Total Complaints
5 filings
PETERBILT PETERBILT · model year
1997 PETERBILT PETERBILT
5 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 1997PETERBILTPETERBILT carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 2 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 PETERBILT is electrical system:12v/24v/48v battery:cables with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (2) and fuel system, gasoline:delivery (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 1997 PETERBILT. 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.
5
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
2
Injuries
0
Deaths
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
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 2 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20001213FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY
TWO FAILED FUEL LINES CREATED A FIRE AND POLLUTION HAZARD. OTHER PETERBILT OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM,YET HAS NOT TAKEN STEPS TO CORRECT IT. *AK
20000908ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST ALL ENGINE POWER INCLUDED POWER STEERING, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE LOAD SHIFTED AND THE VEHICLE OVERTURNED. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *MJS
19991129ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST ALL ENGINE POWER INCLUDED POWER STEERING, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE LOAD SHIFTED AND THE VEHICLE OVERTURNED. (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT) *MJS
19990823ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
BATTERY CABLES RUBBING FRAME AND TRANS EXTERNAL FILTER CAUSED DRAW AND SUPER HEATING OF WIRES AND ALMOST RESULTED IN FIRE. MJS
19990823FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES
BATTERY CABLES RUBBING FRAME AND TRANS EXTERNAL FILTER CAUSED DRAW AND SUPER HEATING OF WIRES RESULTED IN FIRE. MJS
Compare 1997PETERBILTPETERBILT to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1997 PETERBILT PETERBILT have?▼
The 1997 PETERBILT PETERBILT has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 2 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1997 PETERBILT PETERBILT?▼
The most-complained component for the 1997 PETERBILT PETERBILT is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY.
Is the 1997 PETERBILT PETERBILT 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 PETERBILT PETERBILT; 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.