1997 Chevrolet Camaro problems & reliability
69 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro. 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.
9 complaints report injuries (9 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Chevrolet Camaro vehicles were involved in 8 fatal crashes with 8 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 13 | 19% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 12% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 8 | 12% |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 10% |
| Power Train | 7 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 9% |
| Steering | 5 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 6% |
| Structure | 4 | 6% |
| Suspension | 4 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“This car is a 97 z28 with the 350ci motor and 4 speed auto transmission. What happens is that when the front wheels are not turning, the rear brakes do not engage, no matter how hard you push down on the brake pedal. The issue presents itself under icy conditions. The first time it happened was when I pulled into a…”
Service Brakes · filed Dec 24, 2015
“1997 through 2002 camaro's equipped with daytime running lights may experience failures of turn signals. Failures include failure of turn signals to illuminate or failure to blink. Failures may also include premature bulb failure to headlights, turn signals (front and rear), and parking lights. I have encountered…”
Exterior Lighting · filed May 5, 2013
“Windows intermittently worked when the want to. Now drivers window will not go up and passengers side still works when it wants to. The consequences could be devastating as I live in a town that has a high crime rate as in carjacking. I also have my toddler in his carseat and the wind has caused him to stop breathing…”
Visibility · filed Aug 31, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FUEL TUBE RETAINING CLIP FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA97024 · opened Nov 13, 1997 · closed Sep 29, 1998
- FUEL TUB RETAINING CLIP FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE97036 · opened Jul 24, 1997 · closed Nov 13, 1997
Technical service bulletins
56 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro. 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 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 warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 18, 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 warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17NA073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 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 warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy transportation policy.
17-NA-073 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 15, 2017
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 Camaro?
- · 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.