1997 Chevrolet Suburban Problems, Recalls & Reliability
577 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 48/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 90,000 miles.
Below average
Where 1997 sits among all Suburban years
What owners report
“When applying the brakes the brake pedal would go to the floor causing the vehicle to have extended stopping distance. Dealer notified. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Suburban
“My steering jumps to the left unexpectily as if someone grabs the wheel and turns it fast . Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Suburban
“Electrical connnection to the fuel pump in the fuel tank overheated, causing the insulation of the wires to melt which could have resulted in a fire .”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Suburban
“Check engine light came on at transmission immediately started shifting extremely hard from 1st to 2nd. Read thecomplaintstation.com and found numerous identical incidences with other people. Next failure was failure of the intake manifold gasket resulting in coolant loss.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Suburban
“Fuel injection pump failed on two occasions causing loss of power brake and steering.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Suburban
“Nhtsa complaint # 03v159000 - chevrolet has recalled certian vehicles with an intermittent windshiel wiper problem. My 1997 2wd suburban is not ncluded. 1996 all suburbans are and 1997 4wd suburbans are. I have the same symptoms as the 1996 and 1997 4wd.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Suburban
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 110 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 98,750 miles. Half of those reports fall between 66,000 and 132,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
CERTAIN REPLACEMENT FUEL FILTERS, FRAM BRAND NAME P/N G3727, WITH DATE CODES X52911 THROUGH X60801 SEQUENTIALLY OR X600141 AND A MEXICO COUNTRY OR ORIGIN MARKING ON THE FUEL FILTER HOUSING MANUFACTURED FROM OCTOBER 18, 2005, THROUGH MARCH 21, 2006, SOLD FOR…
Fix: HONEYWELL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FUEL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 18, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-890-2075 (OPTION 1).
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN MODEL-ENGINE COMBINATIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY FAIL DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND…
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, MINI VANS, AND PICKUP TRUCKS MAY DEVELOP A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE ELECTRIC OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR SWITCH.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED JUMPER HARNESS TO THE ELECTRIC OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 24, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
Component: EQUIPMENT
THE PETITION ALLEGES THAT CRACKS IN THE HITCH RECEIVER PLATFORM MAY LEAD TO SEPARATION OF THE TRAILER AND LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL
Led to recall campaign 03V159000.
Led to recall campaign 01I006000.
Technical service bulletins
41 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on brakes & stability and electrical — are on file for the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1997 Suburban TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban reliable?
The 1997 Chevrolet Suburban drew 577 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 48/100, scored against the model's worst year (1994).
What are the most common 1997 Chevrolet Suburban problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban are brakes & stability (121 complaints), steering (117), and electrical (61).
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet Suburban problems show up?
Owners most often report 1997 Chevrolet Suburban problems around 98,750 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 66,000 and 132,000 miles.
Does the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.