IllustrationWHEN MAKING RIGHT HAND TURNS ONLY THE STEERING WHEEL SHIFTS, CAUSING AN OVERTURN. WHEEL MOVES 1 TO 2 INCHES WHEN THIS HAPPENS. DEALER HAS REPLACED THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR ONCE, THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AGAIN. *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 WIRE INSIDE THE FUEL PUMP SHORTED OUT, LEAVING AN EXPOSED WIRE INSIDE THE FUEL TANK. DEALER IS INSPECTING THE VEHICLE. *AK
UPON ACCELERATION TRUCK WANTS TO GO LEFT, ON DEACCELERATION WITH NO BRAKE APPLIED, TRUCK WANTS TO GO RIGHT. CAN STEER DOWN A STRAIGHT ROAD BY USING THROTTLE ONLY WITH NO STEERING WHEEL INPUTS. MIGHT BE A LEAF SPRING BUSHING MAY BE WORN AND SLOPPY.
COMMON PROBLEM WITH STEERING, I.E. WANDERING WHILE 35MPH OR HIGHER, STEERING WHEEL RESISTANCE CHANGES DURING TURNS, VEHICLE WANTS TO RESIST STEERING INPUTS.
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO FEEL SPONGY AND GOING 3/4 TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE AND A CRASH. *AK
NO SUMMARY.
WIRE PLUG-IN ON TOP OF FUEL PUMP OVERHEATED AND MELTED PLUG-IN AND COATING OFF WIRE GOING DOWN IN FUEL TANK 3" OR 4", AND DIDN'T BLOW A FUSE. COULD CAUSE AN EXPLOSION OR FIRE. *AK
STEERING FAILURE. LOSS OF STEERING AT VARYING SPEEDS. WHEEL IS EXTREMELY LOOSE AND UNRESPONSIVE.INCIDENTS OCCURRED ABOUT 10 TIMES PRIOR TO MAJOR OCCURANCE.MAJOR OCCURRANCE NEARLY CAUSED ACCIDENT. DEALER REPLACED 'EVO' SENSOR.
THE DESIGN OF SPEED SENSITIVE STEERING CAUSED SUDDEN OVER STEERING DURING TURNS OR LANE CHANGED. YH
WHEN TURNING A CORNER LEFT OR RIGHTSTEERING WHEEL JERKED IN THE DIRECTION THAT VEHICLE WASGOING. IF IT WAS SHARPER IT COULD PROBABLY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. TOOK TO DEALER, AND DEALER REPLACED THE STEERING SENSOR. *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.