1997 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck problems & reliability
48 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck. 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 (5 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 13 | 27% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 11 | 23% |
| Power Train | 7 | 15% |
| Structure | 4 | 8% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 2 | 4% |
| Suspension | 2 | 4% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 2% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 2% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 15 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I have a 1997 chevy tahoe that has had all of the required tune-ups and services. I recently lost my transmissions. I have never pulled anything with this truck. I searched the internet and found that almost 95 out of a 100 buyers have had this same problem. Why should the chevy corp. Be able to sell you something and…”
Power Train · filed Nov 5, 2007
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet z71. The contact stated that the interior driver side door handle detached when he exited the vehicle. This failure has occurred three times. He had to roll down the window and open the door from the outside to exit the vehicle. He has not notified the dealer because the vehicle…”
Structure · filed Aug 28, 2007
“This is to inform you of a known problem with the 4l60e transmissions in the 1997 and up gm truck transmissions, the symptoms include the hard shift from first gear to second gear, and the slipping of the transmission in overdrive. In this truck the tachometer usually is at 1500-1600 rpms 65 mph, but with the mil…”
Power Train · filed Jun 25, 2007
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FUEL LEAKS FROM THE VAPOR CANISTER
Engineering Analysis EA98024 · opened Nov 10, 1998 · closed Apr 20, 2000 · led to recall 00V110000
Technical service bulletins
3 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck.
Some customers may comment on a harsh 1-2 upshift and the check engine light or service engine soon indicator is illuminated and diagnostic trouble code p1870 set. *tt
010730023B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2002
Information regarding harsh 1-2 upshift, service engine soon, malfunction indicator lamp, or cel illuminated, diagnostic trouble code p1870 set. (1996-2000 chevrolet and gmc light duty truck models) *yh
010730023A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2001
Experiencing engine noise. *yc
9709016114B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 1997
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 Chevrolet Truck 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 Chevrolet Truck?
- · 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.