RecallRepo

1997 Chevrolet S10 Recalls

Recalls on record Updated July 2026

The 1997 Chevrolet S10 has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,489,337 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 574 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Recall campaigns

VISIBILITY 03V159000 2003-04-28 1,755,876 affected
Defect

ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN MODEL-ENGINE COMBINATIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY FAIL DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT ALL.

Consequence

IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR DURING BAD WEATHER, DRIVER VISIBILITY WOULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT…

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 00V159000 2000-06-16 306 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ELECTRIC PICKUP TRUCKS. A CONDITION IN WHICH THE FUEL-FIRED HEATER FILL PIPE GROUND STRAP CONTACTS THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE PIPE.

Consequence

THIS COULD WEAR OFF THE CORROSION PROTECTION ON THE BRAKE PIPE, LEADING TO PREMATURE CORROSION AND EVENTUAL LOSS OF BRAKE PIPE INTEGRITY. WHEN BRAKE PIPE INTEGRITY IS LOST, BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE CAN OCCUR.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL RELOCATE THE GROUND STRAP ATTACHMENT, INSPECT THE BRAKE PIPE FOR WEAR, AND REPLACE THE BRAKE PIPE IF NECESSARY.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 00V069200 2000-03-03 576 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: GENERATION 1 ELECTRIC LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH A CHARGE PORT ASSEMBLY THAT COULD FAIL DURING A CHARGING EVENT.

Consequence

HEAT COULD BUILD UP WITHIN THE CHARGE PORT AND A FIRE COULD RESULT.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CHARGE PORT ASSEMBLY WITH A REDESIGNED CHARGE PORT ASSEMBLY.

VISIBILITY 98V177000 1998-08-04 354 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC DRIVE. RAPID FOGGING OF THE INTERIOR GLASS CAN OCCUR WITHIN TWO MINUTES AFTER THE HEAT IS TURNED ON IF (1) THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS BETWEEN 35 AND 76 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AND (2) WATER HAS COLLECTED ON THE HEAT EXCHANGER DURING PREVIOUS OPERATION…

Consequence

IF RAPID FOGGING WERE TO OCCUR DURING DRIVING, IT COULD OBSTRUCT THE DRIVER'S VISION INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy

OWNERS ARE BEING PROVIDED WITH A CAUTION LABEL AND SUPPLEMENTAL INSERT FOR THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL ADVISING THEM TO FOLLOW A "STOP AND WAIT" PROCEDURE TO HELP AVOID WINDOW FOGGING WHILE DRIVING.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 97V146001 1997-09-11 146,167 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: LIGHT DUTY PASSENGER PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 4.3L ENGINES. THE FRONT BRAKE LINE CAN CONTACT THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE ENGINE OIL PAN CAUSING THE BRAKE LINE TO WEAR TO THE POINT OF BRAKE FLUID LOSS DURING BRAKE APPLICATION.

Consequence

BRAKE FLUID LOSS CAN REDUCE BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS AND INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE OIL PAN AND THE BRAKE LINE. IF THE CLEARANCE IS 6MM OR LESS, DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL BRAKE LINE CLIP AND IF THERE WAS CONTACT BETWEEN THE OIL PAN AND BRAKE LINE, THE FRONT BRAKE LINE WILL BE REPLACED.

SEAT BELTS 97V096001 1997-06-12 586,058 affected
Defect

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: EXTENDED CAB PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 60/40 FRONT BENCH SEATS AND EXTENDED CAB PICKUP TRUCKS AND 2-DOOR UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL LOCKING RECLINER BUCKET SEATS. THE OUTBOARD SAFETY BELT WEBBING ON THE DRIVER'S AND/OR PASSENGER'S SEAT CAN SEPARATE DURING A FRONTAL IMPACT.

Consequence

IF A SEPARATION OCCURRED AND THERE WERE SECONDARY CRASH EVENTS OR VEHICLE ROLLOVER, THERE WOULD BE NO BELT RESTRAINT OF THE OCCUPANT AND INCREASED INJURIES COULD OCCUR.

Remedy

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A PROTECTIVE COVER OVER THE RECLINER MECHANISM.

