This car is a 97 z28 with the 350ci motor and 4 speed auto transmission. What happens is that when the front wheels are not turning, the rear brakes do not engage, no matter how hard you push down on the brake pedal. The issue presents itself under icy conditions. The first time it happened was when I pulled into a spot at a fast food place, the parking spot was icy while the rest of the lot was ice free. As I pulled into the spot, I put on my brakes and the front wheels stopped, but the rear did not. They were on the clear part of the parking lot and they should have stopped my forward motion, however they did not. Slid ahead until the front hit the snow bank. Thought this was unusual, but didn't concern myself about it any more. Next time I became aware of the problem was when I had the rear (both) wheels of the car off the ground and I put the car in drive as I wanted to check if one of the rear rims was bent. Well no it wasn't but when I got back in the car to put it in park, I pressed on the brake pedal to stop the rear wheels from turning, and then went to put the gear shift lever in park. Big grinding noise. So I pressed harder on the brake and tried to put it in park again, again big grinding noise. So I looked at the rear wheels while pressing the brake, and what to my surprise, the rear wheels do not stop! This can't be a good thing. Today as I backed out of the garage, the driveway was a little icy. So as I backed up, I put on the brakes, and of course, only the front wheels stopped and the rear wheels kept pulling the car down the driveway. Not a good thing if a car is passing by on the street. So what's up with this. Yes my check engine light is on, but I was told by the chev dealer that it is from the transmission because sometimes, when it is hot, it will shift hard.
The worst 1997 Chevrolet Camaro problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
Recalls 1
Seat belts: front: retractor
- What is wrong
- These vehicles were manufactured with seat belt retractors out of design position which can cause the retractor to lock-up on slopes less severe than the fmvss requirement. This does not comply with fmvss no. 209, "seat belt assemblies."
- Risk
- In the event of a vehicle collision, unbelted occupants are more at risk of injury than those using seat belts.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the seat belts for proper front seat belt retractor position. Retractors found to be improperly positioned will be reinstalled correctly.
Recall number 96V219000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro
Defect investigations
Fuel tube retaining clip failure
Most of the reports reviewed in this investigation are fire incidents in which fuel leakage has been alleged as the cause or the area of origin is consistent with the alleged defect.there is no evidence that the subject clip was a factor in any of these fire incidents and the federal safety agency testing indicates thatbroken or dislodged retention clip does not result in significant movement of the fuel line bundle toward the left secondary air injection check valve.failure of the clip places the fuel line bundle assembly in the same configuration as the 1993 model year lti vehicles.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
EA97024
Fuel tub retaining clip failure
Owners have reported failures of the fuel tube retention clip that attaches to the plastic throttle linkage cover.according to gm, the subject retention clip (p/n 12048089) was implemented in production on october 12, 1993, to address a concern with incorrect assembly plant fuel line routing.mis-routed fuel tubes may fail from contact with a hot air check valve, creating a fire hazard in the engine compartment.gm maintains that no problems should occur if the clip is properly installed and isn't mishandled during subsequent service operations.some owners have alleged to odi that the subject clip becomes brittle over time and may also pull free of the throttle linkage cover attachment hole.
PE97036
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro 56
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy...
- Fuel system, gasoline
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Equipment
- This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy...
- This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Vehicle Recalls
- This informational bulletin provides the technician with information on what E85 fuel may due to a non E85...
- Expanded Availability for Remanufacture and Return (R&R) Electronic Control Modules
1997 Chevrolet Camaro fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6‑cyl | RWD | 17 | 26-28 | 20 |
| 5.7L 8‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 23-24 | 18 |
What 1997 Chevrolet Camaro owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
1997 through 2002 camaro's equipped with daytime running lights may experience failures of turn signals. Failures include failure of turn signals to illuminate or failure to blink. Failures may also include premature bulb failure to headlights, turn signals (front and rear), and parking lights. I have encountered numerous vehicles with front and rear turn signal sockets burned/ shorted. The turn signals operate through the daytime running light module and module is prone to failure/ overheat/ shorting causing failure of turn signals. Wiring to dtrl module in dash behind radio is often overheated or burned causing intermittent or complete loss of function to turn signals. Loss of turn signal function can cause accidents and wiring shorts from overheat conditions may lead to in dash fires or isolated fires within exterior lamps.overheated in dash wiring may cause damage to other systems or components.
Windows intermittently worked when the want to. Now drivers window will not go up and passengers side still works when it wants to. The consequences could be devastating as I live in a town that has a high crime rate as in carjacking. I also have my toddler in his carseat and the wind has caused him to stop breathing for a moment and scared me to no end. Then I can not carry a child with asthma because of the wind/air will cause him to have an attack. I am currently trying to raise the money to repair the problem. I researched the problem on-line and discovered this is a problem with the camaro's and it's not a small problem. Now I am forced to have my car open to theft as I can't roll my window up and I can not carry my precious cargo as it is unsafe to there health. I can't imagine if it were to rain I would not be able to drive it myself..the injuries were to the toddler whom stopped breathing due to much air flow in his face because I was unable to put the window up.
Left blinker keeps blowing out. I've replaced it 5 times in a week and a half. Something is wrong with the electrical system majorly.
While driving at various speeds alternator overheated, causing a small fire in the wiring behind the alternator consumer extinguished the fire, and had the vehicle towed. Consumer did not report fire to police or fire department. Also, dealer was not notified.
Driving down road when steering arm broke, resulting in car going off the road through a ditch leading to severe crash.nothing has been done to remedy the failure the vehicle was a total loss.
Air bags on 1997 camaro did not deploy on collision and roll over.
The passenger's side rear window motor failed without any indication that a problem was developing. Consumer was unable to raise the window.
While driving, the power steering broke which caused fluid to spill out and total failure of the steering. *ak the consumer lost control of the vehicle. The power steering pump and the serpentine belt were replaced. *scc
Since vehicle purchase turn signal and parking "yellow" lights were constantly illuminating. Consumer assumed that vehicle was supposed to operate that way. When the right turn signal light blew, consumer took car to dealer, who diagnosed as a electrical wiring problem with vehicle.
Compare the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro
Camaro vs Ford MustangCamaro vs Chevrolet CorvetteCamaro vs Dodge Challenger
Other model years
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Questions about the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro
Is the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro reliable?
Owners have filed 69 complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro, fewer than a typical Camaro model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro?
Engine and cooling, with 13 complaints, typically around 59,585 miles. Next is brakes (10).
How many recalls does the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro have?
1 recall, covering seat belts.
What year does the Chevrolet Camaro have bad engine?
The Chevrolet Camaro model years with the most engine complaints are 2010 (84 complaints), 2011 (33 complaints) and 2012 (26 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro get?
Official estimates for the 1997 Chevrolet Camaro range from 18 to 20 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.8L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 17 city and 26-28 highway.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1997 Chevrolet Camaro?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history