1997 Chevrolet S10: problems, recalls and reliability
8 recalls and 469 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is visibility (24% of complaints); the 1999 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 469 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet s10. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a flat tire. The contact was unable to release the spare tire from underneath the vehicle. The contact indicated that the spare tire hoist assembly retainer had malfunctioned. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified, but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 130,000.”Owner report · Structure · Jan 2019
“The windshield wipers operate sporadically when turned on. Some times when you turn them on, they will operate normally and other times they will not turn on at all. The vehicle make and model were included in a recall but my VIN was not included in the recall. The problem can occur when the vehicle is moving or stopped in the driveway or parking lot. (reference gm recall 03023)”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Oct 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet s10. When the contact started the vehicle, the windshield wipers activated intermittently. The failure occurred in rainy weather, which caused a reduction in visibility. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 03v159000 (visibility). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Aug 2015
Show 7 more owner reports
“Occasionally about 5 or 6 times and counting when initially applying the brake at either 45mph or 10 mph my 1997 chevy s10 vehicle starts to accelerate with my foot off the gas and cruise control off at what appeared to be full speed/throttle. My first reaction was to brake even harder, but then the antilock brakes kicked in and seemed to reduce the stopping force by not letting the wheels lock. The vehicle continued to accelerate until I placed the car in neutral and then the vehicle stopped and also stopped accelerating. *tr”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Oct 2014
“Severely corroded brake lines, lines blew. Near miss accident. This is a common complaint across mfrs. . Well maintained cars with severely corroded fuel and brake lines. I bet it can be traced to a cheap supplier that supplied the big 3 for a period of years. No corrosion resistance on the steel. Can't blame this on ne winter salt. My oem 1964 looks better than my late model vehicles. *tr”Owner report · Fuel/Propulsion System · Aug 2014
“When slowing down to enter the garage, the engine accelerates when applying the brakes. Letting off of the brakes and reapplying them and pushing harder has eased the issue somewhat. It does this very frequently. *tr”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2014
“Vehical pulled out in front of me I hit him running 55 mph my safety bags did not deploy resulting in severe seatbelt and sterring wheel damage to my body and terible neck pain and back pain resulting from lack of air bagneglect”Owner report · Air Bags · Dec 2013
“Wipers do not always start or stop when switch is turned on/off. Intermittent setting does not work, wipers will continue to work as if turned on and not in intermittent mode. Wiper blade will stop at different intervals on windshield. *tr”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Jan 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet s10. While parked, the contact noticed the windshield wiper was not functioning. The contact stated he was a mechanic, who inspected the vehicle and determined that the failure was caused by the circuit board. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 03v159000 (visibility:windshield wiper/washer) but was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.”Owner report · Visibility/Wiper · Aug 2012
“Windshield wipers stopped working while driving in a heavy rain storm. I pulled to the side of the road and tried all different setting but wiper did not work so I parked the vehicle. The next day I checked and they had started working again. I found a recall notice (03v159000) while researching what might cause this type of problem, but when I contacted a dealer they could not find any record of the recall. I also contacted chevrolet (800 222-1020) on june 10th 2010, but they also told me there was no recall in effect? *tr”Owner report · Visibility · Jun 2010
When filing, owners marked a crash in 63 of these complaints and injuries in 38 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 8 campaigns
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PASSENGER PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 4.3L ENGINES. THE FRONT BRAKE LINE CAN CONTACT THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE ENGINE OIL PAN CAUSING THE BRAKE LINE TO WEAR TO THE POINT OF BRAKE FLUID LOSS DURING BRAKE APPLICATION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE OIL PAN AND THE BRAKE LINE. IF THE CLEARANCE IS 6MM OR LESS, DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL BRAKE LINE CLIP AND IF THERE WAS CONTACT BETWEEN THE OIL PAN AND BRAKE LINE, THE FRONT BRAKE LINE WILL BE REPLACED.
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR) WERE PRODUCED WITHOUT AN O'RING AND RETAINER.
Remedy: DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: GENERATION 1 ELECTRIC LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH A CHARGE PORT ASSEMBLY THAT COULD FAIL DURING A CHARGING EVENT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CHARGE PORT ASSEMBLY WITH A REDESIGNED CHARGE PORT ASSEMBLY.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ELECTRIC PICKUP TRUCKS. A CONDITION IN WHICH THE FUEL-FIRED HEATER FILL PIPE GROUND STRAP CONTACTS THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE PIPE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL RELOCATE THE GROUND STRAP ATTACHMENT, INSPECT THE BRAKE PIPE FOR WEAR, AND REPLACE THE BRAKE PIPE IF NECESSARY.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: EXTENDED CAB PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 60/40 FRONT BENCH SEATS AND EXTENDED CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND 2-DOOR UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL LOCKING RECLINER BUCKET SEATS. THE OUTBOARD SAFETY BELT WEBBING ON THE DRIVER'S AND/OR PASSENGER'S SEAT CAN SEPARATE DURING A FRONTAL IMPACT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE RECLINER MECHANISM.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC DRIVE. RAPID FOGGING OF THE INTERIOR GLASS CAN OCCUR WITHIN TWO MINUTES AFTER THE HEAT IS TURNED ON IF (1) THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS BETWEEN 35 AND 76 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND (2) WATER HAS COLLECTED ON THE HEAT EXCHANGER DURING PREVIOUS OPERATION OF THE AIR CONDITIONING.
Remedy: OWNERS ARE BEING PROVIDED WITH A CAUTION LABEL AND SUPPLEMENTAL INSERT FOR THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL ADVISING THEM TO FOLLOW A "STOP AND WAIT" PROCEDURE TO HELP AVOID WINDOW FOGGING WHILE DRIVING.
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN MODEL-ENGINE COMBINATIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY FAIL DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT ALL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-462-8782, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact S10 by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Chevrolet S10 reliable?
NHTSA has 469 owner complaints and 8 recall campaigns on record for the 1997 Chevrolet S10. The most complained-about area is visibility (24% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet S10 problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 83,000 miles or less.
Does the 1997 Chevrolet S10 have open recalls?
8 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:hoses, lines/piping, and fittings. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.