1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) Problems
- Complaints
- 78about this part
- Share
- 14%of 555 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 97,095miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 78 complaints about the visibility of the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 14% of the 555 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 97,095 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The wipers just stopped working in the middle of a storm and I had to pull to the side of the road and I tried everything I could to get the wipers to work I called a friend and he said to tap the wiper motor and it did get the wipers to work until I got home and the next day I called and got a new wiper motor and installed it on my truck and I have not had a problem since. The wiper motor was not cheap and I'm on a fixed income. I would like to be reimbursed for the cost of the wiper motor I'm not worried about the time it took me to replace it. …”
NHTSA complaint #10918150, filed 2016-10, 76,000 miles“The windshield wipers on the Chevrolet silverado I own will suddenly quit working leading to very poor visibility. They will work fine for the first 15-20 minutes while it is raining and then suddenly quit making it very dangerous to drive. I have noticed other recalls for vehicles very similar to mine regarding a cracked solder joints on the controller circuit board for the windshield wipers. I called Chevrolet and they said there was no recall.”
NHTSA complaint #10157240, filed 2006-05, 152,000 miles“My windshield wipers do not work all of the time they will stop when it is raining start again stop you never know if they are going to stop I was told there was a recall on some trucks the same year with the same problem but not my truck.”
NHTSA complaint #10130419, filed 2005-07, 59,000 miles“On oct 6, 2005, I was driving my 1997 Chevrolet k1500 ext cab truck in a rain storm when the wipers just stopped. I found that there was a safety recall issued # 03v159000 for this same problem in 2003. When I contacted the Chevrolet dealership they requested my VIN number and then told me my vehicle was not effected by this safety recall. I then contacted Chevrolet and they told me my vehicle was not effected by this safety recall even though it might have the same wiper motor part number. …”
NHTSA complaint #10138768, filed 2005-10, 72,600 miles“Windshield wipers and washer intermittently would not work. It started out the washer wouldn't always work and then the wipers followed suit. The first time my wipers didn't work my visibility dropped significantly and it was a dangerous drive home. I looked up this problem on the NHTSA website and saw that there is a recall on this problem. My vehicle did not get recalled. Other models in my year were recalled and my model in previous years were recalled. Chevy dealership wanted to charge me $175 to replace the wiper motor circuit board. …”
NHTSA complaint #10158186, filed 2006-05, 109,300 milesVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors): other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 2% |
| 2025 | 1 | 1% |
| 2024 | 5 | 2% |
| 2023 | 8 | 2% |
| 2022 | 7 | 1% |
| 2021 | 7 | 1% |
| 2020 | 12 | 2% |
| 2019 | 19 | 2% |
| 2018 | 8 | 2% |
| 2017 | 20 | 3% |
| 2016 | 21 | 3% |
| 2015 | 38 | 3% |
| 2014 | 51 | 4% |
| 2013 | 8 | 3% |
| 2012 | 2 | 1% |
| 2011 | 5 | 1% |
| 2010 | 8 | 2% |
| 2009 | 3 | 1% |
| 2008 | 9 | 1% |
| 2007 | 10 | 1% |
| 2006 | 10 | 3% |
| 2005 | 19 | 4% |
| 2004 | 13 | 2% |
| 2003 | 17 | 2% |
| 2002 | 11 | 2% |
| 2001 | 5 | 1% |
| 2000 | 7 | 1% |
| 1999 | 10 | 2% |
| 1998 | 60 | 17% |
| 1997 | 78 | 14% |
| 1996 | 1 | 14% |
| 1994 | 2 | 20% |
Other parts of the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
140 complaintsBrakes
134 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
57 complaintsFuel system
52 complaintsEngine cooling
35 complaintsSuspension
34 complaintsElectrical system
28 complaintsAir bags
16 complaintsSeats
13 complaintsBody and structure
12 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsEquipment
8 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology