1997 GMC Suburban Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 2%of 200 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the body and structure of the 1997 GMC Suburban, 2% of the 200 complaints for this model year.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“The child safety seats do not work with the seat belt system of the Suburban. Only the front passenger seat will securely hold the seat. I contacted NHTSA twice and Gmc customer service 3 times and many other places. Finally a GM engineer in the safety dept. Called me took my complaint. He tried to put a seat in a Suburban and said yes they do not work right. They wanted to take care of problem in house. I have heard nothing more from them. The vechile pulled to the right from day one had it aligned problem continues to this day. The left rear door hinge on drivers side busted off. …”
NHTSA complaint #704363, filed 1999-03“There is a visible water leak from the roof to the inside of the rear part of the truck, this make a pool inside the car of almost 1/2 an inch of water. It keeps the car with a humid atmosphere and very strong bad odors due to humidity, this affects me my wife and my three babies of 2 yeas and 10 months old. We are all the time suffering with allergies and asthma since we bought the truck. We know of two other suburbans here in puerto rico that has suffered the same problem. The dealer covers up these, and says they no nothing obout it. What should I do, how can I have this problem resolved... …”
NHTSA complaint #714488, filed 1999-11“Dt: the consumer owns a 1996 Gmc sierra and a 1997 Gmc Suburban. The vehicle's inside door handles are breaking. The only way to get out of the vehicle is opening the door from the outside. It is happening on both of these vehicles. Consumer has noticed this on other people's vechiles with the same problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10123991, filed 2005-06“Consumer stated that the clips on dash were loose, clips were installed and replaced, water leaks on passenger side under the dash, right front seat recliner handle were replaced.”
NHTSA complaint #563531, filed 2002-01Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1 | 7% |
| 1999 | 7 | 2% |
| 1998 | 2 | 2% |
| 1997 | 4 | 2% |
| 1996 | 2 | 1% |
| 1995 | 2 | 1% |
| 1994 | 3 | 1% |
| 1993 | 1 | 0% |
| 1992 | 1 | 1% |
| 1991 | 1 | 3% |
| 1988 | 1 | 13% |
Other parts of the 1997 GMC Suburban
58 complaintsSteering
39 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
24 complaintsFuel system
23 complaintsElectrical system
21 complaintsEngine cooling
20 complaintsTires
16 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
12 complaintsAir bags
5 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsSuspension
5 complaintsSeats
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 GMC Suburban
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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