CHEVROLET C10 · model year

1997 CHEVROLET C10

8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1997CHEVROLETC10 carries 8 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1997 C10 is steering:hydraulic power assist system with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:exhaust system (1) and suspension:front (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1997 C10, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

8
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

8 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM1
SUSPENSION:FRONT1
SUSPENSION1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL1
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR1
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW1

Recent Complaints

20020619CrashAIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY ANOTHER VEHICLE MADE A SUDDEN STOP IN FRONT OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. SHE T-BONED HIM ON DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, AND DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DIDN' T DEPLOY. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK

20001025STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

TRUCK OVER-STEERS TO THE LEFT, ESPECIALLY ON A LEFT HAND CURVE. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL MOMENTARLY PULL HARD TO THE LEFT - THEN RETURN TO CENTER. DURING THIS TIME THE VEHICLE WILL UNEXPECTEDLY VEER LEFT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FIRM GRIP ON THE WHEEL AND COUNTER ACT THE HARD PULL. A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER INDICTAED THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURANCE ON THESE VEHICLES AND THAT REPLACING A SENSOR IN THE POWER STEERING UNIT WOULD FIX IT. HOWEVER, THIS REPAIR IS NOT COVERED, SINCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND CHEVROLET HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. I CHECKED NHTSA'S WEB SITE AND FOUND NUMERIOUS COMPLAINTS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO MINE. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE - CHEVROLET HAS A PROBLEM AND THEY AND THE NHTSA KNOWS ABOUT IT - AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A PROGRAM IN PLACE TO MAKE THE PUBLIC AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND GET IT RESOLVED - WITHOUT IT COSTING THE CONSUMERS 100'S OF DOLLARS.*AK

20001025STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

TRUCK OVER-STEERS TO THE LEFT, ESPECIALLY ON A LEFT HAND CURVE. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL MOMENTARLY PULL HARD TO THE LEFT - THEN RETURN TO CENTER. DURING THIS TIME THE VEHICLE WILL UNEXPECTEDLY VEER LEFT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A FIRM GRIP ON THE WHEEL AND COUNTER ACT THE HARD PULL. A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER INDICTAED THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURANCE ON THESE VEHICLES AND THAT REPLACING A SENSOR IN THE POWER STEERING UNIT WOULD FIX IT. HOWEVER, THIS REPAIR IS NOT COVERED, SINCE THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND CHEVROLET HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL. I CHECKED NHTSA'S WEB SITE AND FOUND NUMERIOUS COMPLAINTS THAT ARE VERY SIMILAR TO MINE. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE - CHEVROLET HAS A PROBLEM AND THEY AND THE NHTSA KNOWS ABOUT IT - AND THAT THERE SHOULD BE A PROGRAM IN PLACE TO MAKE THE PUBLIC AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND GET IT RESOLVED - WITHOUT IT COSTING THE CONSUMERS 100'S OF DOLLARS. *AK

20000721VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. CONSUMER WILL HAVE TO MOVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS AROUND SO THAT THEY CAN RESTART. BUT, THEY WILL FAIL AGAIN.THIS CAUSES POOR VISIBILITY.*AK

20000411FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

PULLED INTO GARAGE AND THERE WAS A A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE. DISCOVERED A GASOLINE PUDDLE WHERE THE FUEL LINES GO INTO THE THROTTLE BODY. ACCORDING TO THE SERVICING DEALER, THIS LEAK, WH EN BAD ENOUGH FORCES GASOLINE INTO THE MAIN WIRE HARNESS . THIS LEAK , AS I UNDERSTAND IT, RESULTED FROM THE FAILURE OF "O" RINGS WHERE THE FUEL LINE GOES INTO THE THROTTLE BODY. I THINK THE "O" RING FAILURE MIGHT RESULT FROM DEFECTIVE "O" RINGS. I DON"T KNOW THAT FOR POSITIVE. I CAN NOPT HELP BUT THINK THIS FAILURE IS A SIGNIGICANT SAFETY HAZARD. I AM AWARE OF TWO MORE SIMILAR FAILURES IN THIS AREA. IN ADDITION TO THE SAFETY HAZARD THE C OST FOR REPAIR OF THIS FAILURE WAS $2,268.25. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THIS FAILURE. *AK

19990830SUSPENSION

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING HARD PULLING TO THE LEFT, CONSUMER HAS REPLACED TIRES, STRUTS, SHOCK, BRAKES BUT PULLING STILL EXPERIENCED. NLM

19990823SUSPENSION:FRONT

VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT. YH

19970221ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE EXHAUST SYSTEM VIBRATES AND ONECAN SMELL FUMES. TOOK TO THE DEALER 4 TIMES AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM. *AK

Compare 1997CHEVROLETC10 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1997 CHEVROLET C10 have?
The 1997 CHEVROLET C10 has 8 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 CHEVROLET C10?
The most-complained component for the 1997 CHEVROLET C10 is STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM and SUSPENSION:FRONT.
Is the 1997 CHEVROLET C10 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.