Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 GMC Jimmy owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Shortly after adjusting the front passenger power seat control I noted a trail of smoke from beneath the seat and the smell of burning plastic. I immediately opened the fuse panel and attempted to remove the main fuse. The upper main buss that controls the power seat motors, power doors, and anti-theft system was so hot that I could not touch it without burning my fingers. I had to use a pen knife to remove it. No other fuses were affected. Following removal of the fuse my turn signals, emergency flashers, and rear stop lights are all inoperative. These elements are on a separate circuit from the main buss I removed. I believe that had I not gotten the fuse removed when I did the electrical short would have resulted in a serious fire.
Dt: on 5/24/05 caller was driving at 40 MPH on level ground on the highway and the spare tire fell out from underneath the vehicle. The cable that holds the spare onto the vehicle broke and allowed spare to break away and fell onto the highway. The windshield wipers have caused many problems in the past as well. The wipers would start and stop unannounced and had to be repaired and the blinkers would come on and go off on their own. The consumer believed there was a general problem with the electrical system. The car was regularly maintained. Each time the consumer filled the vehicle with gas, the inside of the vehicle would smell like gas and for a couple of days, the gas gauge did not work.
1997 GMC Jimmy battery drain. After vehicle sits for a couple hours it will not start. Has new (not rebuilt) alternator, starter, battery. Still won't start most of the time. Battery drains completely if vehicle sits overnight. As soon as I jump the vehicle, it starts immediately. Nothing I do will help.vehicle has done this for8years and I can't fix it so I don't even put license it anymore. I can't sell it because nobody wants a broke down car. It still looks and drives great. I would like GM to fix it. There are also other things that appear to be factory defaults like front suspension and more I won't go into now.
Transmission failure / replaced transmission - upper & lower ball joint failure / replaced upper & lower ball joints - rear window wiper failure / inoperable at this point - extremely expensive replacements with no old parts available at this point. Events leading up to failure I can only attribute to severely poor manufacturing of products, there was no operating misuse or abuse. Also other parts that have failed and have since been replaced are the: alternator, fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator and cooling system failures.
97 Jimmy. Electrical ignition failure. 5x at least. Driving along and , for no reason, all power cuts out completely. Drift to side of road, stop, and vehicle usually starts again either right away, or in a couple minutes. [redacted] dangerous. 2 different GMC dealers don't have a clue.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 GMC Jimmy. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled and restarted after numerous attempts. An independent mechanic stated that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Power accessory circuit breaker (20) gets extremely hot after power windows and power seat fails to operate. At same time, when hit a bump in road, interior lights flicker. Burned fingers trying to remove breaker before fire May have started. Dealer guessed and replaced driver seat electric switch, but still gets hot and fails.
ABS brakes failed, vehicle lost control, resulting in a head-on collision. Upon impact, driver's/passenger's air bags failed to deploy, resulting in injuries. In addition, ignition locked up/fuel gauge and alternator failed.
I lost power while driving my 1997 GMC Jimmy on the highway. It just stopped running. I pushed it to the side of the road and called for a tow truck. When we got to the dealer, the vehicle started.
Brake lights came on and would not go out until the brake light fuse blew out. Replaced fuse and brake lights would not go out. This happened about 2-3 months ago and I took this vehicle to jones Chevrolet in sumter, sc. They said they adjusted the brake light switch and corrected the problem. This time I took the vehicle to tim's auto pro in dalzell, sc to get it checked out. Tim found that the wiring from the fuse block up under and behind the dash had shorted out due to the way it was installed originally at the factory. Part of the wiring harness was chaffed in several places and the wiring melted together keeping our brake lights on. He removed the dash and associated items to get to the harness and repaired it so our brakes work and there are no shorts. My concern is that GMC should be paying for this repair since the harness was not installed properly when the vehicle was built. …
Electrical complaints in other Jimmy years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1997 GMC Jimmy?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 GMC Jimmy, 10% of the model year's 274 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 GMC Jimmy electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 1997 GMC Jimmy, 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 GMC Jimmy electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 6 injuries to electrical system 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.