Problems · NHTSA complaints
1997 Chevrolet Corvette problems
Owners filed 153 complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette with NHTSA between May 1997 and Apr 2020. The most-cited component is steering (94).
Complaints
153
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Steering94
- Engine and engine cooling13
- Seats9
- Electrical system8
- Seat belts8
- Fuel system, gasoline7
- Service brakes, hydraulic5
- Fuel/propulsion system3
- Vehicle speed control3
- Equipment3
- Structure3
- Power train3
- Fuel system, other2
- Visibility2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
6
8
11
20
16
30
27
12
5
1
2
2
0
5
2
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
1
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 6 |
| 1998 | 8 |
| 1999 | 11 |
| 2000 | 20 |
| 2001 | 16 |
| 2002 | 30 |
| 2003 | 27 |
| 2004 | 12 |
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 5 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Steering
94 reports1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 CHEVROLET CORVETTE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE IN REVERSE, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED ACCORDING TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V060000 (STEERING). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,000.”
Engine and engine cooling
13 reports
“ENGINE AND SERVICE TRACTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ANSWERING DUPLICATE LETTER, REFERENCE NUMBER 10009877 ANAMARI 3-27-03 THE BALANCER AND THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS REPLACED *TS. THE POWER STEERING BELT WAS REPLACED. *JB”
Seats
9 reports
“DRIVER SEAT ELECTRIC FASTENING MOUNTING WEAR IS TOO DEFECTIVE AND HAS TO BE REPLACES. IT MOVES IN AND OUT , SEAT IS MOVING BACK AND FORTH IN ALL POSITIONS. GM REFUSES TO RECALL THEIR PROBLEM.”
Electrical system
8 reports
“BATTERY LEAKAGE CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO WIRING HARNESS AND TCM COMPONETS.THE BATTERY POST FAILED AND ACID WAS RELEASED THRU BATTERY HOLDER TO COMPONETS BELOW.THIS ITEM IS A HAZARD SINCE IT TOTAL DISABLE CAR ELECTRONICS.AND IS OF POOR DESIGN PUTTING COMPUTER AND MAIN WIRING HARNESS DIRECTLY BELOW BATTERY CASE. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FIND THIS HAS BEEN MANY SUCH INSTINCES OF THIS HAPPENING AND THE COST IS NOT CHEAP AT ABOUT $3000 TO $4000.*AK”
Seat belts
8 reports2 related recalls
“RECALL 00V111000. DRIVER'S LAP BELT DOES NOT RETRACT, CAUSING THE RESTRAINT TO BE INOPERABLE. A RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE IF THIS VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED UNDER THE RECALL BY THE VIN.*AK”
Fuel system, gasoline
7 reports1 related recall
“FUEL LEAKING FROM THE GAS TANK ALONG WITH STRONG ODOR OF GAS. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN FEB 2010 I DO SEE A RECALL FOR OTHER CORVETTES SAME YEAR, BUT DIFFERENT VIN#'S. I AM CONCERNED THERE ARE MORE VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT THE GM HAS NOT LOOKED AT . THIS CAR WAS MADE IN THE SAME PLANT AS THE OTHERS AND MY CAR HAS OTHER RECALLS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE THAT WERE FROM THAT PLANT BOWLING GREEN PLANT CODE 5. I AM CERTAIN THAT THOSE VIN #'S ARE NOT THE ONLY VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.