Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 GMC Sierra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Going down the road all at once you will loose control of your steering wheel. It is like you have no way to turn or anything. It will take a little bit for you to have control of you pickup again. This could be real dangerous if you were to hit some ice or rain slick roads and all at once you couldn't control your pickup. I was told that this has been a problem in these late model pickups and GM has made no recalls on this. It is 1996 threw 1999 that the trouble is in. There is a sensor in the power steering that tells it what to do. There was a lady in the same time I was in getting her pickup fixed on a recall on the wipers and I asked her if she had ever had any trouble like that. She said yes it caused her to go into the ditch before she knew what happened. She didn't know what was wrong. So they had to replace her sensor also. Something needs to be done before someone gets killed.
The engine rod bearings started making noise at 80,000 miles. The noise progressivly got worse so I was advised to run a 15w-40 oil and run the motor to failure. GM gave me a price of $2500 for engine replacement saying it would be very costly to just replace rod bearings and the warranty on the new motor was better. As far as the steering problem, the truck started to under-steer at about 4500 miles. As you enter a turn (left or right) sometimes the truck just dives in that dirction and you must compensate in the other direction. It has gotten so bad that I am the only one who drives the truck. A friend of mine has a 97 Chevy truck and had the same problem, he had it repaired for the sum of $1000.
Dt: 1997 GMC Sierra c1500 pick up truck - the consumer complained about steering and brake problems. Took the truck to the GMC shop and they said that the steering box wore out, and needed to be replaced because it had play in the wheel. It has not been replaced as of yet. Also, while driving on the road the brakes malfunctioned. The consumer was not approaching a stop, but was coming up onto a big truck, went to apply the brakes and had no brakes. The brakes were repaired with all new brake lines, but they were still making noise and id not feel right. There have been no recalls on this vehicle.
I took my 1997 GMC Sierra to the dealer because there are several recalls involving this vehicle. But the dealer said all the recalls pertain to the 1999-2004 models not mine - but I am having the identical problems - drive shaft, and brakes - my brakes lock up - create lots of noise, calipher damage, etc. I believe that the recalls for the newer vehicles should apply to mine as well. The vehicle is dangerous to drive when the brakes decide not to work. My wife drives the truck and I am concerned for her safety.
When traveling at speeds greater than 30 miles an hour or so, the steering wheel occasionally loses all resistance and the wheel turns around to the right, causing the truck to swerve. I read that GM had issued a recall for many vehicles that had this problem, but the GMC 1500 truck did not appear to be among them. Please add it.
I bought a 1997 GMC Sierra in 1999. The problem I'm having with it, and since I purchased the vehicle, is on occasion, when I make a turn, either to the right or left, the vehicle will lose steering completely. The power steering fluid level is fine. It only does this for a minute portion of a second, and then returns to normal.
Steering wheel failure. Steering wheel suddenly jerked either to the left or the right. When this occurred steering wheel felt like it was separating from its linkage. A mechanic determined that this happened because power steering booster was bad, and needed replacement.
Power steering goes out occasionally. This has been noted many times on the nhsta web site as well as other consumer compliant web sites explaining the same problem. There needs to be a recall on this vehicle series. The windshield wipers were intermittent.
While driving, intermittently steering wheel will have to much play in it and turn all the way around. This makes it difficult for the driver to steer vehicle, which could result in lost of control and cause an accident. Please provide more details. Ts
High speed turn steering failure experienced while making lane change on freeway. This caused truck to almost go off freeway onto grassy median divider area. I made violent steering wheel correction turning steering wheel to make correction in a righthand turn. This caused truck to fishtail and weave into lane I had just exited. Luckily there was no immediate traffic in this vicinity as I believe a high speed(70mph)contact between vehicle would have occurred. Brought truck into GMC dealer for evaluation(paso robles, ca. GMC truck).I was told that the steering-sensor was defective. Apparently there is no recall on this part with GMC. I was told that there is a service bulletin out regarding this problem. This was a sudden failure with no warning. As a firefighter/paramedic I drive professionally and I cannot believe that such defects should go without a recall notice published. …
Steering complaints in other Sierra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1997 GMC Sierra?
NHTSA has 63 complaints about the steering of the 1997 GMC Sierra, 26% of the model year's 238 complaints. The component named most often is hydraulic power assist system (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 GMC Sierra steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 1997 GMC Sierra. 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 Sierra steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles, and 7% 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.