CHEVROLET C30 · model year

1997 CHEVROLET C30

4 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1997CHEVROLETC30 carries 4 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1997 C30 is wheels with 1 filings, followed by service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (1) and power train:automatic transmission (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.

NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 1997 C30, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.

4
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

4 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
WHEELS1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC1

Recent Complaints

20081105SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC

1997 MOTOR HOME ON CHEVROLET 454 CHASIS. AUTO PARK BRAKE LOCKED WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND ALMOST CAUSED A FIRE. CHECKED NUMEROUS SOURCES AND FOUND SEVERAL HUNDRED LISTING OF PEOPLE WHO HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, SOME WITH FIRES. THE SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED AND THE BRAKE BAND AROUND THE DRIVE SHAFT AT THE REAR OF THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP. SMOKED FILLED THE VEHICLE WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. CALLED GM AND RECEIVED NO HELP. SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE SINCE THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM AMONG OWNERS WITH THIS SYSTEM. MANY OWNERS SAID THAT EVEN AFTER REPAIRS THE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AGAIN. GM SHOULD HAVE A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE OR PROVIDE INFO FOR REPAIRS. MOST MECHANICS DID NOT HAVE A CLUE ABOUT THIS SYSTEM ON THE VEHICLE. *TR

Mileage: 52,000

19990511POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING ENGINE FAILED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL AND JERK; NO POWER BRAKES OR POWER STEERING. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPAIRED AND TWO WEEKS LATER THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. VEHICLE STALLED FOUR TIMES BEFORE COMPUTER WAS REPLACED AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT REAPPEARED. *AK

19971107SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 55 MPH ON A THREE LINED ROAD ANOTHER DRIVER STOPPED IN FRONT OF CONSUMER, FORCING HIM TO KEEP LONGER DISTANCE BETWEEN OTHER VEHICLE BECAUSE THE BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND. *AK

19970402WHEELS

MANUFACTURER DID NOT GREASE THE RIGHT SIDE OF FRONT WHEEL BARRIERS, CAUSING THE WHEELS TO COME OFF. *AK

Compare 1997CHEVROLETC30 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1997 CHEVROLET C30 have?
The 1997 CHEVROLET C30 has 4 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 CHEVROLET C30?
The most-complained component for the 1997 CHEVROLET C30 is WHEELS with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.
Is the 1997 CHEVROLET C30 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 vintage: August 2026. 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.

Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1997 CHEVROLET C30; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.