1997 Chevrolet Camaro Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
LEAK IN REAR MAIN SEAL
WITHIN 5 MONTHS OF PURCHASE (THE MILEAGE WAS 59585 WHEN ISSUES BEGAN) I BEGAN HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE, AND TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP OVER 10 TIMES OVER THE NEXT YEAR, AND WAS CHARGED $500 EVERY TIME FOR THEM TO PUT NEW SPARK PLUGS AND WIRES AND SEND ME HOME ONLY TO COME BACK A MONTH LATER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM ONLY WORSE. THIS LASTED UNTIL MY WARRANTY EXPIRED AND THEN I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB (#CHV0230345) AND IT WAS ACCEPTED FOR ARBITRATION BUT THE MANUFACTURER NEVER CONTACTED ME AS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO AND I CAN NOT GET A RESPONSE. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE MOTOR AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER TWICE AND NOW THE CAR WILL NOT EVEN START. I ALWAYS TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP SO THAT IT WOULD BE PROPERLY SERVICED, AND I AM VERY UPSET AND AM PLANNING ON SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT, COMPENSATION AND A VEHICLE THAT WORKS. I SEE THAT THERE WERE MANY BULLETINS SENT OUT REGARDING THE SAME ISSUES AND HAVE SPOKEN TO OTHER 1997 CAMARO OWNERS WHO ARE ALSO VERY UPSET AND HAVE THE SAME ISSUES, AND WE ARE SEEKING TO FILE A CLASS ACTION SUIT. TS
CENTER BEARING BROKEN INSIDE MOTOR. *AK *TS *NLM *DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIST*762837
VEHICLE WAS LEAKING COOLANT. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND DEALER INDICATED ENGINE COOLANT WAS BREAKING DOWN AND MALFUNCTIONING DIFFERENT PARTS IN ENGINE.*AK
EXCESSIVE RUST IN THE COOLING SYSTEM POSSIBLY DUE TO DEXCOOL COOLANT. CAUSING OVERHEATING, FALSE INSTRUMENT READINGS, AND GUMMING UP THE THERMOSTAT CAUSING IT TO STICK.
ENGINE CUTS OUT WHEN HOOD GETS WET, WHETHER BY RAIN OR BY WASHING THE CAR. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SYSTEM WORKED AS DESIGNED. THEY SAID, "IT IS TYPICAL FOR THIS TYPE VEHICLE TO MISS AND RUN ROUGH IF WATER GETS ONTO DISTRIBUTOR ASM UNDER FRONT OF VEHICLE." THERE IS NO FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM. YOU HAVE TO PARK THE CAR AND WAIT FOR IT TO DRY OUT TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN.
OXYGEN SENSOR IN GAS FILLER TUBE FAILED. YH
AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD/ AIR INTAKE BOOT FAILED; AIR LEAKS OUT. ALSO, THERE IS AN OIL LEAK.
INTAKE GASKET LEAKS OIL ONTO HOT EXHAUST, MAY CREATE SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD.
HEARD OF ONE MORE VALVE COVER OIL LEAK FROM CO-WORKER WHO OWNS THE SAME MAKE/MODEL AS MYSELF.
ENGINE INTAKE GASKET FAILED TWICE. *AK
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 1997 Chevrolet Camaro has 11 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.