1997 Chevrolet Tahoe — Known Issues & Recalls

When you tried to pull out of your driveway, your brake pedal went all the way to the floor with no resistance. You found that the brake line running along the driver's side of the frame had rusted completely through near where it connects to the rear brake system. This brake line failure caused you to lose braking pressure. The repair will likely involve replacing the rusted brake line and possibly bleeding the brake system to restore proper function.

While your wife was driving the Tahoe with children in the vehicle, the rear brake line ruptured due to rust. Upon inspection, you found the rear brake line had rusted through, and discovered that all other brake lines on the truck are also severely rusted. A complete brake line inspection and replacement of corroded lines will be necessary to restore safe braking function.

Your ABS braking system is activating unexpectedly on dry pavement at slow speeds, sometimes even when you're not applying the brakes, making it hard to stop smoothly and safely. This has gotten worse over a year and happens nearly every time you brake, which concerns you about being able to stop before hitting another vehicle. A mechanic attempted the recommended fix of cleaning and regreasing the wheel speed sensor, but it didn't resolve the problem.

Your ABS (anti-lock braking system) is engaging and pulsating hard when you brake on dry pavement, even at low speeds — it should only do this on wet or snowy roads. Chevrolet repaired this under recall in 2000 and it worked fine for 18,000 miles, but the problem has returned. The dealer replaced your left front hub to address the issue.

Your power steering intermittently cuts out, causing the steering wheel to jerk suddenly—especially when turning onto ramps, but also randomly at highway speeds. This jerking motion makes the vehicle difficult to control in both situations. The problem may require inspection of the power steering system, including the pump, hoses, or fluid levels.

Your power steering became unpredictable, sometimes requiring extra effort to turn and sometimes causing the truck to oversteer in the middle of turns. The problem started last fall and continued even after you switched tires and had front-end parts replaced and realigned. You eventually found that replacing the steering EVO sensor resolved the issue. This type of steering loss mid-turn is dangerous and could cause you to overcorrect and crash.

Your brake lines have corroded, causing complete brake failure while driving on the expressway at high speed. You experienced a panic stop where the brakes didn't work at all, nearly causing a collision. The repair will likely involve replacing the corroded brake lines and possibly flushing and refilling the brake fluid system.

After starting your vehicle and letting it warm up briefly, you applied the brakes and your foot went all the way to the floor with no resistance. You discovered a brake line had ruptured near the back of the fuel tank. When you tried to bleed the brake system to repair it, another brake line burst near the top of the frame by the rear left tire. You replaced both damaged brake lines with a stainless steel brake line kit. The fix involved replacing the failed brake lines and bleeding the entire brake system.

Your wiper motor pulse board has failed multiple times, making your windshield wipers inoperable. This is a visibility and safety problem — you need working wipers to see the road, especially in rain or snow. Chevrolet issued a technical service bulletin for this issue, and similar vehicles were recalled, but your 1997 Tahoe wasn't included. The fix will likely involve replacing the wiper motor pulse board.

Your windshield wipers stopped working when you turned them on while driving at 65 mph in the rain. This is a serious visibility problem that makes safe driving difficult in wet weather. The manufacturer confirmed there were no recalls for this issue. Fixing this typically involves replacing the wiper motor or checking the wiper relay and electrical connections.

You experienced two tire blowouts on different tires within a three-week period. This suggests a potential issue with your tires or wheels that caused them to fail prematurely. You should have your remaining tires inspected for damage, defects, or improper inflation, and consider replacing all tires if they're old or worn.

You bought four new Goodyear Wrangler RT/S tires (235/75R15), and one developed a sidewall bulge that caused a flat tire just days after purchase. The warranty only covered 7 days, so you weren't covered. Since then, you've been losing air rapidly in the other three tires—not a slow leak, but noticeable air loss. The tires may need to be replaced, or the wheels and valve stems should be inspected for damage.

Your seat belt may come undone while driving or fail to unlock when you try to release it. Your brakes may slip or stick, reducing your ability to slow down. This complaint involves a crash where the combination of seat belt failure, airbag malfunction, and brake issues prevented the driver from stopping. A mechanic will need to inspect the seat belt latch mechanism, brake system components, and airbag electrical connections.

Your lower right ball joint failed, causing you to lose control of the truck. You hit a parked car, traveled 70 feet, and knocked over a stop sign. During the crash, your driver's side seat belt didn't hold you in place, and you hit your head on the steering wheel, cracking a molar and injuring both knees. The suspension ball joint will need to be replaced, and the seat belt system should be inspected and repaired.

Your Tahoe has multiple serious safety issues: the brake lights and hazard lights don't work, the brakes have failed while driving (causing a spare tire to fall off on the highway), the battery keeps dying, and several doors won't open. The tires are also in bad condition. These problems need immediate professional inspection and repair before the vehicle is safe to drive.

Your Tahoe was installed with a remanufactured engine that has safety defects. The consumer reported concerns about the quality and safety of this rebuilt engine component.

Your transmission failed less than a month after you bought the truck in 2014, and even after the dealer rebuilt it with a 300-mile warranty, it failed again within a week. Your fuel pump also went out during this time, and the transmission burned out completely once more during a road trip. Despite keeping up with routine maintenance and driving carefully, you're experiencing repeated transmission failures and are concerned about a possible recall you've heard mentioned.

Your ignition switch allows you to remove the key while the engine is running, shift into any gear, and drive without the key in the ignition. This shouldn't happen on a properly functioning vehicle and could be a safety concern. The issue may be related to wear on the ignition switch mechanism. You'll likely need to have the ignition switch inspected and possibly replaced by a mechanic.

Your driver's side power window stops working intermittently — sometimes it won't respond when you try to open or close it. You're concerned this could be a serious safety issue, especially if you can't open the door and the window won't roll down. You're also worried about a potential fire risk similar to a recall GM issued for other model years involving the master power window switch. Fixing this will likely require inspecting the power window motor and switch, and possibly replacing corroded wiring or the window switch assembly.

Your spare tire fell from underneath the vehicle because the metal wire holding it corroded and failed without warning. This happened while the vehicle was in use, creating a safety hazard. The corroded mounting hardware needs to be replaced with new wire or a proper spare tire bracket.