1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Silhouette years
- More complaints than other years 4th of 10 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 104 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette. That ranks 4th out of 10 Silhouette model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (20 complaints, 19%), typically at around 9,000 miles. Complaints mention 4 crashes, 1 injury. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 7 defect investigations involving it.
- 104owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 7NHTSA investigations
- 4complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette 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 | 20 | 19% | 9,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 18 | 17% | 77,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 14 | 13% | 120,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 13 | 13% | 59,750 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 11 | 11% | 73,507 | — | — |
| Visibility | 10 | 10% | 90,150 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 9% | 86,450 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 7 | 7% | 64,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 7% | 86,450 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 4 | 4% | 35,570 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 4% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 2 | 2% | 7,250 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: On certain minivans equipped with second-row bucket seats or captain's chairs and a power sliding door on the passenger side of the vehicle, a passenger using the interior handle to open the power sliding door could be injured.
Risk: If a passenger uses the interior handle to open the power sliding door and holds onto the handle while it is being opened by the motor, the passenger's arm may be pushed into the seat back or armrest and a wrist or lower arm injury may result.
Fix: Dealers will replace the power sliding door interior handle on the passenger-side. If the vehicle is equipped with a power or manual sliding door on the driver-side, the interior handle will also be replaced for appearance reasons. Note: before the vehicle is serviced, gm advises owners to not use the interior door handle to open the door. The driver can open and close the door from switches at the driver's position or by using the remote key fob. The driver should tell passengers to use the switch located in front of the door to open or close it. The driver should use the override switch to prevent operation of the power door by children or by others who are not familiar with its use. The owner notification letter mailing will be conducted in phases with the first phase beginning on may 31, 2005. The second phase mailing began on july 18, 2005. The recall began on may 31, 2005. Phase 2 began on july 18, 2005. Phase 3 (final phase) began on august 24, 2005, to all remaining customers. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; pontiac at 1-800-620-7668; or oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537.
Steering:rack and pinion
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles and mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, 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 january 24, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: Vehicle description: 1997-2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana/transport, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors that were serviced in campaign 01013 (01v-067) from april to august 2001. Also 2001 chevrolet venture, pontiac montana, and oldsmobile silhouette mini vans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors assembled in january through april 2001. These vehicles have inadequate front welds. If a front weld fails, the actuator can jam in the unlatched position and, when the sliding door closes, it will not be latched.
Risk: If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface. An unrestrained occupant could fall out of the van and be injured.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if required, install a new power sliding door unlatch actuator assembly. Owner notification began on october 22, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
Latches/locks/linkages:doors:latch
Problem: Vehicle description: minivans equipped with passenger side power sliding doors. The door closes but may not be latched. If this happens, the power sliding door can open while the vehicle is in motion, particularly when the vehicle ascends a hill, makes a turn, or travels over a rough road surface.
Risk: An unrestrained occupant could fall out of the van and be injured.
Fix: Dealers will install a new un-latch actuator assembly to the power sliding door. This recall has been continued under safety recall 01v-264. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737, or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger mini vans equipped with bucket seats or a split bench seat in the second (middle) or third (back) row. The seat latch mechanisms on bucket seats and on the 40% portion of the split bench seat in the second and third rows do not have protective covers.
Risk: When activating the release mechanism to roll a bucket seat forward, a customer's finger(s) could be severely injured or severed in they are not kept clear of the mechanism.
Fix: Dealers will install protective covers on the outboard latch mechanisms on all left and right hand rear bucket seats in the second and third row, and to both inboard and outboard latch mechanisms on the center rear bucket seat and the 40% portion of the split bench seat.
Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger mini vans equipped with traction control systems. The windshield wiper linkage arm can contact a brake line which is connected to the traction control system modulator valve. This contact can chafe the brake line resulting in a brake fluid leak.
Risk: Brake fluid leakage can cause reduced brake effectiveness and increased stopping distances.
Fix: Dealers will install a brake line clip to ensure proper clearance. Also the brake lines will be inspected to any damage caused by this condition and will replace any damaged lines.
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
- Rear axle trailing arm failure (EA03005) — opened Apr 23, 2003, closed Jan 12, 2004.
- Safety belt assembly failure (EA02032) — opened Nov 18, 2002, closed Nov 21, 2003.
- Power rack and pinion steering failure (EA02003) — opened Apr 4, 2002, closed Dec 10, 2002, led to recall 02V286000.
- Shoulder harness clip (PE02017) — opened Feb 11, 2002, closed Aug 2, 2002.
- Steering rack and pinion (PE01038) — opened Nov 14, 2001, closed Apr 4, 2002.
- Unexpected opening of sliding door (SQ00014) — opened Jul 25, 2000, closed Oct 22, 2001, led to recall 01V067000.
- Traction control (RQ00006) — opened Feb 16, 2000, closed Apr 20, 2001, led to recall 98V072000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Dt*: the contact stated the sliding door on the right side of the vehicle was not working properly after the recall (01v264000, 04v597000 or 01v067000) repair was completed. The door opened without warning, while the vehicle was idling, but no longer worked. The door only operated properly on an…
The intake manifold gasket in our 1997 silhouette went bad. After speaking with the repair facility and performing several searches across the internet, it was obvious that gm had a defective part. The original gaskets were made out of plastics, while now gm is constructing them of a more normal /…
No floor heat in 1997 olds silhouette. Mechanic did not find cause of problem but did note that an un associated problem was occuring. The original plastic intake manifold gasket was failing. After investigating and researching i have found that both the lack of heat in the front of this vehicle…
Front windshield has been replaced twice in 12 months. Break initiated in upper driver side corner and travels into field of vision. With windshield out, you can see severe rusting at the corner, no where else. The rust is all the way through the roof panel and is not visible once the windshield is…
Roof leaks, despite attempts to block leakage, water has infiltrated the fuse panel repeatedly, shorting the horn, causing it to honk at random for long periods of time. *ak
Other Oldsmobile Silhouette years
← 1996 Silhouette · 1998 Silhouette →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 Silhouette | 11 | 1 |
| 2003 Silhouette | 36 | 2 |
| 2002 Silhouette | 57 | 2 |
| 2001 Silhouette | 78 | 6 |
| 2000 Silhouette | 114 | 5 |
| 1999 Silhouette | 149 | 4 |
| 1998 Silhouette | 170 | 7 |
| 1997 | 104 | 6 |
| 1996 Silhouette | 20 | 1 |
| 1995 Silhouette | 46 | 2 |
See all Oldsmobile Silhouette problems by year, every Oldsmobile model, or the VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette?
Owners most often report steering, exterior lighting, structure problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 20 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 1997 Oldsmobile Silhouette a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Silhouette model years, the 1997 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.