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 Suburban owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The ignition switch started to fail while driving. First the heater fan would quit and the ABS light would instantly turn on, and the cruise control would fail to operate. When the ABS light would be on the ABS would fail to operate. Then suddenly all operations would go back to normal. It would be unpredictable when the heater fan and the ABS would fail and come back. Then yesterday, the Suburban started and died 3 seconds after starting. I restarted the Suburban and all seemed good. I put the Suburban in drive and rolled at about 5 MPH and the truck died. I stopped and put the Suburban in to park and restarted. Placed it into drive and made it home. When I got home, I turned off the Suburban and tried to restart it. It would crank but not fire the engine. The radio and heater and all other electronics would operate as normal, but the dash lights would not turn on I.e. …
1997 GMC Suburban- multiple engine & transmission failures. At 60,000 miles, vehicle began to shift hard. Returned to shop for diagnosis and repairs several times for work. Finally, while driving the vehicle in city traffic, the transmission failed compeletly. Required valve cover and transmission rebuild @ cost of $2,000. On December 27 '03, had to replace the radiator. On jan 17 '04, discovered that there was no antifreeze in new radiator. Returned to mechanic who replaced the radiator. Said the intake manifold needed to be replaced. Cost: ~$600. Took to another mechanic for second opinion. Same diagnosis. Both state that GM is aware of both problems, however, they will not cover the costs of repairs or replacement. Additionally- replaced alternator two times; replaced water pump two times; replaced the master cylinder in fall 2003.
While driving the serpentine belt tensioner broke from its mounting and resulted in loss of power steering and other components including charging of the battery. The alternator also shorted out. The manufacturer and the dealer were notified. The consumer was told that the warranty not longer covered the belt. The brakes shuttered while braking from 60 MPH. The dealer replaced the front brake pads and resurfaced the rotors.
Fuel gage was acting erratic went full then empty with full tank . A few days later the truck would not start. Found fuse in engine compartment blown for fuel pump. Fuel pump wiring was melted in fuel tank causing short. Had to replace pump and harness which was part of the pump housing. Also replaced fuel filter due to lack of fuel flow (no power) a week later.
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. The door did not open and shut proper. Had problems with fuses blowing constantly. The brakes wore out at 26000 miles and every 10 to 15 since. The brakes after 10,000 miles wore through the rotors. The pedal will often go to the floor or the vechile will pull to the right worse than it already does. …
Original GM battery (side post style) leaked acid onto steel brake line causing loss of braking system plus maximum corrossion of underside of truck..we were completely unaware of any problem until we tried to go to work in the truck and found no brakes,,had this happened on thhe highway at any great speed it would have been a major catastrophy..no one at the dealership or GM takes this serious plus we are out the cost of the repairs and the vehicle out of service..of
The vehicle has consumes oil at approximately 1 quart every 600 miles,no leaks visible. The dealer worked on the oil problem in May but did not fix it. Another problem is that since the vehicle was new it has had a vibration when speeds approach 50 miles per hour and increases with more speed, new tires, continuous balancing of tires, does not help.
When driving at 50 MPH and making a right or left turn and increasing speed, consumer lost control of the steering, and the dealer replaced the sensor. Also, replaced the program ECM, and some metals parts that fell of the vehicle. The dealer can't determine what's wrong with the vehicle.
While driving the Suburban just shuts off without warning, this happens on flat roads as well as hilly roads, the dealer was not able to duplicate the problem, but the entire computer ignition and the alternator were replaced. However, the truck continues to do the same thing.
We drove the car off the lot and took it on a trip from ellensburg, washington to lolo, montana. During this trip we experienced the clock intermittently stopping, the radio shutting off and the trailer brakes not working. This was reported to the dealer. At that point they took a look at the vehicle but could not duplicate the problem from that point on we have had the vehicle in the repair shop in excess of 10 to 12 times for electrical related problems. On at least 6 occasions we have driven the vehicle about 150 miles, left it in airport or motel parking and taken an airplane trip anywhere from 3 days to 7 days in length. Upon returning the battery was completely dead making it necessary to find someone to give us a jump. On each occasions we have returned the vehicle to the dealer. The first time, they replaced the battery and said it was fixed. …
NHTSA investigations
Battery leaks acid
Odi has received 21 complaints where owners allege that the standard GM factory supplied ac delco battery case failed, resulting in the leakage of sulfuric acid.of the 21 complaint vehicles, six suburban, three tahoes, and one yukon owner(s) complained about a loss of brake fluid from deterioration of the right frontbrake line as a result of sulfuric acid contamination.the remaining 11 complaints pertain primarily…
Electrical complaints in other Suburban years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1997 GMC Suburban?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 GMC Suburban, 11% of the model year's 200 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 GMC Suburban electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 1997 GMC Suburban, though it has 2 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 Suburban electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 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.