What breaks most · 1997 to 2002 model years
GMC C/K Pickup problems by year
Owners have filed 59 safety complaints with NHTSA about the GMC C/K Pickup across model years 1997 to 2002. Three years stand out: 1997 for visibility complaints, 1998 for visibility complaints and 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2000.
- Years to check closely: 1997, 1998, 1999
- Fewest complaints: 2000
- Complaints on file
- 591997 to 2002, all trims
- Worst year
- 199725 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 41 fires · 4 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 77kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 1Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (11) | |
| 11 | 2 | 1 | Visibility (5) | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (6) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (1) | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) |
What fails on the 1997 GMC C/K Pickup
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 44% |
11 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 24% |
6 | 0 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 16% |
4 | 0 | Shop all brakes (hydraulic) parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Service Brakes, AIR | 8% |
2 | 0 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all brakes parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
1 | 0 | Shop all fuel system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
1997 gmc pick up drivers door caught on fire in the middle of the night location was the electrical mirror switch the truck was unoccupied.
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Wiper work intermittently. There is a recall for GM k1500 1992-97, but this vehicle is a 1998. I have found other complaints for 1998 with this same issue.
-
Upon starting to leave work parking lot lost pedal. Had fellow coworker observe and brake fluid was steady stream leaking on to ground. Second occurrence december 2011. Failed inspection for corroded front brake lines.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which GMC C/K Pickup years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1997, 1998, 1999 carry the most filings on the GMC C/K Pickup. The 1997 alone has 25 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common GMC C/K Pickup problem?
On the 1997 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 11 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do GMC C/K Pickup problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all GMC C/K Pickup complaints that include mileage is about 77,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.