Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 02/11/2004 | 107000 | 1 | |
| The steering locked up and jerked while driving. the consumer experienced the same problem with a 1997 chevrolet he owned. *ak *nm | |||
| 01/20/1999 | 28737 | 11/14/1996 | |
| I own a 1997 chevrolet c1500 pickup truck. i have had power steering problems with it two different times. i have had wiper problems with it once. | |||
| 10/14/2002 | 1 | ||
| Reduced steering effort while driving. feels like you have no control over the steering, like there is no resistance in the wheel. this occurs mostly in turns but has also happened while driving in straight line. according to chevrolet this is due to a bad speed sensor and bearing assembly. why should the consumer have to pay for their faulty equipment??? why isn't this a recall? this occurance is very common in 1997-98 chevrolet and gmc c/k, m/l and g-van with evo.*ak | |||
| 08/12/2003 | 29000 | 1 | 11/23/1998 |
| Steering intermittently surges to right - it'a momentary condition. scarey! cost $170 in labor plus part (evo sensor) - but only took 30 minutes.*ak | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 55000 | 100 | 04/25/1999 |
| 1) burnt electrical wires for the electric fuel pump. location is inside the gas tank. had to replace the fuel pump to rectify the problem. explosion hazard. 2) power steering- wheel would jerk vehicle towards oncoming traffic. happens without warning. noticed many complaints on this problem without anything being done about it. even by the ntsb! is someone receiving a kickback on this thing or what? 3) burnt electrical connection-connector between the hvac cooling fan and the selector switch inside of dash. 4) clunking noise/hard shift, from transmission 4l60e-happens constantly from 1st to 2nd gear. more noticeable when vehicle is warm. *jb | |||
| 05/24/1999 | 10 | 01/01/1997 | |
| I am very disappointed in this vehicle. the dealership has been wonderful about fixing the differential problem-replacement of ring and pinion and reset depth. the ongoing problem with the steering is frightening. it is unpredictable. especially while driving in the mountains it may act up, causing erratic steering and feeling like the steering is locking up and completely failing. it has been reported to gm, but they say they have never had complaint, and that they would contact the dealership and call me back. i have found many, many reported situations with steering failure to your organization for the 1997 chevrolet truck. now i wonder what gm will due about it. i do not feel i should have to pay for a manufacturing failure of equipment. this vehicle has had fuel injector problems, and has cost me over $500. the rear differential has been rebuilt 4 times and now needs it again. one week after purchase of this vehicle the differential howl started. the dealer said to drive it for 5000 or more miles and bring it in if it still had the problem. *ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| The steering wheel tilt has pulled the windshield wipers plug out of socket, causing them to stop working. dealer has been contacted. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 07/10/2004 | 2 | ||
| The power steering pump shaft broke while my wife was driving my 97 chevrolet k1500 fwd pickup. she was unable to streer the truck and had to call me to come get it. a locale mechanic and i removed the serpentine belt and pulled the pump shaft and pully right out of the pump. the shaft was broke in half in side the pump. i think this was a pretty serious failure as my wife was unable to steer the truck or brake. i had the mechanic replace the pump for me. the main reason i mention this is because a co worker of mine has a 2001 yukon that had the exact same problem. i think this is more wide spread than just on 2000 model trucks.*ak | |||
| 05/29/1998 | 3 | 07/01/1997 | |
| 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 this erratic sudden movement of the steering happened...each time the dealer says they called chevrolet and asked how to repair this.then they do something like replacing the power steering sensor...once they replaced the pump assembly...once the steering module....i took the truck back on 10/27/99 after experiencing several episodes of this phantom turning of the steering wheel...they returned my vehicle with a notation on the order that they did nothing about it and would repair at a later date...this vehicle is dangerous to drive in this condition ...it has done this again and again with no fix from the dealer or chevrolet...the truck soon will be out of warranty...i cannot relax driving this vehicle. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 06/02/2004 | 1 | 06/05/2000 | |
| I've had this problem since i bought my truck 4 years ago. i've put on 2 new power steering pumps, new lines, new sensor. the problem started with what seemed like slack and an occasional phantom jerk. it will run fine for a while and then all of the sudden the steering seems to bind with no warning. i guess it won't get noticed until it a few people die. i've had several close calls myself. *ak | |||
| 01/04/2004 | 67753 | 10 | 09/10/1997 |
| 1997 chevrolet half ton pickup truck power steering intermittently and very briefly locks up on left turns. *ak | |||
