1997 Chevrolet Tahoe problems & reliability
410 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe. 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.
8 complaints report injuries (9 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles were involved in 25 fatal crashes with 17 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 | 105 | 26% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 104 | 25% |
| Power Train | 58 | 14% |
| Visibility | 51 | 12% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 32 | 8% |
| Suspension | 30 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 21 | 5% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 12 | 3% |
| Tires | 8 | 2% |
| Unknown OR Other | 8 | 2% |
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 91,475 miles (middle 50% between 65,000 and 125,250 miles), based on 88 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“While in motion seat belt would come undone or wouldn't unlock from lock in order to use. Brakes would slip. My boyfriend was killed in an accident because the seat belt malfunctioned which then caused the airbags to malfunction and the brakes stuck so he wasn't able to slow down sufficiently.”
Air Bags · filed Sep 13, 2020
“When turning onto an on-ramp (usually right) the vehicle will momentarily lose power steering and the steering wheel will jerk right. This jerking motion also happens intermittently while driving at highway speeds with no turning involved. Even though there is more jerking motion on a turn both are extremely dangerous…”
Steering · filed Jun 15, 2019
“1997 chevrolet tahoe. Consumer writes in regard remanufactured engines installed with safety defects. *as *tr”
Engine · filed Feb 28, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE SEPARATION
Preliminary Evaluation PE01023 · opened Jul 17, 2001 · closed Dec 20, 2001
- BATTERY LEAKS ACID
Engineering Analysis EA00013 · opened May 2, 2000 · closed Jun 28, 2002
- BATTERY LEAKS ACID
Preliminary Evaluation PE99073 · opened Dec 3, 1999 · closed May 2, 2000
- ERRATIC POWER STEERING ASSIST WHILE DRIV
Engineering Analysis EA99011 · opened May 12, 1999 · closed Feb 27, 2001
Technical service bulletins
32 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe. 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 informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco Radio with Theftlock.
19NA273 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 2, 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…
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe 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 Tahoe?
- · 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 91,475 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.