Car Problem DataNHTSA records

1997 Chevrolet Caprice

Routine

Owners filed 3 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic › foundation components. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components1
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine1
000
Electrical System1
010

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical SystemFire
Filed Nov 1, 2004MN

WHILE DRIVING,THE CONSUMER SMELLED A BURNT ODOR COMING FROM THE FRONT. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND LIFTED UP THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE AND DISCOVERED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE ELECTRICAL WIRES HAD SHORTENED OUT FROM THE ALTERNATOR. ELECTRICAL WIRES AND ALTERNATOR NEEDED REPLACEMENT. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB *TC *TR

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Oct 20, 2004DC

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND DROVE IT TO A GAS STATION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE FILL IN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *JB

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components
Filed Jul 6, 1998NY

BRAKE VALVE FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL NOTICE.

3 of 3 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1994
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
201412300Routine
20136410Routine
20120300Routine
20111300Routine
20031000Routine
1997 — this page3010Routine
199665801Fatalities reported
1995881100Routine
19941461080Routine
199361642Fatalities reported
1992891110Routine
19911311030Routine
19906200Routine

Compare every Caprice year →

Other Chevrolet models

All Chevrolet models →
Malibu 19,321Silverado 1500 17,919Impala 10,410Tahoe 10,004Equinox 9,119Silverado 8,748Suburban 8,007Blazer 8,000Cobalt 7,681Trailblazer 7,137

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.