1997 GMC C1500 Suburban

Routine

Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the fuel system, gasoline › delivery › fuel pump. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
000
Service Brakes1
000
Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Service Brakes
Filed May 11, 2013TX

TRAVELING AT 40 MPH THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP AND KEEPS SKIDDING.TRUCK STARTED TO SKID SIDE WAYS,BRAKES GAVE OUT AND WOULD NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY.TRUCK KEPT SKIDDING FOR ABOUT HALF MILE BEFORE BRAKES WORKED AND WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE SUBURBAN.THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY DOWN AND PUMPED IT SEVERAL TIMES BUT WOULD NOT WORK.SEEMS LIKE ABS MODULE,BRAKES ARE GOOD.JUST ABS HAS FAILED AT DIFFERENT TIMES.SUBURBAN JUMPS AND KEEPS GOING WHEN STOPPED.FAILS TO MAKE COMPLETE STOP EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Dec 20, 2009115,000 milesNY

BRAKE PEDAL "WENT TO THE FLOOR " WITHOUT WARNING ON MY 1997 GMC SUBURBAN. DASHBOARD FAILED TO SHOW A "RED" BRAKE LIGHT UNTIL ABOUT 1 HOUR LATER WHEN I CHECKED BRAKES AGAIN. THERE WAS VIRTUALLY BRAKING ABILITY WHEN THIS HAPPENED. CAR WILL BE TOWED TO DEALER TONIGHT. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING CARS FOR 50 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO "BUILT IN SAFETY REDUNDANCY" TO PREVENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM HAPPENING ? LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. *TR

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Feb 9, 2007NY

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 1997 GMC K-1500 SUBURBAN HAD SEVERAL ABS FAILURES. THE ABS ENGAGED AT A LOW SPEED WHEN COMING TO A STOP, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN TRYING TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP THE VEHICLE CANNOT IN THE EXPECTED DISTANCE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE CONTACTED GM DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THIS WAS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE ABS IN THE FRONT WHEELS. THE CONTACT FOUND RECALL 05068 DEALING WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS GIVEN CASE # 71-474-687-217. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 12000. *AK UPDATED 03/15/07. *JB

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Fuel Pump
Filed Sep 11, 2006145,000 milesWA

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LOST FUEL PRESSURE AND WAS DIFFICULT TO START. THE CONTACT INSPECTED AND REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND SENDING UNIT AS THE INSULATION WAS BURNED OFF THE WIRING BETWEEN THE FUEL PUMP AND SENDING UNIT. THE SAME FAILURE OCCURRED A SECOND TIME. THE SALES DEALER RECOMMENDED A NON-MANUFACTURER NAME BRAND FOR THE SENDING UNIT MALFUNCTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED.

4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1999
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
199912010Routine
19981000Routine
1997 — this page4000Routine
19962000Routine
19942000Routine

Compare every C1500 Suburban year →

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.