1997 Chevrolet Tahoe Electrical Problems

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 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.

BATTERY CASE CRACKED, FLUID LEAKED OUT AND CORRODED AND THUS REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE BATTERY CABLES AND THE BATTERY. I FEEL THAT THE ORIGINAL BATTERY CABLE IS TOO SHORT CAUSING STRESS ON THE BATTERY CASE AT THE CABLE MOUNT TO THE BATTERY, RESULTING IN A CRACKED CASE AND SUBSEQUENT DAMAGE. REPAIR COSTS AT DEALER $285.53. I SEE THAT INVESTIGATION INTO THIS PROBLEM HAS ALREADY BEGUN. *JB

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY FAIL ON MY 1997 CHEV TAHOE. ALSO, HAVE EXPERIENCED TEMPORARY POWER LOSS OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. OBSERVABLE AFFECTED COMPONENTS ARE THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS, ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS, HEAD LAMPS AND INTERIOR LIGHTS, ACCOMPANIED BY BUZZING SOUNDS. HAS OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE. HAS CAUSED NEAR ACCIDENTS DURING RAINY WEATHER AND IN POORLY LIT ROADWAYS. *JB

THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO BE RUNNING PERFECTLY,NO LEAKS OR SMELLS OR WARNING, 65MPHIN CRUISE CONTROL AND ENGINE CAUGHT FIRE. I WAS TOWING A VERY LIGHT TRAILER, EMPTY. I HAD A FIRE EXTINGUISHER BUT IT WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP THE FIRE. 1997 TAHOE, 97,000 APPROX MILES, BOUGHT USED SUMMER 03. PREVIOUSLY A FEDERAL VEHICLE IN WELL MAINTAINED CONDITION AS FAR AS I COULD TELL.*AK

CONSUMER STATES THE TURN SIGNALS ARE INOPERATIVE, THE FUSES KEEP BLOWING OUT, ALSO HAZARD LIGHTS DO NOT WORK, THE DEALER HAS ALREADY REPLACED FUSE ONCE ALREADY, BUT THE TURN SIGNALS STILL DO NOT WORK.*AK. CONSUMER STATED THE TURN SWITCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED.*SLC

BATTERY WAS LEAKING ACID DOWN ONTO THE WIRING, WHICH POSSIBLIY SHORTED OUT THE AIR CONDITIONING AND BLEW A HEADLIGHT. *JB

VEHICLE WILL NOT START INTERMITTENLY DUE TO A SHORT THAT DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE WHERE IT WAS. THIS DEFECT CAUSED BATTERY TO DIE, CONSUMER HAD REPLACED BATTERIES 3-4 TIMES. ALSO, ALTERNATOR AND DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM WERE REPLACED. DEFECT IS STILL OCCURRING. *AK

THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START DUE TO DELCO BATTERY FAILURE,WHICH RESULTED FROM THE BATTERY LEAKING ACID AND IN SECURELY INSTALLED. THE WINDSHIELD WASHER FAILED DUE TO THE RESERVIOR AND CONNECTION LINES DAMAGED BY THE LEAKING BATTERY ACID. *YH

THEY HAVE REPLACED THE BATTERY 3 TIMES AND REMOVED AN ADD ON FEATURE THAT THEY BLAMED FOR THE DRAIN ON THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. I REQUESTED COPIES OF ALL RECORDS FOR THIS VEHICLE BUT WERE NEVER GIVEN THEM.*AK

IGNITION SWITCH FAILED. YH

STARTER FAILED. YH

GENERATOR ASSEMBLY FAILED RESULTING IN NOISE.

ON 3/24/98 MY 1997 CHEVROLET TAHOU WAS 10 MONTHS OLD WITH 5400 MILES ON IT WHEN THE TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE DASH WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND WAS TOTALLY DISTROYED. WHEN THE FIRE STARTED IT WAS LATE ON MY WAY HOME FROM A MOVIE WITH MY WIFE . WE SMELLED SMOKE AND I STOPPED BUT COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING. WE HAD GONE A LITTLE DISTANCE WHEN FIRE STARTED FALLING AT MY FEET, I RAN OFF THE ROAD AND HIT SOME SMALL TREES TO TRY TO STOP THE TRUCK THEN TRUNED ACROSS THE ROAD AND FINILLY HIT A TREE BIG ENOUGH TO STOP THE TRUCH. WHERE I GOT OUT AND HAD TO PULL MY WIFE OUT AND CALLED 911 ON MY CEL PHONE. MY WIFE HAD HIT HER HEAD AND WAS A LITTLLE OUT OF IT AND PASSED OUT ON THE GROUND. SHE PASSED OUT AGAIN JUST BEFORE THE MEDICS GOT THERE. THE TRUCK CONTENUIED TO BURN UNTILL THE FIRE DEPT. GOT THERE TO PUT IT OUT. GM CLAIMS THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY OTHER CLAIMS OF CHEVROLET TRUCKS CATCHING FIRE FROM THE DASH IN '97 OR ANY OTHER LATER YEAR TRUCKS AND WOULD NOT TAKE ANY RESPONCEALILITY FOR THE FIRE. IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD ANY THING LIKE THIS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. R.W. PARKER

BATTERY FAILED DUE TO POSITIVE POST SEPARATING FROM CASE. THIS CAUSED BATTERY ACID TO LEAK ONTO FRONT BRAKE LINE CAUSING BRAKES TO FAIL. CHEVROLET CONTACTED AND NOTIFIED BUT NOT CONCERNED WITH POTENTIAL SAFETY PROBLEM. HAD SPEED BEEN INCREASED, THE POSSIBILITY OF DEATH/SERIOUS INJURY WAS IMMINENT. SEVERAL MECHANICS IN LOCAL AREA STATED THAT ACDELCO BATTERIES HAVE A HISTORY OF THIS TYPE FAILURE.

HAVE SPEED SENSITIVE STEERING, WHILE DRIVING TENSION ON WHEEL WOULD DECREASE & WOULD LOSE CONTROL; WOULD SWERVE OFF ROAD; SPEED WOULD VARY; HAPPENS ON STRAIGHTAWAYS, BUT OFTEN ON CURVES; HAPPENS INTERMITTENLY; TOOK TO DEALER & INFORMED WORKING LIKE IT SUPPOSE TO. *AK