My 1997 chevrolet suburban c-2500 is leaking oil from underneath the engine and making engine very "hot". This happens when I'm driving this vehicle.I touch the engine hood and feel that it's very, very hot. I just went home to prevent any fire or accident. My mechanic said it's not ordinary for this heavy duty truck to leak oil with only 77,000 miles. I need you to investigate my problem and contact gm. You can email me at [xxx] for an updates regarding this problems. Looking forward to hear from you soon. Thanks. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
1997 Chevrolet Suburban engine problems
21 complaints (5% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 138,000.
- owner complaints
- 21
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 138,000
- crashes
- 0
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine: gasoline8
- Cooling system3
- Engine2
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor1
- Engine: diesel1
- Cooling system: hoses/lines/piping/fittings1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Suburban engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 1997 Chevrolet Suburban owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The car was parked in the driveway. In the middle of the night it burst into flames. Our dogs woke us up. The fire started in the front passenger compartment. By the time the fire department arrived 7 minutes later there was nothing left to the interior of the car. The engine and underside of the car were undamaged by the fire. A tree near the car also caught fire. Chevrolet said there were no recalls on our car. They do not seem interested in examining the car since we settled with our insurance company. Neither the fire department nor the police suspect arson. It would appear to be electrical. If the car had been parked in our garage we would have lost our house.
Dt: this morning hit the brakes coming down the hill and engine shut down, could not control steering and brakes didn't work either. The electric and power failure, couldn't do anything with the vehicle. It hasn't be checked by dealer yet.
I have a 1997 chevrolet suburban and it blew the coupling on the heater hose while driving this past saturday. The vehicle had to be towed and the repair was 93.00. I have spoken to several people with the same motor that all had the same problem. The chevrolet dealer said that there probably should be a recall since this happens so frequently. The local shop that made the repair has so many to come in with this problem that they now stock the part.
Sudden unexpected acceleration. At random, a 500 to 1500 RPM increase in engine spead for up to several seconds accompanied by thick black smoke and the smell of raw diesel fuel. Has occurred in drive, neutral, reverse, and park. Has occurred with cruise control turned off. Has occurred with the cruise control fuse removed. Has occurred in park with no operator in vehicle. The truck will accelerate quickly (dangerously) when in drive or reverse.
Heater and AC controls went out twice. Factory replaced them @ $125, then 9 months later it went out again. Factory said it was under 12 months, but I had driven over 12,000 miles so it was not under warranty any longer. Windsheild wiper module goes bad. Wipers will suddenly stop or wont turn on. On 3rd module now. Brakes, constant grinding and weak stops. Have replaced rotors 4 times. Same results. Steering loses tension when steering to the left. Problem is still ongoing but has made me almost lose control several times.
The truck stalls while driving at any speed and without warning. This was caused by the pdm driver overheating and shutting off the fuel injection pump, which in turn caused the engine motor to shut off. Please provide more detailed information.
While driving at any speed, the vehicle intermittently stalled. This caused lost of steering and brakes. This happened five times in a half an hour. *ak the consumer noted he was not towing anything at the time which could've caused a serious accident if there was a lost of steering and brakes. Vehicle was repaired at a local shop when this occurred at 60,000 miles. *ph
While driving vehicle will slam into gear. Took vehicle to dealer, and they stated vehicle needed a valve cover. *ak
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Questions about the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban engine
Does the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban have engine problems?
Owners have filed 21 complaints about the engine of the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban, 5% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet Suburban engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 138,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Chevrolet Suburban engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chevrolet Suburban have bad engine?
The Chevrolet Suburban model years with the most engine complaints are 2021 (102 complaints), 2023 (77 complaints) and 2022 (69 complaints).
Other 1997 Chevrolet Suburban problems
Steering 105Brakes 96Transmission 47Fuel system 46Electrical 42Visibility 37Tires 27Suspension 19Airbags 8Seat belts 6Locks 5Body 4Seats 4Acceleration 3Lights 2Wheels 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1997 Chevrolet Suburban?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history