1997 Chevrolet Corvette problems & reliability
153 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette, 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Chevrolet Corvette vehicles were involved in 6 fatal crashes with 5 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 95 | 62% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 15 | 10% |
| Seats → | 10 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 9 | 6% |
| Seat Belts | 8 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 4% |
| Structure | 4 | 3% |
| Unknown OR Other | 4 | 3% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 3% |
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 42,258 miles (middle 50% between 31,250 and 64,515 miles), based on 46 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Driver seat electric fastening mounting wear is too defective and has to be replaces. It moves in and out , seat is moving back and forth in all positions. Gm refuses to recall their problem.”
Seats · filed Apr 1, 2020
“Filled gas tank..next day gas leaking with heavy gas fumes..moved car out of garage and parked in the street..”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Dec 27, 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet corvette. While attempting to drive in reverse, the engine stalled and the steering warning indicator illuminated. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was previously serviced according to…”
Engine · filed Oct 10, 2014
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP
Engineering Analysis EA02031 · opened Nov 15, 2002 · closed Mar 11, 2004 · led to recall 04V060000
- STEERING COLUMN LOCKUP
Preliminary Evaluation PE02054 · opened Jul 1, 2002 · closed Nov 15, 2002
- FRONT LAP BELT MALFUNCTION
Engineering Analysis EA00009 · opened Mar 16, 2000 · closed Apr 18, 2000 · led to recall 00V111000
- FRONT LAP BELT MALFUNCTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE99076 · opened Dec 10, 1999 · closed Mar 16, 2000
Technical service bulletins
134 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette. The 10 most recent:
This Preliminary Information communicates diagnostic information to dealership techs to assist them in diagnosing either a "Service Column Lock" or a "Pull Key, Wait 10 Seconds" message on the DIC.
PIC6522 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 5, 2023
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
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 Corvette 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 Corvette?
- · 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 42,258 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.