1997 Chevrolet S10 problems & reliability
469 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet S10, alongside 3 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.
34 complaints report injuries (38 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility → | 113 | 24% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 95 | 20% |
| Power Train → | 49 | 10% |
| Air Bags → | 47 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 40 | 9% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 26 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 21 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Other → | 20 | 4% |
| Structure → | 20 | 4% |
| Electrical System → | 19 | 4% |
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 83,000 miles (middle 50% between 48,000 and 105,000 miles), based on 109 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet s10. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a flat tire. The contact was unable to release the spare tire from underneath the vehicle. The contact indicated that the spare tire hoist assembly retainer had malfunctioned. The cause of the failure was not determined. The…”
Structure · filed Jan 22, 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet s10. When the contact started the vehicle, the windshield wipers activated intermittently. The failure occurred in rainy weather, which caused a reduction in visibility. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 03v159000 (visibility). The vehicle was not repaired. The…”
Visibility/wiper · filed Oct 19, 2015
“The windshield wipers operate sporadically when turned on. Some times when you turn them on, they will operate normally and other times they will not turn on at all. The vehicle make and model were included in a recall but my vin was not included in the recall. The problem can occur when the vehicle is moving or…”
Visibility/wiper · filed Oct 14, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Recall Query RQ04002 · opened Feb 18, 2004 · closed May 27, 2004
- SEAT BELT WEBBING SEPARATION
Engineering Analysis EA97004 · opened Feb 28, 1997 · closed Aug 5, 1997 · led to recall 97V096002
- SEAT BELT WEBBING SEPARATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE96061 · opened Oct 25, 1996 · closed Feb 28, 1997
- ABS BRAKING SYSTEM
Engineering Analysis EA94038 · opened Oct 31, 1994 · closed Feb 28, 2000 · led to recall 99V193000
Technical service bulletins
63 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet S10. 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
The 1997 Chevrolet S10 has 3 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 S10?
- · 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 83,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.