Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
1GNEK13R3VJ••••••1997 Chevrolet TAHOE
This build draws 4.1× more complaints than the average 1997 Chevrolet TAHOE build (23 vs 6).
23on this build
316on the model
57builds in total
1involved a crash
Most reportedService Brakes 7Steering 7Hydraulic 6Visibility 3
What owners of this build wrote
Service BrakescrashDec 1998
Driving on freeway, brakes faild and rear ended truck at 55mph causing a chain reaction
Electrical SystemAug 2012
The power window on the driver's side of the vehicle will stop working all of a sudden. It is not all of the time, but sometimes, when I have the window down, and I push the power switch to close or open the window it will not work. This could lead to a very serious problem, if…
Exterior LightingFeb 2008
Ongoing problem with brake light failures. This has happened several times over the last few years. I ordered the tahoe through my local dealer in 1997. It only has 84,000 miles on it and has not been abused in any way. Spent several hundred dollars at the dealership for…
Engine And Engine CoolingJan 2006
The contact stated while driving the vehicle on the highway on normal road conditions, the engine suddenly stalled without any warning lights. It was also very difficult pulling over and controlling the vehicle without power steering and power brakes. This failure has been…
VisibilityOct 2004
1997 chevrolet tahoe was part of a recall for defective circuit board in the windshield wiper motor. Wipers work intermittently or not at all. Have stopped in the middle of a rain storm at night. Luckily, made it to an exit ramp off of a highway. Very scary and dangerous !!!!!…
Read all 23 complaints on this exact buildFull text, search by keyword, and the systems that fail most on cars built like yours.Unlock with Pro →
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 57 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN 1GNEK13R3VJ376930 · decoded Sep 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.