The ignition switch started to fail while driving. First the heater fan would quit and the ABS light would instantly turn on, and the cruise control would fail to operate. When the ABS light would be on the ABS would fail to operate. Then suddenly all operations would go back to normal. It would be unpredictable when the heater fan and the ABS would fail and come back. Then yesterday, the suburban started and died 3 seconds after starting. I restarted the suburban and all seemed good. I put the suburban in drive and rolled at about 5 MPH and the truck died. I stopped and put the suburban in to park and restarted. Placed it into drive and made it home. When I got home, I turned off the suburban and tried to restart it. It would crank but not fire the engine. The radio and heater and all other electronics would operate as normal, but the dash lights would not turn on I.e. The "service engine soon", "brake", "air bag", "ABS". The ignition switch has failed on it and now sits in my driveway.
1997 GMC Suburban steering problems
39 complaints (20% of all complaints for this car). 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 39
- of this car's complaints
- 20%
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Hydraulic power assist system12
- Steering wheel/handle bar4
- Gear box (other than rack and pinion)2
- Hydraulic power assist: pump1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
GMC Suburban steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 GMC Suburban steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Erratic steering boost while driving
Alleged that the variable effort steering unit intermittently provides full boost tot he power steering gear at moderate to high speeds.
PE98060
What 1997 GMC Suburban owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Steering speed sensor fails causing the steering to suddenly jerk while turning under speed. It feels like the front wheels hit "slippery ice". I have replaced this item 3 times on my own and the sensor keeps failing. The one in my car currently is experiencing the problem again and will need replacing.
Power steering assist is erratic at highway speeds. Steering input force will increase until the steering wheel suddenly moves because of an increase in power steering assist. Problem is erratic, and it has only occurred at speeds above 40 MPH. This phenomenom has been occurring for several years with this vehicle.
In august of 2002 my 1997 gmc suburban started to to slighty loose control of the power steering while turning to the left. Over the years the lack of control of the power steering while turning to the left has increased as well as driving straight down the road. It is a very scary feeling but over the time I myself have learned how to handle it. I have notified gmc of the problem but they said my model is not under a current recall for this problem. I have found where some gmc models have been recalled for this problem. Gmc is aware of the problem yet they ignore the problem. I have a terminally ill husband so I cannot afford to go out and buy a new or used vehicle. I love my gmc suburban so I always wanted to purchase a new one or even maybe a gmc yukon. Yet with the distrust I have with gmc about fixing problems they know about I would have second thoughts about such a purchase. I have a fifteen year old son whom is learning to drive and it is a very scary situation when he is behind the wheel of a vehicle that might loose complete power steering control.
Consumer states they have the same problem as a investigation#pe98060 concerning steering.
While driving, the steering became very hard to steer.
The first date of failure was around may 2001 and started when making left turns and continued since. The steering would completely go out for a couple of seconds. It felt like the steering wheel was jerked from my hand. I could not get anyone to understand what was happening because it would not do it during test drive. On june 30, 2002, while traveling at 65 MPH, the steering completely went out for a couple of seconds. I immediatly went to experttire and a part was replaced regarding the steering. After checking with the local dealer, found there is not a recall for this problem. After doing research on the internet, I have found that this has happened to other people. It has happened to another suburban owner here in laurel, mississippi as well. It is very dangerous and scary when your steering goes out completely and I feel this needs to be addressed with the manufacturer.
Ongoing problems with the fuel injection system causing the engine to hesitate and exhibit poor acceleration, dealer replaced fuel filter, fuel pump driver module, fuel injection pump, and added fuel conditioner.
We have had the brakes serviced four times in the 2 years we owned it, 50,000 miles. The steering is erratic at high speeds.
While driving down road as you move the wheel right or left there is a sudden pulling of the wheel inb that direction
Questions about the 1997 GMC Suburban steering
Does the 1997 GMC Suburban have steering problems?
Owners have filed 39 complaints about the steering of the 1997 GMC Suburban, 20% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 GMC Suburban steering problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1997 GMC Suburban steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the GMC Suburban have bad steering?
The GMC Suburban model years with the most steering complaints are 1997 (39 complaints) and 1999 (23 complaints).
Other 1997 GMC Suburban problems
Brakes 58Transmission 24Fuel system 22Electrical 21Engine 21Tires 16Visibility 12Airbags 5Suspension 5Body 4Seats 3Acceleration 2Wheels 2Seat belts 1
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