RoadVitals

1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Brakes Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Brakes reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
26
Latest Sep 19, 2005
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
43%
of 61 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
3
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 26 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming brake

The 25 most recent of 26, in the owner's own words

Brakes
Filed Sep 19, 2005

FAILURE OF ABS SYSTEM IN 1997 CHEVROLET PICKUP CK3500.*JB

NHTSA ID
10136987
Incident
Sep 10, 2005
Mileage
65,000 mi
Brakes
Filed May 6, 2005

I HAVE A 1997 CHEVY 3500 4X4 PICKUP TRUCK. EVER SINCE I BOUGHT IT I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE ANTILOCK BRAKES. THEY SEEM TO COME ON AT SLOW SPEEDS UNEXPECTEDLY. I HAD THEM REPLACED 1 TIME AT A COST OF $700, HOWEVER WITHIN 3 MONTHS THE PROBLEM RECUERRED. I CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP REPAIRING THEM AS UPON TALKING TO OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME TYPE OF VEHICLES BY GM THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THE SOLUTION TO WHICH IS TO REMOVE THE ABS FUSE RENDERING THE SYSTEM INOPERATIVE. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS 1999-2001. WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW IS THAT IS ALSO COMMON TO VEHICLES MADE BEFORE 1999. THERE MAY NOT BE MAY COMPLAINTS BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE PULL THE FUSE AND DISABLE THE ABS SYSTEM.

NHTSA ID
10120040
Incident
Mar 1, 1998
Brakes
Filed Mar 30, 2005

WHILE DRIVING AND UPON MAKING A STOP THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. VEHICLE THEN SURGED FORWARD. IT FELT AS IF SOMETHING DISENGAGED, AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. CONSUMER HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER FOUND THAT A CLIP BROKE WHICH LEFT THE BRAKE PEDAL SWINGING. *AK THE CLIP WHICH HOLDS THE MASTER CYLINDER ROD TO THE BRAKE PEDAL BROKE ALLOWING THE ROD TO SLIP OFF. *NM

NHTSA ID
10113672
Incident
Mar 3, 2005
Mileage
235,000 mi
BrakesSteering
Filed May 6, 2004

I LOST MY POWER STEERING AND BRAKES ON MY 3500 CHEVY. 1997 PICK UP TRUCK, THERE IS ONLY 56.000 MILES ON THIS TRUCK. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED IN AND HAD THE POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED AT MY COST, I CALLED THE CHEY. FACTORY AND THE GIRL SAID THEY HAVEN'T HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE PUMPS. ALL I KNOW IS I'M GLAD I WASN'T TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AS YOU CAN'T CONTROLL THE STEERING OR THE BRAKING ON THIS TRUCK.

NHTSA ID
10068388
Incident
May 2, 2004
Mileage
56 mi
Brakes
Filed Apr 8, 2004
Crash reported

IN AN EMERGENCY OR PANIC STOP ABS BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. ONCE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES THERE WAS 3 OR 4 SECONDS OF NO BRAKING POWER. *AK AS A RESULT, CONSUMER REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. MANUFACTURER SAID THAT IT WAS A NORMAL BEHAVIOR OF THE VEHICLE AND WAS PERFORMING BY DESIGN. *LA

NHTSA ID
10061628
Mileage
20,000 mi
BrakesSteering
Filed Feb 4, 2004

WHEN TRYING TO STOP VEHICLE BY APPLYING THE BRAKES BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN BRAKE FAILURE. ALSO, POWER STEERING FAILED WHEN TRYING TO TURN LEFT. INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACED THE POWER STEERING PUMP, AND MADE SOME REPAIRS TO THE BRAKING SYSTEM. HOWEVER, BRAKES STILL OPERATED POORLY. *AK

NHTSA ID
10057527
Mileage
50,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Oct 10, 2000

WHEN HITTING A RAISED SECTION ON ROAD AND APPLYING BRAKES, VEHICLE WILL TAKE AT LEAST AN EXTRA 5 FEET BEFORE IT WILL STOP. CONSUMER MUST APPLY BRAKES EXTREMELY HARD.*AK

NHTSA ID
872649
Brakes
Filed Aug 27, 2000

BRAKES PULL TO THE RIGHT WHEN APPLIED TO THE POINT OF CAUSING A LANE CHANGE OR DRIFTING INTO SHOULDER. WORSE WHEN TOWING A 8000LB FIFTH. RIGHT ROTOR OVERHEATS AND WARPS. SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. MECHANICS REP

