1997 Chevrolet Astro problems & reliability
360 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Astro, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
17 complaints report injuries (25 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 64 | 18% |
| Visibility | 62 | 17% |
| Power Train | 53 | 15% |
| Steering | 40 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 37 | 10% |
| Structure | 32 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 31 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 30 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 28 | 8% |
| Suspension | 24 | 7% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 91,000 miles (middle 50% between 73,800 and 140,000 miles), based on 46 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet astro. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact also mentioned that the failure occurred numerous times. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The vin was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 184,000.”
Engine · filed Jun 30, 2014
“I bought 4 goodyear wrangler sr-a tires from the sears auto store at 3000 town east mall on 4 november 2013 at approximately 11:50am. The tire description: p2 235\70r15. Three weeks later on about 13 december 2013 the left rear tire completely came a part while driving on lbj freeway westbound at highway 75. My speed…”
Tires · filed May 24, 2014
“On 4 november 2013, I purchased 4 goodyear wrangler sr-a tires from the sears auto store at 3000 town east mall in mesquite, tx. Approximately three weeks later and less than 300 miles on the tires, the left rear tires completely came a part while driving on lbj freeway westbound in dallas, tx. My approximately speed…”
Tires · filed May 24, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA02006 · opened May 31, 2002 · closed Jul 23, 2003 · led to recall 03V210000
Technical service bulletins
47 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Astro. The 10 most recent:
This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 14, 2022
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco Radio with Theftlock.
19NA273 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 2, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696E · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 22, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco TheftLock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 5, 2019
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician on how to unlock radios that are Delco Theft Lock. Technician will use the radio to get the scrambled code. Technician will need to…
PIC4696C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 31, 2018
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 2017
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2017
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest calibrations to correct a condition of the rear entertainment system not operating as intended in colder ambient…
16NA260 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2016
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Chevrolet Astro has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Chevrolet Astro?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 91,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.