IllustrationWHEN APPLYING BRAKES PEDAL WENT DOWN TO FLOOR, NOT STOPPING VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. DRIVER AND PASSENGER WERE INJURED. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK
1997 Chevrolet Silverado
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Silverado years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado are substantially higher than the model-year median of 76.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Silverado 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
Limited mileage data: 64 of 272 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 59 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports6 fire reports13 injury reports
What owners actually said
272 reportsWHILE TRAVELING AT 25 MPH ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. CAUSE UNKNOWN. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY STATED THAT FUEL PUMP ASSEMBLY SHORTED OUT AND ALMOST CAUSED A FIRE. DEALER STATED VEHICLE COULD HAVE EXPLODED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
AUTO THEFT. *AK
WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT STEERING WHEEL WOULD JERK, CAUSING CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK CONSUMER STATED THE STEERING BOX WAS THE PROBLEM. *YH
THE VEHICLES DRIVER SIDE DOOR LATCH STRETCHED AND SNAPPED. *JG
ABS PREMATURELY ENGAGES ON ANY SURFACE. ONCE ABS IS RELEASED MAIN BRAKES KICK IN, CAUSING VEHICLE TO FEEL AS THOUGH IT WILL NOT STOP IN TIME. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, AND CANNOT FIND A REMEDY TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*AK THE DEALER CHANGED BOTH HUBS AS POSSIBLE CAUSE OF ABS PROBLEM BUT IT DID NOT SOLVE IT. *YH
WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS TRYING TO CHANGE LANES, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO WOBBLE DUE TO THE FRONT LEFT TIRE HAD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT #10-90-543) *YH
SPEED SENSOR FAILED, PLEASE ADD FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT COLLAPSED BACKWARD. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK
ALUMINUM INTAKE MANIFOLD IS MOUNTED TO CAST IRON ENGINE BLOCK. 2 METALS EXPAND DIFFERENTLY, CAUSING ANTI FREEZE TO LEAK FROM INTAKE MANIFOLD IN LARGE QUANTITIES.
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.