1997 GMC Sierra 2500 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1997 GMC Sierra 2500, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Brakes750.0%
- Interior & seats214.3%
- Tires & wheels214.3%
- Visibility214.3%
- Fuel system17.1%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
CORRODED BRAKE LINE FAILURE. LOSS OF REAR BRAKES, FRONT WORKED. *JS
BRAKE LINE FAILURE ON 1997 GMC PICKUP. @ DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND SEPARATE AREAS IN BRAKE LINES. OLD LINES DISCARDED. APPEARED TO BE A RUST ISSUE. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
I OWN A 97 GMC TRUCK. CURRENTLY, THE TRUCK HAS A LITTLE OVER 55,000 MILES. APPROXIMATELY, 2 YEARS AGO THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE FAILED TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO LEHMERS IN CONCORD AND THEY REPAIRED THE PROBLEM AT NO CHARGE TO ME... IT WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. LAST WEEK THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED ON THE DRIVER SIDE AND "STARTED TO SHOW SIGNS OF THE SAME PROBLEM" ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, I DECIDED TO "SAVE A BUCK" AND FIX THE PROBLEMS MYSELF. AFTER REMOVING THE DRIVER SIDE INTERIOR HANDLE ASSEMBLY, I WAS SHOCKED TO FIND THE HANDLE ITSELF CRACKED I.E. THE HANDLE ASSEMBLY IS POORLY DESIGNED. (IT'S PLASTIC.) I TOOK THE HANDLE ASSEMBLY TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SHOWED THE BROKEN HANDLE TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND EXPLAINED HOW THIS WAS THE SECOND HANDLE. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID, "THEIR HANDS WERE TIED" AND COULD NOT HELP ME BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE SERVICE MANAGER DID NOT FIND ANY SERVICE BULLETINS CONCERNING DOOR HANDLES. (I ALSO SUBSCRIBE TO AN ONLINE SERVICE MANUAL PROVIDER CALLED ALLDATA.COM. THEY INCLUDE TECHNICAL BULLETINS THE SERVICE SHOPS GET FROM GM. I DID NOT FIND ANY BULLETINS CONCERNING DOOR HANDLES.) WHILE STILL AT THE DEALERSHIP, I BOUGHT A NEW HANDLE. IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE OLD ONE. IT COMES WITH A 1-YEAR WARRANTY. I CALLED GMC AND THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE THE ITEM IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY COULDN'T HELP ME. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP ALSO SAID THERE WAS NO RECORD OF ANY OTHER DOOR HANDLE PROBLEMS. *LA
RECALL RELATED 97V037000, SEAT, NOTICED IN MARCH 1997, DEALERSHIP WILL NOT PERFORM RECALL DUE TO THE TIME FACTOR INVOLVED, THE MANUFACTURER STATES THERE ARE NO PARTS AVAILABLE. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 GMC C2500 PICKUP EQUIPPED WITH COOPER MASTERCRAFT TIRES, SIZE P265/75/R16. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRES AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL BODY SHOP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE ON THE TIRES WAS 31,000 THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES ON THE VEHICLE WAS 100,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 GMC SIERRA 2500 WITH BF-GOODRICH ALL TERRAIN TIRES, LINE SIZE LT265/75/16. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE EXHIBITED A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE AS THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE WHO ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD CONTACT HIM AT A LATER DATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN AND DOT NUMBERS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 141,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING IN RAINY WEATHER FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE RAINING WINDSHIELD WIPERS WILL MOVE REAL SLOW OR THEY MAY STOP COMPLETELY. IT IS AN INTERMITTENT REOCCURRING PROBLEM. DEALER CLAIMS VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
1997 GM 6.5 TURBO DIESEL PMD FAILURE. LOSS OF CONTROL VERY UNSAFE. WHY DOES GM FAIL TO RECALL THE PMD???? *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .