1997 Chevrolet Lumina problems
Owners have filed 438 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. After that come fuel system (12%) and engine (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 438 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 45 and 11
- Injuries and deaths
- 39 and 7
- Typical mileage
- 83,000 miles 96 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 14 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 26 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 17 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 14 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 6 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 2 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Among the 96 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 83,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 92,000 miles (39 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 45 complaints mention a crash; 11 complaints mention a fire; 39 injuries reported; 7 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Chevrolet Lumina with enough data (219 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The air bag on the passenger side of my car has 2 half dollar size holes in it one burnt looking and the other ripped both on even sides the drivers side one deployed right because he had to shove mine out of my face his went flat automatically throwing him into the wind shield and also his seatbelt broke from the plastic part from the door not helping the matter any.
Ltr FWD wmail FM (tx) re recall of a 1997 chevrolet lumina for defective steering column. The consumer's daughter was involved in an accident which resulted in fatal injuries. The vehicle has an open recall on the steering rack and pinion. If this part failed it could result in loss of steering control. The consumer believes the part failed and caused his daughter to loose control of the vehicle. As a result the vehicle crashed into a full size pickup which was pulling a stock trailer.
After backing out of parking space with shift lever in drive position, the engine opened up at full throttle without foot applied on accelerator pedal. Vehicle was thrown off roadway, crashing into a school building. All 5 occupants were hospitalized with serious injuries. Inspection revealed that the throttle valve was in full open position. *nlm
I have 1997 chevrolet lumina:I have had this car for alittle ove 2 years and since I got this car I have had to replace the brakes twice the alternator and 3 fuel injectors and the booster pump I was just wondering if there is a recall that handles any of these problems .because then maybe I could get help from my dealer.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet lumina. The contact stated that the headlight illumination was extremely low dim. The contact activated the high beam headlights in order to see the roadway. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed small fractures in the headlight lens. The contact cleaned the headlight lens but continued to experience low visibility and would have to activate the high beam headlights. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired.