Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Chevrolet Astro owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1997 Chevrolet astrovan with electrical door locks. Pulled into sheetz gas and go and went to open the drivers door and it did not open. Tried to push the manual inside door lock but it was totally frozen and would not actuate. Next tried electrical door lock switch. No response on drivers door but there was weak sound from passenger door lock solenoid. It was as if on the passenger side it was suffering from insufficient voltage. Crawled out of passenger seat and got out of car. ' took ignition key and inserted it into drivers door lock. Key would turn to lock (felt the detent of the ) and back to neutral... Key would not turn to unlock position ...would move a little and then freeze. I did not try harder to turn as I felt there was a very good chance the key would break and leave me stranded 40 miles from home... No backup ignition key. Ignition key works the door locks in this model. …
I have a 1997 Astro, in the past 8 months the driver side window motor, windshield wiper motor and transmission have all been replaced. The transmission was replaced with 54,202 miles on it, which started giving us problems at about 53,000 miles. The dealership replaced both idler arms at 25,680 miles. Had seat belt chime fixed (recall), driver seat feels loose when stopping dealership claims to have tightened it, still feels loose. The van has always idled rough took it in 3 times for that and can't seem to fix that. Sliding door rattle they tried to fix that also still rattles. The gas pedal sticks when I take off or when I go in reverse which makes it impossible to take off smoothly. I had an Astro and a safari in the past and never had as many problems as I had with this one.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Chevrolet Astro. While changing one of the tires the contact noticed that the cable which holds the spare tire underneath the vehicle was severely corroded. While the contact was performing his owns repair to replace the cable, it fractured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was 140,000 and the current mileage was 153,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The consumer's 1987 and 1997 Chevrolet Astro vans had faulty engine's.** answer required***. The power windows failed, the driver's seat came loose, the rear door hatch broke and the transmission failed due to the torque converter slipping and valve body wear (90000 miles).
Chevrolet doesn't care about using cheap parts- after warranty they say trade it in .numerous things wrong with van and have talked to Chevrolet many times. Can't use back door of van, run out of gas, knobs fall of interior devices, asked Chevy to help since 37,000 and problems still happening as I go, can't afford to fix and can't afford to trade. Another nice shove it job by Chevrolet they don't stand by their prduct and their product is not safe please respond.
Cracks developed in the frame hoilding the side door which started rattling and if unchecked could have resulted in the loss of a door in traffic. Chevrolet dealer that sold this vehicle new and has maintained it for 60,000 miles of warranty says this is not covered under sorkmanship or poor engineering. This is a safety hazard since the door weighs approx 100 pounds and the loos of it on a highway at high speed could be extremely dangerous.
Paint is peeling and cracking on my 1997 Chevrolet Astro. While under warrenty the roof was repainted. Soon it started to crack but dealer would not help. As a owner of several GM vehicles I feel my van should be repainted for free since this is a known defect of GM. All I am asking for is for GM to pay to have my van fully repainted. Thank you and look forward to hearing from you. Anthony o. Hooper.
The gas indicator fails to register the correct fuel left in vehicle. Owner ran out of gas due to defective indicator. The door hinges on the dutch doors allow doors to swing wide. Took vehicle to mechanic to repair hinges, but the fuel indicator could not be fixed.
Intermittently vehicle will lose power and stop in traffic. Dealer cannot determine cause. Also, consumer noticed a white pasty fungus growing which is eating through the metal and carpet.
Everytime the sliding door is opened it falls off the track. Dealer has tried to correct this problem six times over the last 2 years. Please provide any further information.
Body complaints in other Astro years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Astro?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the body & structure of the 1997 Chevrolet Astro, 9% of the model year's 360 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (14 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Chevrolet Astro body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1997 Chevrolet Astro, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet Astro body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.