1997 Chevrolet C/K Pickups problems & reliability
72 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet C/K Pickups, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured, 15 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility → | 30 | 42% |
| Steering → | 19 | 26% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 6% |
| Power Train | 4 | 6% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 4% |
| Structure | 3 | 4% |
| Suspension | 2 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 77,500 miles (middle 50% between 55,000 and 98,500 miles), based on 48 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Brakes failed, inspection revealed completely rusted out brake lines, frame, suspension components, steering components, and crossmembers. Vehicle is not repairable and is no longer usable. *tr”
Structure · filed Aug 19, 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet c/k. The contact stated that the windshield wipers would fail intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number: 03v159000…”
Visibility · filed May 3, 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet c/k pickup. The contact stated when driving approximately 5 mph in rainy weather conditions the windshied wipers would not operate normally. He would had to drive onto the emergency lane and wait until the rain stopped. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised…”
Visibility · filed Jan 5, 2012
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
- VACUUM BRAKE BOOSTER
Preliminary Evaluation PE01001 · opened Jan 8, 2001 · closed May 22, 2001
Technical service bulletins
1 manufacturer communication (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet C/K Pickups.
Special policy adjustment - windshield wiper motor failures. *tt
02054 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 1, 2003
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 C/K Pickups has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — 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 C/K Pickups?
- · 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 77,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.