Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
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).
My van is a 1997 Astro and it has some serious transmission problems after going 30-40 miles and stoping at a light it jerks real hard and feels like I was hit in the back I have took it 3 times to get fixed and it still does it the service ingine light comes on when it starts doing it no one seems to know wheat wrong they just keep takeing my money and telling me its fixed when its no if some one could tell me what the problem is I would be very happy the fuel pump went out 900.00$ the driver window motor went out the idler arms have had to be replaced brakes keep wearing down ...please some one contact me.
Fuel gauge reads full all the time. I realize that it is not as important as other things. This happened about 3 months after the warrenty ran out. This is a common problem with GM vechicals and not with just the Astro vans. When I called the dealer they said that people normaly just use there trip odometer. The reason I was given was that it was a $500 fix. I know 5 other people that have or had this same problem. Most just get by until they get rid of the vechical.
1997 Astro van. Fuel tank always reads full. Running out of gas in traffic can be very dangerous. I know of others with same vehicle who had this same problem. Called GM and opened trouble ticket. They said no recalls or bullitens are open for this problem. Fuel level sensor on fuel pump is bad.
My wife was driving our 97 Chevy Astro van about 40mph when she attempted to stop. The van was not stopping so she pushed the brake pedal as hard as she could. Just as it was about to stop at the stop sign it lurched forward into the intersection. The van continued through the intersection at a high rate of speed (luckily there was no other cars coming). She tried to stop again now noticing that the engine was racing. She turned off the car and put it into park. We then had the van towed to the dealer we bought it at. They looked at it and said the fuel pressure regulator went out and was pouring raw fuel into the motor. It was occuring at such a high rate that it sucked a part of the throttle body into the motor. We still don't have our van back or do we know the extent of the damages (they have to pull the heads off to find the part that got sucked in). …
Driver's side rear window will not stay open, clips that should hold it up are blocked by material, window slams shut when going over a bump. Transmission went out at 45000 miles. Oil leak, dealer ordered axle output shaft seal and crankshaft sensor. Electric fuel pump replaced due to vehicle cutting and would crank, but would not star. Oil pressure gauge erratic, dealer replaced oil pressure sender. Front brakes and pads were replaced, rotors were resurfaced. Consumer states there is play in the steering, dealer replaced both idler arms and reset toe in. Power door locks inoperable, dealer replaced power door lock switch. Power window inoperable, dealer replaced power window switch. Shifter was hard to move, dealer replaced shift cable. Gas pedal binds at times, dealer ordered throttle cable and replaced accelerator cable. …
Upon removal of defective fuel pump assy contained within the gas tank the fuel pump ground wire had melted and shorted to the positive lead to the fuel gauge sender. It seems to me that if the wiring inside the gas tank is not housed in sometype of protective assy to prevent such failures it would not only be a faulty design but pose a very serious safety issue. Fortunately excessive heat or sparks did not occur due to this failure. Had there been enough heat or sparking from the shorted wiring, most likely there would have been a resulting fire and/or explosion. I am also concerned on how such failures resulting in a fire and/or explosion could ever be determined since the evidence of poor design would most likely be destroyed by fire and/or explosion. Have there been many unexplained fires or explosions on this model vehicle? I do hope someone will contact me on this issue!
I have had a number of problems with this vehicle: both the left and right power windor motors; replace the key remote, both idler arms,front brake pad at 37,000 miles, serpentime belt, power steering pump - replaced twice, had to fix oil cooler lines twice, replaced distributor/rotor; replaced lower gasket due to intake manifold leak, and fuel pump modual. All of this was done before my car had 57,000 miles. The dealer has been very fair and repaired at low or now cost. I have had two trips shortened due to breakdowns and have spent over $1,500 on repairs not covered under warrenty or by the dealer. This is in addition to normal maintenance (oil and filter,four new tires,and transmission fluid and filter). I am concerned as to "what is next" and when the dealer when no longer be able to fix these problems at low cost to me.
Occurance 1) engine stopped without warning while approcahing an intersection. The resulting loss of power caused a severe control problem with the van. The reason for the failure was the fuel guage read 3/4 and the van ran out of fuel. Occurance 2) the fuel guage has totally stopped functioning, after topping off and proceeding onto highway I drove for 1/2 hour at 65, a sudden slam occured 2 or three times, appeared to be the engine cutting in and out, slowed to 55 and continued for 150 miles without further incident. Occurance 3) vehicle has no fuel guage, I am told it's out of warranty, even if full the vehicle seem to loose control momentarally, as if to loose power.
Additonal failure dates / mi: 8-11-99 @20544 mi., 12-2-99 @ 21932 mi., 6-30-00 @24992mi, 10-13-00 @26737 mi., as you can see the problem repetes at about every 2000 - 2500 miles. Chevy says its a problem with the gas blends in ca & ny only? If this is true then why are they not having problems with all of there engines? The injection ports are defective and they refuse to fix repalce them. Instead they bring the van in for a "injector cleaning" per Chevy bulletin. The engine runs so rough it shakes the whole van! The fuel injector design is defective and needs to be fixed/recalled!
My Mini van always starts shaking when brakes are applied I went through six time fixing problem , I put new discs drums shoe pads shocks alignment rebalance everything we could do I'am very disaapointed at Chevrolet for their vehicle performance I even put a new gear box, the fuel gage does'nt work they told at croppers Chevrolet in nogales az.I need to replace the fuel pump they could not fix the gage I am so dissapointed I bought a Toyota and as soon as I can I'll trade this vehicle . One thing I learned is go with an import vehicle.
Fuel System complaints in other Astro years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Astro?
NHTSA has 43 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 1997 Chevrolet Astro, 12% of the model year's 360 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Chevrolet Astro fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system 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 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
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.