| 02/02/2004 | 1 | 04/04/1997 | |
| Chevrolet 1500 p/u steering problems. intermittent hard to steer. almost like something binding then after it unbinds will be loose. most noticeable while steering slightly left. power steering pump has been replaced with no effect. on this forum others have noted evo sensor might be the problem. *jb | |||
| 01/09/2004 | 48000 | 1 | 10/01/1997 |
| 1997 chevrolet k 20 pickup truck steering .vehicle has variable speed sensor that failed causing steering problems when cornering........happened on a slick road and almost had an accident.....i have done some research and found out that 1997 1998 and 1999 trucks had this type steering..as many owners as i could find have all had this problem and every chevrolet dealer i called have had admitted they have had countless trucks in for this repair. *ak | |||
| 12/23/1999 | 56000 | 1000 | 12/23/1999 |
| Steering is unpredictable, it has a mind of its own. i have taken it to the dealer i bought it from and they still cant figure out the problem. with all the complaints i see on this website why is nothing being done to fix this problem? this has happened since i first purchased vehicle. this is a very dangerous situation.*ak | |||
| 03/24/1997 | 500 | 100 | 03/04/1997 |
| Steering takes off in either direction at any time since it was new.dealer claimed nothing was wrong.*ak | |||
| 09/03/2003 | 1 | 01/20/1997 | |
| This is in regard to an ongoing problem i've had with my vehicle for the last 4 years, and i believe it is a safety issue that should be addressed. i own a 1997 chevrolet c/k pickup which i purchased new. about 2 years after i purchased it, i noticed my steering suddenly got extremely loose and very sensitive, causing me to be extra careful with my driving. i immediately took it in to an authorized chevrolet dealership for repairs. once completed, i asked the technician what had caused the problem. he stated that it was the steering assist, also known as the evo sensor, that went bad. luckily, my vehicle warranty covered the costs. two years later after my vehicle warranty was expired i began experiencing the same problem. this time though, since the dealership was going to charge me $100 to replace it, i decided to do it myself with some help from a few automotive forums on the internet. the sensor itself costed me about $50 or $60, but the installation went smooth. well, apparently these evo sensors only have a life span of 2 years because my sensor just went out again. now i know there are many gm vehicle owners out there with this same problem. i've read many posts on message forums regarding this issue and i really believe that gm should recall the vehicles that use this evo sensor, mainly the vehicles manufactured in 1997, and get some kind of permanent fix for them. it can be very dangerous when one is driving at fast speeds and suddenly lose steering control. as for myself, i'm having to concentrate more on keeping my vehicle between the white lines, and forget about even taken your eyes off the road even a second.....you'll immediately begin to drift one way or the other. i think that anything that affects the way your car handles and drives from one moment to the next, especially while driving, should be an immediate safety concern. thank you for your time.*ak | |||
| 06/20/2002 | 78000 | 1 | 06/10/2001 |
| Faulty electronic steering assist. fails and is common problem almost caused accident by making vehicle pull to the side unexpectedly.*ak | |||
| 06/30/1999 | 300 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Steering has been a problem for 2 years, but taken to dealer it will not act up. it is completely unpredictable to when the steering acts up. the steering locks up and you can move the wheel easily. then it lets go and has loose feeling. it is really noticeable while driving on curvy roads or in the mountains. i have noticed a great of complaints to your organization about the erratic steering problem with this model, gmc truck and tahoes as well. i reported it today to gm after a near accident on the freeway when my wheel lock up and i found it difficult to move out of way of an oncoming truck onto the freeway. he was not looking and almost sideswiped me. the steering was difficult to control. the manufacturer said they never heard of the problem before. *akrather hard to believe at this point. | |||
| 05/29/1998 | 3 | 07/01/1997 | |
| 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 this erratic sudden movement of the steering happened...each time the dealer says they called chevrolet and asked how to repair this.then they do something like replacing the power steering sensor...once they replaced the pump assembly...once the steering module....i took the truck back on 10/27/99 after experiencing several episodes of this phantom turning of the steering wheel...they returned my vehicle with a notation on the order that they did nothing about it and would repair at a later date...this vehicle is dangerous to drive in this condition ...it has done this again and again with no fix from the dealer or chevrolet...the truck soon will be out of warranty...i cannot relax driving this vehicle. | |||