1994 CHEVROLET ASTRO Complaints

PROBLEM BECAME EVIDENT WITH ERRATIC OIL PRESSURE READING, CRAKSHAFT AND ALL BEARINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC CANNOT FIND ANY REASON FOR FAILURE. COST OF REPAIR IS $2,529.62

WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS USED, IT WOULD BE MUSHY & GO TO FLOOR. THIS CAUSED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. ALSO, GAS GAUGE INDICATOR WOULD FLOP OFF AND ON/ AIR CONDITIONER & ELECTRIC WINDOWS FAILED TO WORK,AND ABS BRAKE LIGHT WAS ON. HAD TO SHUT DOWN VEHICLE & THEN RESTART IT. AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT WAS GETTING WORSE. SPEED HAS NOT PLAYED A FACTOR IN PROBLEM. TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK

HEARD A SOUND, SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT ON DASH CAME ON AND THEN ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE, ENOUGH WHEN STOPPED AND NOISE FROM TRANSMISSION. ALL PROBLEMS SEEM TO HAVE GONE AWAY ON THEIR OWN. DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY. I DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER IF THE CAR IS WORKING OKAY NOW. PLEASE HELP. HAVE YOU HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING BEFORE? IS IT A COMPUTER PROBLEM?

DROVE OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND ABS BRAKE LIGHT WENT ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF. SHUT CAR DOWN AND RESTARTED. LIGHT WENT OFF BUT AS I DROVE OUT, ABS LIGHT WENT BACK ON. TOOK TO DEALER SAID IT WAS THE ABS COMPUTER THAT FAILED AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE IT BECAUSE IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY . REGULAR BRAKES ARE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, BUT I DO NOT HAVE ABS BRAKES. ESTIMATED COST TO REPLACE ABS COMPUTER $1300-$1400.

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE TORSION BAR SPRING BROKE. #IE98048- PART IS NOT AVAILABLE AT DEALER. INFORMED BY MECHANIC ITS ON BACK ORDER. HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH TORSION BARS ON ASTROS BEFORE. *YC

WINDSHIELD WIPERS BECOME INOPERABLE IN RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

I HAVE HAD 3 CHEVROLET ASTRO VANS, THE FIRST TWO I PURCHASED NEW. THEY ARE A 1991, 1994 AND ANOTHER 1994 MODEL. I HAVE PURCHASED ALL THREE FROM BUFORD WARD CHEVROLET. ON ALL THREE UNITS I HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FAILING. IT IS INTERMITTENT BUT HAPPENS AT THE MOST INOPORTUNE TIME. THE WIPER MOTOR EITHER FAILS TO START UP OR IT WILL QUIT WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN A RAIN. THEN AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE MOTOR WILL START UP AGAIN. I ALSO NOTICED THAT IF I HIT THE DASH BOARD REAL HARD SOMETIMES THAT WILL GET THE MOTOR GOING AGAIN ALSO. ON THE 1ST 1994 MODEL I HAD, I FINALLY UNSCREWED THE FRONT PLASTIC COVER ON THE WIPER MOTOR WHICH COVERS THE COMPUTER CHIP. I PLACED A FAIRLY THIN PIECE OF CARDBOARD BETWEEN THE CHIP AND THE COVER KEEPING THE CHIP IN PLACE TIGHTER. AFTER DOING THAT, IT ALLEVIATED THE PROBLEM. NOW I HAVE ANOTHER 1994 WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT GENERAL MOTORS NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT. DRIVING DOWN A CROWDED 4 LANE IN THE RAIN AND HAVING THE WIPERS FAIL IS A VERY FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE.

WITHIN A PERIOD OF THREE DAYS BOTH LIFT CYLINDERS FAILED ON MY ASTRO VAN. I FIRST NOTICED THE TAILGATE WAS HARD TO LIFT AND DID NOT STAY UP VERY SECURELY. THEN THREE DAYS LATER I TRIED TO OPEN THE HATCH BUT NOTICED IT WAS VERY HEAVY AND WOULD NOT STAY UP AT ALL. THE ONLY WAY I COULD USE THE REAR DOORS WAS TO PROP IT UP WITH A STICK. THIS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THE HATCH DOOR IS VERY HEAVY AND COULD CLOSE VERY VIOLENTLY IF THE STICK WERE TO BE BUMPED. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE IF THERE MIGHT BE A TREND WITH THIS PROBLEM, THEY SAID NOT TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE. I THEN PAID TO HAVE ONE CYLINDER ORDERED AS THE PARTS DEPT. ONLY HAD ONE IN STOCK. ON 8/26/99 MY WIFE PICKED UP THE SET OF LIFT CYLINDERS FOR ME TO INSTALL. MY FEAR IS WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT MAY RUN INTO THIS SITUATION AND NOT FIX IT. THIS COULD CAUSE SEVERE BODILY HARM IF THE "DUTCH" DOOR HATCH WOULD SLAM DOWN ON SOMEONE.

ON THE INSIDE OF REAR HATCHBACK DOOR, THERE IS NO HANDLE TO OPEN IT TO GET OUT IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. A DESIGN FLAW. *AK

WHEN BRAKING FOR A RED LIGHT AND MOVING INTO A LEFT TURN LANE, THE ABS BRAKES WENT OFF UNCONTROLLABLY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I HAD A VERY HARD TIME BRAKING AND HAD TO PUT MY ENTIRE BODY WEIGHT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP MY VEHICLE. I ACTUALLY HAD TO EXTEND MY LEG AND "STAND UP" ON MY BRAKE PEDAL. I AM GLAD I WAS GOING RATHER SLOW, AROUND 15 M.P.H. BECAUSE I ALMOST HIT THE CAR THAT WAS WAITING AT THE RED LIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I REALLY THOUGHT MY VEHICLE WAS NOT GOING TO STOP. NOW I AM EXTREMELY AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR. THANK YOU.