Complaints by component

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
64
11crashes2injuries
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR
62
2crashes1fires1injuries
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
38
1crashes
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
33
30crashes16injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
31
2crashes
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
15
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
15
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
12
1crashes
FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM
11
1crashes
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
11
1fires
Total complaints574

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet s10. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a flat tire. The contact was unable to release the spare tire from underneath the vehicle. The contact indicated that the spare tire hoist assembly retainer had malfunctioned. The cause of the failure was…”

STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS:UNDERBODY SHIELDS · reported 2019-01-22

“The windshield wipers operate sporadically when turned on. Some times when you turn them on, they will operate normally and other times they will not turn on at all. The vehicle make and model were included in a recall but my vin was not included in the recall. The problem can occur when the…”

VISIBILITY/WIPER · reported 2015-10-13

“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet s10. When the contact started the vehicle, the windshield wipers activated intermittently. The failure occurred in rainy weather, which caused a reduction in visibility. The vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 03v159000 (visibility). The vehicle was…”

VISIBILITY/WIPER · reported 2015-08-04

“Occasionally about 5 or 6 times and counting when initially applying the brake at either 45mph or 10 mph my 1997 chevy s10 vehicle starts to accelerate with my foot off the gas and cruise control off at what appeared to be full speed/throttle. My first reaction was to brake even harder, but then…”

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL · reported 2014-10-04

“Occasionally about 5 or 6 times and counting when initially applying the brake at either 45mph or 10 mph my 1997 chevy s10 vehicle starts to accelerate with my foot off the gas and cruise control off at what appeared to be full speed/throttle. My first reaction was to brake even harder, but then…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2014-10-04

“Occasionally about 5 or 6 times and counting when initially applying the brake at either 45mph or 10 mph my 1997 chevy s10 vehicle starts to accelerate with my foot off the gas and cruise control off at what appeared to be full speed/throttle. My first reaction was to brake even harder, but then…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2014-10-04

“Severely corroded brake lines, lines blew. Near miss accident. This is a common complaint across mfrs. . Well maintained cars with severely corroded fuel and brake lines. I bet it can be traced to a cheap supplier that supplied the big 3 for a period of years. No corrosion resistance on the steel.…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2014-08-01

“Severely corroded brake lines, lines blew. Near miss accident. This is a common complaint across mfrs. . Well maintained cars with severely corroded fuel and brake lines. I bet it can be traced to a cheap supplier that supplied the big 3 for a period of years. No corrosion resistance on the steel.…”

SERVICE BRAKES · reported 2014-08-01

Defect investigations

Investigation EA94038 Opened 1994-10-31 · closed 2000-02-28

ABS BRAKING SYSTEM

THIS INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A SAFETY RECALL, 99V-193, AND A SERVICE CAMPAIGN, 99I-006.

Investigation EA94038 Opened 1994-10-31 · closed 2000-02-28

ABS BRAKING SYSTEM

THIS INVESTIGATION RESULTED IN A SAFETY RECALL, 99V-193, AND A SERVICE CAMPAIGN, 99I-006.

Investigation EA97004 Opened 1997-02-28 · closed 1997-08-05

SEAT BELT WEBBING SEPARATION

NHTSA'S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) TESTED A 1997 CHEVROLET S-10 EXTENDED CAB PICKUP EQUIPPED WITH A DRIVER-SIDE AIR BAG.THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WAS COMPLETELY CUT DURING THE TEST.

Investigation EA97004 Opened 1997-02-28 · closed 1997-08-05

SEAT BELT WEBBING SEPARATION

NHTSA'S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) TESTED A 1997 CHEVROLET S-10 EXTENDED CAB PICKUP EQUIPPED WITH A DRIVER-SIDE AIR BAG.THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WAS COMPLETELY CUT DURING THE TEST.

Investigation PE96061 Opened 1996-10-25 · closed 1997-02-28

SEAT BELT WEBBING SEPARATION

ON 9/9/96 NHTSA'S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) PERFORMED A 35 MPH BARRIER CRASH TEST WITH A 1997 CHEVROLET S10 EXTENDED CAB PICKUP.THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WAS COMPLETELY CUT DURING THE TEST.

Investigation RQ04002 Opened 2004-02-18 · closed 2004-05-27

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

ON FEBRUARY 18, 2004, ODI OPENED THIS RECALL QUERY (RQ) BASED ON TWO FATALITY REPORTS INVOLVING MY 1997 GM S-10 PICKUP TRUCKS.EACH REPORT ALLEGED THAT THE BELTED DRIVER OCCUPANT WAS EJECTED IN A MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER CRASH.THE MY 1997 S/T SERIES PICKUPS USE AN ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP IN THE DRIVER SEAT BELT THAT…

Investigation RQ04002 Opened 2004-02-18 · closed 2004-05-27

DRIVER'S SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

ON FEBRUARY 18, 2004, ODI OPENED THIS RECALL QUERY (RQ) BASED ON TWO FATALITY REPORTS INVOLVING MY 1997 GM S-10 PICKUP TRUCKS.EACH REPORT ALLEGED THAT THE BELTED DRIVER OCCUPANT WAS EJECTED IN A MULTIPLE-ROTATION ROLLOVER CRASH.THE MY 1997 S/T SERIES PICKUPS USE AN ENERGY-ABSORBING LOOP IN THE DRIVER SEAT BELT THAT…

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Chevrolet S10 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.