLY AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH A TRANSMISSION BEFORE AND THEY SHOULD CERTAINLY LAST LONGER THAN 50,000 MILES AND G.M. CHEVROLET SHOULD DO SOMETHING TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM AND STAND BEHIND THEIR ADVERTISING!!!*AK
INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET FAILED. SEARCHED WEB AND FOUND THIS IS VERY COMMON PROBLEM, YET NO RECALL. I'M OUT $700 AND GM SAYS IT IS NOT A DESIGN FLAW?*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.