I SEEM TO BE EXPERIENCING THE EXACT KIND OF IGNITION SWITCH MALFUNCTION THAT HAS BEEN THE CAUSE OF THE MASSIVE GM RECALL THIS YEAR. THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THAT THE RECALL DOESN'T SEEM TO GO BACK TO 1997. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE IT FIRST STARTED TO HAPPEN A WEEK OR SO AGO. THE ENGINE AND EVERYTHING ELECTRICAL JUST SHUTS OFF FOR NO REASON. IT HAS HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AT PARKING LOT SPEEDS, DRIVING AROUND TOWN, AND EVEN PARKED AT IDLE. IT JUST UP AND DIES FOR A SECOND OR TWO, FOLLOWED BY ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS COMING ON LIKE YOU HAD JUST TURNED THE KEY BACK ON. SEEMS TO ME LIKE THE GM IGNITION SWITCH RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE OLDER VEHICLES THAT WERE APPARENTLY AFFECTED AS WELL AS THE ONES ALREADY ON THE LIST. *TR
1997 Chevrolet Express 3500
Owners filed 2 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsI WAS PICKING UP ITEMS IN A HOME DEPOT PARKING LOT, WHEN THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND I DISCOVERED THE BRAKE LINES TO THE REAR HAD RUSTED THROUGH AND EMPTIED OUT ALL THE BRAKE FLUID. WHEN IT WAS ON THE LIFT AND BEING REPAIRED, I FOUND THAT THE REAR LEAF SPRING MOUNTS ARE NEARLY CORRODED AWAY. THIS IS NOT A PART DESIGNED TO BE REPLACED. *TR
2 of 2 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2005| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2012 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2010 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2009 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2007 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2006 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2005 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2004 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2003 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 2002 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2001 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2000 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1999 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 1997 — this page | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
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.