IllustrationVEHICLE EXPERIENCING PROBLEM WITH STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP WHENEVER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, MORE SO WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. VEHICLE BEEN IN FOUR DIFFERENT SHOPS, AND INSPECTED SEVEN TIMES. BUT PROBLEM STILL REOCCURRING. *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 reportsDRIVER MUST APPLY BRAKES HARDER THAN NORMAL. THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES SYSTEM ACTIVATES & THE ERRATIC POWER STEERING EXPERIENCE FAILURE WHICH RESULTS IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE DEFECT. *AK *YC
DEFECTIVE/ EXCESSIVE WEAR OF ROTORS/PADS/DRUMS, AND SHOES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCEING PROBLEM WITH CONSTENT REPLACEMENT OF BRAKE PARTS WITHIN 10-15,0000 MILES OF WEAR . FOUR ROTORS WERE REPLACED, ALONG WITH BEING TURNED OVER MORE THEN TWICE EACH, BEFORE REPLACMENT. ALSO, SIX SETS OF PADS/ FOUR DRUMS AND FOUR SETS OF SHOES. …
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DEFECTIVE/ EXCESSIVE WEAR OF ROTORS/PADS/DRUMS, AND SHOES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN EXPERIENCEING PROBLEM WITH CONSTENT REPLACEMENT OF BRAKE PARTS WITHIN 10-15,0000 MILES OF WEAR . FOUR ROTORS WERE REPLACED, ALONG WITH BEING TURNED OVER MORE THEN TWICE EACH, BEFORE REPLACMENT. ALSO, SIX SETS OF PADS/ FOUR DRUMS AND FOUR SETS OF SHOES. WERE REPLACED. THESE PROBLEMS WERE CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE BRAKE SYSTEM PARTS. .CONSUMER REQUESTING NHTSA TO LOOK INTO THIS MATTER. *AK
CONSUMER STEPPED ON GAS AND AS HE STARTED TO PICK UP SPEED, THE SEAT FLIPPED BACKKWARDS, GAVE AWAY COMPLETELY. CONSUMER SLIGHTLY INJURED HIS SHOULDER AND BACK. *AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE WANDERING TO THE LEFT WHEN SPEED REACHES 65-70 MPH; ALSO PROBLEM APPEARS AT 30-35 MPH ON WET PAVEMENT. DEALER NOTIFIED AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. *AK
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE STEERING WHEEL DID NOT SEEM TO WANT TO TURN BUT THEN IT WOULD SUDDNELY AND VIOLENTLY JERK TO WHICH EVER DIRECTION THE TURN WAS IN. THIS WAS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNEW WHEN IT WOULD JERK AND WHEN IT WOULD NOT. IT FINALLY BECAME SO BAD THAT IT DID IT ALL THE TIME! THIS WAS A VE…
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WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE STEERING WHEEL DID NOT SEEM TO WANT TO TURN BUT THEN IT WOULD SUDDNELY AND VIOLENTLY JERK TO WHICH EVER DIRECTION THE TURN WAS IN. THIS WAS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNEW WHEN IT WOULD JERK AND WHEN IT WOULD NOT. IT FINALLY BECAME SO BAD THAT IT DID IT ALL THE TIME! THIS WAS A VERY UPSETTING PROBLEM BECAUSE IF YOU WERE NOT CAREFULL YOU COULD EASILY LOOSE CONTROL AND IN ONEIDA TENN. THERE ARE SOME VERY CURVY ROADS WITH STEEP EMBANKMENT, AND THERE ARE NOT GUARDRAILS ON A LOT OF THERE ROADS. IT WAS VERY DISTRESSING ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE PROBLEM ACTUALLY STARTED JUST SEVERAL MILES BEFORE THE WARRANTY EXPRIED I JUST HAD NOT FIGURED OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS SINCE I HAD NEVER EXPERICENCED A PROBLEM LIKE THIS!!
NO SUMMARY
DEFECTIVE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT GETS LOCKED. YH
POWER STEERING ERRATIC, SWITCHES FROM FIRM TO SUPER LOOSE WITHOUT NOTICE. MOST FREQUENTLY AT AROUND 35 MPH IN GENTLE SWEEPING CURVE, CAUSING QUICK PULL IN DIRECTION OF TURN. YOU GOTTA BE ALERT.
STEERING WAS KNOWN TO LOCK UP SEVERAL TIMES WHEN TRUCK WAS OWNED FOR LESS THEN SIX MONTHS. WAS IN SHOP FOR STEERING SIX TIMES. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE THEN WENT OUT. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE TRANSMISSION. NO REVERSE AND ONLY HAD 1ST AND 2ND. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY COSTLY. MY DREAM IS NOW A NIGHTMARE. THE STEERING COULD BE FATA…
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STEERING WAS KNOWN TO LOCK UP SEVERAL TIMES WHEN TRUCK WAS OWNED FOR LESS THEN SIX MONTHS. WAS IN SHOP FOR STEERING SIX TIMES. FOUR WHEEL DRIVE THEN WENT OUT. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE TRANSMISSION. NO REVERSE AND ONLY HAD 1ST AND 2ND. REPAIRS HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY COSTLY. MY DREAM IS NOW A NIGHTMARE. THE STEERING COULD BE FATAL TO ANY DRIVER I JUST GOT LUCKY AND WASN'T DRIVING FAST WHEN IT LOCKED UP.
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.