Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 GMC Sierra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN AT LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS. REPLACED BATTERY, BATTERY CONNECTIONS, CABLES AND ALTERNATOR BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTS OVER THE YEARS. IT IS A DANGEROUS HAZARDOUS SITUATION. *TR
I WAS RETURNING TO ALBUQUERQUE, NM FROM AMARILLO, TX PULLING A TRAILER WITH AN ANTIQUE STOVE IN MY TRAILER. IMMEDIATELY BEFORE LEAVING AMARILLO, I HAD MY FRIEND CHECK ALL OF THE TRAILER LIGHTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONING. THEY ALL WORKED FINE. I TOOK THE SCENIC ROUTE THROUGH HEREFORD ENTERING ONTO INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 40 AT SANTA ROSA, NM AT ABOUT 9:00 PM - IT WAS DARK. BEFORE LONG A SEMI PASSED ME AN HE FLICKED HIS HEADLIGHTS. I WASN'T SURE WHAT THE FLICKING OF HIS LIGHTS MEANT. ABOUT 30 MILES LATER A SEMI PASSED ME RIGHT BEFORE A BIG HILL. HE IMMEDIATELY LOST HIS SPEED GOING UP THE HILL AND IN A FEW MOMENTS I WAS RIGHT BEHIND HIM. I DID NOT WANT TO PASS HIM SINCE I WAS PULLING THE TRAILER, SO I STAYED BEHIND HIM AS HE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN TO AROUND 55 MPH. ANOTHER SEMI APPROACHED VERY FAST FROM BEHIND AND THERE WERE OTHER CARS IN THE FAST LANE. AT THE LAST SECOND THE SEMI SWERVED AROUND ME TO THE LEFT AND PASSED ME AND HONKED HIS HORN AT ME. HE NARROWLY MISSED RUNNING INTO THE REAR OF MY TRAILER. THIS TIME I NEW SOMETHING WAS UP, SO I PULLED OUT AT THE CLINES CORNERS EXIT AND STOPPED AS SOON AS I COULD. SURE ENOUGH, ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE TRAILER WERE OUT. I PUSHED ON THE WIRING COUPLER AND THEY ALL CAME ON. I WENT ABOUT 10 MORE MILES AND PULLED OFF AT ANOTHER EXIT TO CHECK THE LIGHTS. THEY WERE STILL ON, BUT I PUSHED THE COUPLER TOGETHER TO HELP ENSURE IT WAS WORKING LOOSE. ALL OF THE TRAILER LIGHTS WENT OUT AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH I PLAYED WITH THE COUPLER THEY WOULD NOT COME BACK ON. I SPENT THE NEXT 45 MINUTES LAYING ON THE COLD PAVEMENT WITH A FLASHLIGHT CUTTING THE WIRE TO THE LICENSE PLATE LIGHT ON MY TRUCK AND SPLICING IN SOME WIRE TO GET THE LIGHTS ON THE REAR OF THE TRAILER TO LIGHT UP. I ALSO HAD TO CREATE A NEW GROUND WIRE. THE COUPLER SYSTEM IS MADE BY VELVAC NEAR MILWAUKEE, WI. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SEND YOU THE LEFTOVER JUNK PARTS. DAN
THE VEHICLE STALLED 5 TIMES IN ONE MORNING WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. THE WEATHER WARMED UP OUTSIDE AND THE VEHICLE RAN AND STARTED FINE. THE NEXT EVENING THE VEHICLE STARTED FINE, I GOT 1/2 BLOCK DOWN THE ROAD IT STALLED AGAIN. I WAITED FOR A FEW MINUTES AND IT RAN FINE. THE NEXT MORNING IT STARTED FINE AND I DROVE IT FOR MILES, HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH IT STALLING. WE CALLED GMC TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR, BECAUSE THE WIPERS WOULD WORK WHEN THEY WANTED TO WORK. NOT WHEN YOU NEEDED THEM TO WORK. THEY HAD TOLD US THAT THERE WAS ALSO AN IGNITION COIL PROBLEM WITH THIS TRUCK-THEY CALLED THE GMC DEALER THAT WAS TO DO THE RECALL WORK. A FAULTY IGNITION COIL CAN GIVE THE SAME SIDE EFFECTS AS A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP. WE DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHEN WE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF IT WOULD NOT RESTART. THE RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE, BUT STILL WOULD NOT START. THE GMC DEALER TOLD US IT WAS MOST LIKELY THE FUEL PUMP, THE DEALER TOLD US THE FUEL PUMPS IN THIS VEHICLE GO OUT "FREQUENTLY." BUT, HE OFFERED US TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP FOR $450.+ INCLUDING LABOR. OR SELL US ONE OVER THE COUNTER FOR APPROXIMATELY $425.00 + TAX. AND WE COULD INSTALL IT OURSELVES. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO OUR HOUSE AND NOW ARE DECIDING WHAT TYPE OF FUEL PUMP SHOULD BE BOUGHT FOR A VEHICLE THAT THE FUEL PUMP GOES OUT FREQUENTLY IN. OUR BIGGEST CONCERN IS THAT THIS TRUCK HAS 85,066 MILES ON IT, AND HAS BEEN MAINTAINED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS. WHY ARE THE VEHICLES FITTED WITH FAULTY/DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS. THE PUMP CAN CATCH ON FIRE, OR GO OUT IF YOU HIT TOO MANY BUMPS IN THE ROAD. THAT IS A MANUFACTURER PROBLEM OF A FAULTY PRODUCT. PLEASE LET US KNOW, HOW MANY FUEL PUMPS WE SHOULD PLAN ON REPLACING IN THE NORMAL LIFE OF THIS VEHICLE. *LA
THE BRAKE PADS FAILED AND WERE REPLACED. *YD
INSULATION AROUND WIRING AND CONNECTOR OF UNIT INSIDE FUEL TANK CAUGHT ON FIRE DUE TO A SHORT. *AK CONSUMER STATES PLUG AND WIRING WERE INSIDE FUEL TANK, WIRES GOING TO ODOMETER AND FUEL PUMP, THE FIRE WAS INSIDE THE FUEL TANK. *SLC
VEHICLE FIRE STARTED IN DRIVERS DOOR PANEL AT THE CONTROL FOR THE POWER MIRROR, CLAIM 53-C467-067. *SLC
VEHICLE FIRE STARTED IN DRIVERS DOOR PANEL AT THE CONTROL FOR THE POWER MIRROR, CLAIM 53-C467-067. *SLC
CONSUMER STATES THE VEHICLES BATTERY EXPLODED.*JB
REAR AXLE PINION SEAL FAILED. NLM
BATTERY IS LEAKING ACID FROM THE POSITIVE TERMINAL AREA CAUSING CORROSION. THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE ELECTRICAL OR BRAKE FAILURE. THIS IS THE 2ND 1997 GM PRODUCT WITH A DELCO BATTERY I HAVE SEEN WITH THIS CONDITION.*AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .