2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 Complaints

1 SIX MONTHS AFTER THE PURCHASE OF MY 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO MY SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING AND WOULD GET STUCK. SPEEDOMETER WAS READING 65 I WAS REALLY GOING 75 ACCORDING TO THE ARIZONA HIGHWAY PATROL I WAS GIVEN A WARNING SINCE THE OFFICER SAW THAT MY SPEEDOMETER HAD STAYED STUCK AT 65 EVEN WHEN I HAD ALREADY TURNED OFF MY VEHICLE. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WAS REPLACED MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY ANYMORE AND MY SPEEDOMETER HAS FAILED AGAIN. *TR

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ON 2003 CHEV SILVERADO 1500HD IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. INSTRUMENTS READ WRONG OR DO NOT WORK AT ALL. BROUGHT TRUCK TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST OVER $700.00 TO FIX AND COULD NOT AFFORD IT. RECEIVED NOTICE FROM GM LAST WEEK SAYING THEY WOULD COVER UP TO 70,000 MILES, MY TRUCK HAS MORE THAN THAT NOW, BUT PROBLEM STARTED AT 50,000 MILES. GM SHOULD ISSUE A FULL RECALL AND TAKE CARE OF THIS HAZARD. *TR

IN MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO EX CAB Z71 LS MY SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY WHEN COLD. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I FIRST ENTER THE VEHICLE AND THE TEMPERATURE INSIDE THE CAB EQUALS THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE THE CAB WHICH IS EQUAL TO 40 DEGREES OR LESS, MY SPEEDOMETER STAYS AT ZERO UNTIL THE CAB WARMS UP. ONCE THE CAB WARMS UP AND I COME TO A STOP AND THEN CONTINUE MOVING, THE SPEEDOMETER READS PROPERLY. I HAVE VIDEO EVIDENCE OF THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 HD. THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED AND THE DIAL REMAINS ON ZERO. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

THE SPEEDOMETER HAS STARTED ACTING ERRATIC. IT WILL NOT SHOW THE CORRECT SPEED, OFTEN STICKS ON A PARTICULAR SPEED WHEN I KNOW I'M EITHER GOING SLOWER OR FASTER. AT TIMES IT SHOWS I'M GOING IN EXCESS OF 120 MPH. IT SOMETIMES GOES BACK TO 0 WHEN IT IS SHUTDOWN. IT MAY, OR MAY FUNCTION CORRECTLY THE NEXT TIME IT IS STARTED. SINCE THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO RELY ON TO DETERMINE IF I'M TRAVELING THE CORRECT SPEED, IS THE MANUFACTURER RESPONSIBLE IF I EXCEED THE SPEED LIMIT WHILE I AM RELYING ON THIS FOR AN INDICATION OF MY SPEED? *TR

FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON I BEGAN LOSING COOLANT FLUID FROM MY SILVERADO TRUCK, BUT IT WAS NOT LEAKING OUT UPON THE GROUND. AFTER A MONTH OF THIS PROCESS, AND HAVING TO CONTINUALLY ADD COOLANT TO MY ENGINE, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC I HAVE KNOWN FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THINKING IT WAS MOST LIKELY A BAD HEAD GASKET (WHICH I FOUND OUT WERE BEING ERODED AWAY FROM THE "COOLANT "ITSELF), WE REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET. LESS THAN ONE WEEK LATER, I AGAIN HAD TO ADD MORE COOLANT. AGAIN WE REMOVED THE HEADS AND INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM. WHEN WE SEARCHED ONLINE MECHANICAL DATA BASES, WE DISCOVERED THAT MY TRUCK HAD BEEN FITTED WITH DEFECTIVE HEADS, PRODUCED FROM A PLANT IN MEXICO. WE EVEN DISCOVERED A GENERAL MOTORS MEMO REGARDING THE PROBLEM. THIS PLANT PRODUCED OVER 1.5 MILLION HEADS FOR VARIOUS VEHICLES. IT SEEMS THAT INFERIOR METAL PRODUCTS WERE THE REASON THE HEADS THEMSELVES WERE ALLOWING COOLANT TO BE SUCKED INTO THE CRANKCASE, COMPROMISING THE OIL, AND DAMAGING OR SEIZING UP THE ENGINE. I HAVE TALKED WITH SEVERAL SERVICE SHOPS,(GREASE MONKEY, JIFFY LUBE), AND HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS AN EVER GROWING PROBLEM, THE ONLY REMEDY OF WHICH IS TO TOTALLY REPLACE THE HEADS. THE EXPENSE TO THE CONSUMER,WHO DIDN'T INTEND TO PURCHASE A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE, RANGES FROM $1,800 TO $9,000 IN REPAIRS, AND MAY WELL EFFECT SOME SIX TO 800,000 VEHICLES ON THE ROAD. I SPOKE TO ONE WOMAN WHO WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY WHEN HER ENGINE SEIZED UP. IT WAS A MIRACLE SHE DID NOT LOSE CONTROL WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS REGARDING SOME FORM OF COMPENSATION FOR MY EXPENSES, AND AS YOU WOULD EXPECT, THEY JUST BLEW ME OFF AND TOLD ME NO RECALL WAS BEING CONSIDERED. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS PLANT IN MEXICO IS PART OF THE NAFTA PROGRAM, BUT IT SURE SEEMS STRANGE THAT GM WANTS TO KEEP SOMETHING OF THIS MAGNITUDE SO QUIET, AND REMAIN SO UNCONCERNED OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EXPENSE. I WOULD THINK A RECALL TO CURB THESE FAILURES WOULD BE THE VERY LEAST GM SHOULD OFFER. *TR

AT AROUND 124,000 MILES WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED MY SPEEDOMETER SAID I WAS GOING 55 MPH. I GAVE IT SOME MORE GAS AND THE SPEEDOMETER NEVER ROSE, ONLY FELL DOWN TO 0. AFTER MY TRIP WHERE THIS INITIALLY HAPPENED MY SPEEDOMETER HAS DONE THIS NEARLY EVERY TRIP WHERE THE SPEED REACHES 70 MPH. TODAY, 11/13/07, I RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM GM THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, BEING THAT MY TRUCK HAS MORE THAN 70,000 MILES THEY ARE UNABLE TO FIX IT AT THEIR EXPENSE. CALLS TO GM HAVE BEEN NO HELP AND THE PROBLEM WILL NOT BE COVERED BY THEM, EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW IT IS HAPPENING TO ALOT OF THESE MODEL VEHICLES. *TR

SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING. TACHOMETER JUMPS TO 6K-7K WHEN THE DASH LIGHTS ARE ON FOR A SIGNIFICANT PERIOD OF TIME. OIL PRESSURE GAUGE GOES TO ZERO. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 CHEVY SILVERADO FAILS TO REGISTER CORRECT SPEED. THE INSTRUMENT HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE BEFORE UNDER WARRANTY. NOW IT IS FAILING AGAIN. IT SEEMS THE INSTRUMENT IS DESIGNED TO FUNCTION FOR NO MORE THAN 50-60,000 MILES. *TR

THERE IS A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE STEERING SHAFT. THE DEALER WOULD GREASE THE SHAFT AND THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY FOR AWHILE. NOW THAT THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS PART IS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE REPLACED ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. *TR