IllustrationBRAKES LOCK WHEN APPLIED WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN, SNOW OR AFTER VEHICLE BEING WASHED. *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 reportsTHE REAR SEALS ARE LEAKING, IF THIS IS NOT STOPPED THE GREASE COULD LEAK ONTO THE BRAKES, CAUSING A DEFECTIVE BRAKE SYSTEM. *AK THE REAR AXLE SEALS ARE LEAKING. IF THIS IS NOT STOPPED THE GREASE COULD LEAK ONTO THE BRAKES, CAUSING A DEFECTIVE BRAK…
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THE REAR SEALS ARE LEAKING, IF THIS IS NOT STOPPED THE GREASE COULD LEAK ONTO THE BRAKES, CAUSING A DEFECTIVE BRAKE SYSTEM. *AK THE REAR AXLE SEALS ARE LEAKING. IF THIS IS NOT STOPPED THE GREASE COULD LEAK ONTO THE BRAKES, CAUSING A DEFECTIVE BRAKE SYSTEM. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
VEHICLE IS GOING ON ITS 5TH SET OF BRAKES, APPROXIMATELY LASTING ABOUT 10,000 MILES. MANUFACTURER HAS NEW REDESIGNED SET OF BRAKES FOR NEW VEHICLES, BUT NOT FOR PREVIOUS YEARS. *AK
REPORTED TO THE DEALER THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS EXCESSIVELY NOISY AT 8957 MILES. NOTIFIED THAT THIS WAS NORMAL. AT 46395 THE FUEL PUMP DIED. DEALER SHOULD HAVE REPLACED WHEN FIRST REPORTED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON DRY PAVEMENT VEHICLE SEVERELY PULLS TO THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
ALL 1991 AND LATER FULL SIZE CHEVY TRUCKS HAVE "KNOCK OUTS" THAT PREVENT FRONT END ALIGNMENT BY THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. MANY TRUCKS ARE BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER WITH WORN TIRES AND THE OWNERS ARE UNABLE TO CORRECT THE ALIGNMENT. A SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED DESCRIBING HOW TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. CHEVROLET SHOULD REC…
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ALL 1991 AND LATER FULL SIZE CHEVY TRUCKS HAVE "KNOCK OUTS" THAT PREVENT FRONT END ALIGNMENT BY THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. MANY TRUCKS ARE BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER WITH WORN TIRES AND THE OWNERS ARE UNABLE TO CORRECT THE ALIGNMENT. A SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN ISSUED DESCRIBING HOW TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. CHEVROLET SHOULD RECALL AND REMOVE ALL KNOCK OUTS FREE OF CHARGE.
NEW DESIGN IF THE FRONT END CAUSED THE TRUCK TO HAVE 'KNOCK OUTS' THE PREVENT THE FRONT END FROM BEING ALIGNED PROPERLY THIS PROBLEM RESULTS IN PREMATURELY WORN TIRES. NLM
FUEL TANK MELTED DUE TO WIRE BEING EXPOSED TO THE CONNECTOR WHICH IGNITED A FIRE. *AK
STEERING IS DEFECTIVE. WHEN DRIVING AT 40- 50 MPH STEERING WHEEL JERKS AND HESITATES, AND TURNS TO THE LEFT. *AK
WHEN CONSUMER APPLIES BRAKES PEDAL GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, AND SHE HEARS A POPPING NOISE. *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.