1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Steering Problems
Owners have filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 25% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 70,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “steering sensor” (9% of reports).
- 140steering complaints
- 70,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 33%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Steering sensor: mentioned in 13 of 140 complaints (9%)
- Gear box: mentioned in 8 of 140 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 26 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 140 complaints, 2 mention a crash.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Silverado 1500 | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2025 Silverado 1500 | 4 | 4% | — |
| 2024 Silverado 1500 | 11 | 4% | 29,850 |
| 2023 Silverado 1500 | 7 | 2% | 16,000 |
| 2022 Silverado 1500 | 15 | 2% | 74,000 |
| 2021 Silverado 1500 | 43 | 5% | 15,249 |
| 2020 Silverado 1500 | 74 | 10% | 12,250 |
| 2019 Silverado 1500 | 76 | 7% | 13,080 |
| 2018 Silverado 1500 | 42 | 8% | 28,042 |
| 2017 Silverado 1500 | 58 | 8% | 40,000 |
| 2016 Silverado 1500 | 110 | 14% | 42,500 |
| 2015 Silverado 1500 | 161 | 15% | 51,000 |
| 2014 Silverado 1500 | 408 | 28% | 65,000 |
| 2013 Silverado 1500 | 10 | 3% | 34,000 |
| 2012 Silverado 1500 | 4 | 2% | 80,000 |
| 2011 Silverado 1500 | 8 | 1% | 75,000 |
| 2010 Silverado 1500 | 4 | 1% | 104,000 |
| 2009 Silverado 1500 | 9 | 2% | 68,000 |
| 2008 Silverado 1500 | 9 | 1% | 54,984 |
| 2007 Silverado 1500 | 20 | 2% | 47,200 |
| 2006 Silverado 1500 | 19 | 5% | 23,800 |
| 2005 Silverado 1500 | 45 | 9% | 29,190 |
| 2004 Silverado 1500 | 75 | 9% | 37,000 |
| 2003 Silverado 1500 | 56 | 7% | 45,000 |
| 2002 Silverado 1500 | 25 | 5% | 38,000 |
| 2001 Silverado 1500 | 16 | 3% | 120,000 |
| 2000 Silverado 1500 | 10 | 2% | 103,000 |
| 1999 Silverado 1500 | 15 | 3% | 140,000 |
| 1998 Silverado 1500 | 47 | 13% | 62,394 |
| 1997 Silverado 1500 | 140 | 25% | 70,000 |
| 1996 Silverado 1500 | 1 | 14% | 75,000 |
| 1995 Silverado 1500 | 1 | 33% | 208,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists steering for the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
When driving and entering a curve the power steering jerks to the direction of steer. This is said to be a problem with the steering position sensor causing the variable assist steering to over-compensate and causing the vehicle to veer dangerously. The forums are full of people with this problem…
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet silverado. He stated that while driving at 65 mph the steering wheel started to steer on its own, moving right to leftand become very hard to steer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that it was the electronic module on the power steering…
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet k1500. While driving only 35 to 45 mph the steering wheel acts as if it is going to lock and it only happens at those speeds. He was forced to pull the steering wheel to the left and right; however, it the vehicle failed to drive in the desired direction. The…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500s have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 140 owner complaints about steering for the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (25% of the 555 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 steering?
No recall currently lists steering for this vehicle.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 70,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “steering sensor”, in 13 of 140 complaints, followed by “gear box” (8).
Other 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems
See all 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 problems or steering problems across all Silverado 1500 years.