1997 Chevrolet Suburban Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
OUR CHEVY SUBURBAN HAS JUST OVER 50,000 MILES AND IS PAST THE WARRANTY MILEAGE. ON A TRIP TO LAS VEGAS, THE TRUCK STARTED TO JERK FIERCLY INTO GEAR. WHEN I ACCELERATED, THE TRUCK WOULD JERK INTO GEAR. THE TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST THAT DID THE REPAIRS ADVISED US THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER HAD GONE OUT, AND SHRAP METAL WAS GETTING INTO THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. THIS HAPPENED IN A MATTER OF 1 DAY. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO ADVISED US THAT HE HAD PERFORMED THE SAME REPAIRS ON 3 OTHER CHEVY SUBURBANS THAT DAY ALONE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT CAUSED BY "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" AND THAT THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING TO A TRUCK WITH ONLY 50,000 MILES. I TOOK THE TRUCK IN TO GET THE TIRES BALANCED, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE FRONT BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THE TECHNICIAN WAS BEGINNING TO REMOVE THE BRAKE PADS- HE NOTICED THAT THERE WERE CRACKS IN THE ROTORS. WE WERE ADVISED THAT THE CRACKS WERE HEAT CRACKS, AND THAT WE WOULD NEED TO PURCHASE NEW ROTORS. ONCE AGAIN, WE WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS NOT CAUSED BY"NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR".
REAR SHAFT SEALS ARE LEAKING FUEL ONTO THE BRAKE DRUMS, WHICH COULD RESULT IN BRAKE LOSS, CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK
DUE TO A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION PUMP, TRANSMISSION BURNED OUT, RESULTING IN STALLING WHICH MAY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK *ML
DIFFERENTIAL REPLACED, THREE TRANSMISSION REPLACE DUE TO POOR WORKMANSHIP , NEW TRASMISSION DOING THE EXACTLY SAME THING.
CATEGORY: AXLE & DIFFERENTIAL; DESCRIPTION: FLUID LEAK AT FRONT LEFT DIFFERENTIAL GEAR BOX, VARIOUS FIXES HAVE BEEN TRIED INCLUDING VENT CONE NUT, GMS NUT, VENT TUBE, RESEAL GEAR BOX, TIGHTEN HOSE CLAMP, REPLACED SPLIT O'RING; NOTES: LOOKS LIKE THE DEALER WASN'T ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHERE THE REAL PROBLEM IS. THERE ARE 6 VISITS TO THE DEALERSHIP REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. ANOTHER FIX WILL BE TRIED ON 12/02/98 ON ANDERSON CHEVROLET SUPERSTORE BRANCH AT LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA 95032
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 1997 Chevrolet Suburban has 30 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.