1997 Chevrolet Lumina Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Lumina years
- Far more complaints than other years 2nd of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 347 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina. That ranks 2nd out of 9 Lumina model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (88 complaints, 25%), typically at around 93,500 miles. Complaints mention 34 crashes, 8 fires, 28 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 2 defect investigations involving it.
- 347owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 2NHTSA investigations
- 34complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Chevrolet Lumina problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering problems | 88 | 25% | 93,500 | “rack pinion” (31%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 52 | 15% | 76,409 | “intake manifold” (21%) | $1,450 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 42 | 12% | 55,490 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 36 | 10% | 131,975 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 36 | 10% | 71,273 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 26 | 7% | 65,245 | — | — |
| Power Train | 21 | 6% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 19 | 5% | 51,148 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 15 | 4% | 66,826 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 4% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 11 | 3% | 145,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 3% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 10 | 3% | 51,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 8 | 2% | 70,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 8 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 2% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 1% | 98,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | 128,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 189,632 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 0% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Chevrolet Lumina recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Steering:rack and pinion
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These retainers could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Risk: If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. If the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. With the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. In any of these conditions, a crash could occur.
Fix: Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Power rack and pinion steering failure (EA03019) — opened Sep 15, 2003, closed Dec 18, 2003, led to recall 03V527000.
- Power rack and pinion steering failure (RQ03001) — opened Jan 2, 2003, closed Sep 15, 2003.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I'm driving and my steering is tight and when turning while in motion and while its park. You can also smell like some thing burning
Dashboard cover on passenger side airbag has detached/pulled away and buckled up from the foam air bag casing. Gm/chevrolet was notified of the problem via phone. The response given by gm/chevrolet representative was that the car was too old to warrant their attention/repair. This does not answer…
Key stuck in on position will not allow engine to be turned off in either park or neutral. Will turn towards start. Car will drive but unable to turn car off unless power is unplugged from steering column. Was at work with no way to turn car off had to leave running till power was disconnected…
My son was in a bad accident that totaled the car and the air bags did not deploy.
While driving home one day another driver hit the side of the car close to the headlight on the driver side this hit caused me to no longer be able to drive the vehicle. The airbags in the vehicle did not deploy.
Other Chevrolet Lumina years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 Lumina | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 Lumina | 0 | 1 |
| 2001 Lumina | 21 | 3 |
| 2000 Lumina | 30 | 5 |
| 1999 Lumina | 103 | 2 |
| 1998 Lumina | 223 | 3 |
| 1997 | 347 | 1 |
| 1996 Lumina | 245 | 2 |
| 1995 Lumina | 492 | 6 |
See all Chevrolet Lumina problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina?
Owners most often report steering, engine and engine cooling, fuel system, gasoline problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 88 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Lumina model years, the 1997 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.