1997 Chevrolet C/K Pickups: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 85 complaints
85
Total Complaints
72,218mi
Median Mileage
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
Top Issue
1
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

55,000 25th Percentile
72,218 Median Mileage
96,832 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
14
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
10
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
10
STEERING
7
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
3
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
3
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
3
VISIBILITY
3

Severity Assessment

1
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
30
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE STEERING WHEEL TILT HAS PULLED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS PLUG OUT OF SOCKET, CAUSING THEM TO STOP WORKING. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED."
"WHILE DRIVING TRUCK ON HIGHWAY AND TURNING SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT, THE STEERING WHEEL LOSES CONTROL AND TURNS ON IT'S ON.LATER THIS HAPPENED WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT AND THE WHEEL SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING TURNED TO THE RIGHT AS THOUGH SOMEONE TURNED IT ....I WAS DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS SEVERAL TIMES AND..."
"WHILE DRIVING TRUCK ON HIGHWAY AND TURNING SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT, THE STEERING WHEEL LOSES CONTROL AND TURNS ON IT'S ON.LATER THIS HAPPENED WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT AND THE WHEEL SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING TURNED TO THE RIGHT AS THOUGH SOMEONE TURNED IT ....I WAS DRIVING IN THE MOUNTAINS SEVERAL TIMES AND..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28