1997 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 problems
The 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 has 74 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (34%) concerns brakes. Next are wipers, windshield & visibility (15%) and engine (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 74 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 6 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 2 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 101,000 miles 23 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 | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 2 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 2 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 23 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 101,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 6 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 2 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 27th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 with enough data (31 complaints in that window).
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.
Consumer's mother and father were leaving a parking lot when their brakes failed. Their truck drifted out into traffic that was going approx. 55-60MPH, and they were broadsided by a full sized van loaded with lead pipes. The truck is now in bay city michigan towed by tims towing. Consumer doesn't have the number to holder of the truck at this time.
When the brakes are applied they lock up and skid, resulting in extended stopping distance, causing a collision. Ther e were no injuries, but one fatality. Dealer inspected the vehicle.
Suffered serious finger wound and subsequent bacterial infection due to mechanism crushing said finger. Dealer had assured that all recalls were performed on vehicle prior to incident.
Turned the windshield wipers on and they only came up to the park position for intermittent operation. Positioned the switch to low and high and the wipers did not move any further. Shut off and wipers shut off. Wipers would not restart on repeated tries. Tried later and wipers worked properly. Now they operate sometimes and sometimes only on intermittent and low, not on high. But, sometimes on high. I have not had the problem repaired yet, because everytime I go to the dealer, they are working.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet c2500. The contact heard a squealing noise when the steering wheel was turned. The mechanic stated that the vehicle needed a new power steering pump. The power steering pump was replaced, however, the failure continued. The mechanic then stated that the metal crumbled for the worm steering shaft. He made the repair and there had been no further occurrences. The current and failure mileages were 90,000.