NHTSA ID
729300
Incident
Apr 10, 2000
Brakes
Filed Apr 23, 2000

VEHICLE ALWAYS PULLS TO THE LEFT WHEN BRAKING..SO HARD TO AS PULL YOU INTO ONCOMMING TRAFFIC..THE ROTORS/PADS AND THE CALIPERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED.SEVERAL TIMES.THE ROTORS ONCE, CALIPERS TWICE, AND THE PADS 6 TIMES..OK FOR ABOUT 50 MILES THEN STARTS THE SAME ALL OVER. *AK

NHTSA ID
721849
Incident
Apr 20, 2000
Brakes
Filed Mar 24, 2000

WHEN APPLYING ABS BRAKES ON WET PAVEMENT FRONT WHEELS GRABBED AND LET GO, AND REAR WHEELS CONTINUED TO ROLL, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER COULD NOT DUPILCATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
859157
Incident
Oct 27, 1999
Brakes
Filed Jan 18, 2000

UNDER NORMAL DRIVING BRAKES PULL TO THE RIGHT WHEN THEY ARE APPLIED. CONTACTED DEALER AND MANUFACTURER. THEY HAD PADS AND BRAKES REPLACED THREE TIMES. VEHICLE IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW. *AK

NHTSA ID
855057
Incident
Apr 15, 1999
Brakes
Filed Jan 4, 2000

WHEN TRAVELING ON ROUGH ROAD SURFACE & UPON DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP, BRAKES AUTOMATICALLY RELEASE, CAUSING POOR BRAKING ABILITY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
854673
Brakes
Filed Dec 15, 1999

ROTORS AND BRAKES HAVE BEEN WARPING, BOTH HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES WITHIN 4200 MILES ON VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID
854085
Incident
Dec 15, 1999
BrakesFuel systemTires & wheels+1 more
Filed Dec 5, 1999

NO SUMMARY( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 225/75/16 )

NHTSA ID
715670
Incident
Nov 1, 1997
BrakesSteeringTransmission
Filed Nov 20, 1999

ANOTHER DEALER HAS CORRECTED THE PROBLEMS, BUT I THOUGHT I'D REPORT THESE SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS. NO SAFETY DEFECT MENTIONED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK

NHTSA ID
715073
Incident
Jun 10, 1999
Brakes
Filed Oct 14, 1999

WHILE COMING OFF A RAMP TO AN INTERSECTION AT ABOUT 60 MPH, WENT TO PUT ON BRAKES AND BACK WHEELS BOUNCED. PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND CAME RIGHT BACK. CONSUMER WAS STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION. *AK

NHTSA ID
850753
Incident
Oct 11, 1999
Brakes
Filed Sep 8, 1999

WHENEVER ABS BRAKES ARE APPLIED, WOULD BECOME SPORADIC & NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHEN WEATHER IS RAINY & COMING TO A STOP, ABS BRAKES WOULD LOCK UP. VEHICLE WOULD SLIDE SOME DISTANCE. TOOK TO DEALER & MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
847250
Incident
Jul 22, 1997
Brakes
Filed Sep 2, 1999

INTERMITTNETLY WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED IN A PANIC STOP THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID
846609
Brakes
Filed Aug 20, 1999

BRAKE PADS ARE RUNNING TOO CLOSE TO BRAKE DISCS. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE BRAKE PADS SEVERAL TIMES. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID
845532
BrakesSteeringTires & wheels
Filed Feb 9, 1999

DEFECTIVE GEAR BOX IS CAUSING STEERING TO BECOME LOOSE. IN ADDITION, BRAKE FLUID IS LEAKING, CAUSING A LOSS OF BRAKES/ TIRES WORE OUT IN A SHORT DURATION OF TIME. *AK

NHTSA ID
834627
Brakes
Filed Nov 24, 1998

CONSUMER EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM WITH FRONT BRAKING PADS AND ROTORS REPLACED. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID
831247
Incident
Jun 1, 1997
Brakes
Filed Nov 12, 1998

11-8-98 INCIDENT, DEALER STILL UNABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE FOR BRAKE FAILURE. DEALER DROVE TRUCK AROUND BUILDING TO SHOP, HAD BRAKES. DEALER DROVE TRUCK INTO SHOP FOR REPAIR AND HAD NO BRAKES. SAMEDAY, SAME HOUR.

NHTSA ID
700552
Incident
Oct 22, 1998
Brakes
Filed Aug 27, 1998
Crash reported

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 25 MPH AND UPON APPLYING FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO MAKE A NORMAL STOP, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH RESULTED IN A COLLISION. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
827309
Incident
Sep 3, 1997
Brakes
Filed Aug 10, 1998

WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES THE PEDAL TRAVELS TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
826518
Brakes
Filed Aug 6, 1998

THE DEFECTIVE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING A NOISE WHEN BRAKING AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. BEEN TO DLR 4 TIMES. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
826380
Incident
Dec 1, 1997

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .