1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

IN MAY 2004 I NOTICED A GASOLINE SMELL IN MY GARAGE. UPON INVESTIGATING IT WAS COMING FROM INSIDE THE GAS TANK GUARD ON MY 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. AFTER REMOVING THE GUARD A SMALL PINHOLE LEAK WAS DETECTED IN THE TANK. THE TANK HAD RUSTED THROUGH DUE TO AN INABILITY OF WATER, SALT, AND DEBRIS TO BE CLEARED FROM THE GUARD BECAUSE IT CONTAINS NO DRAIN HOLES. I REPAIRED THE TANK WITH AN OVER THE COUNTER REPAIR KIT DUE TO THE NEED OF THE VEHICLE. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET BUT WAS TOLD THAT SINCE I FIXED THE TANK MYSELF THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO FOR ME. ON 11/07/04 I AGAIN NOTICED GAS FUMES IN THE GARAGE. UPON LOOKING I DISCOVERED TWO NEW HOLES RUSTED THROUGH THE TANK. AT THIS POINT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO BECAUSE I FEAR THE TANK IS RUSTED TOO THIN TO RELY ON FOR SAFETY REASONS. I BELIEVE A GENERAL ENGINEERING OVERSIGHT WOULD ALLOW A PLASTIC BOWL SHAPED GUARD TO BE STRAPPED BELOW A METAL TANK WITHOUT AT LEAST SOME DRAIN HOLES TO ALLOW WATER TO ESCAPE. I'M WRITING BECAUSE WE KEEP THE SUBURBAN IN EXCELLENT REPAIR AND I'M POSSITIVE THERE ARE OTHER SUCH DESIGNED TANKS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK

PURCHASED 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN IN JANUARY 2004. ALSO PURCHASED WARRANTY, VEHICLE STARTED TO USE ANITFREEZE, RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP IN MAY 2004 DIAGNOSIS INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING. *AK DEALERSHIP REPLACED GASKETS VEHICLE STARTED TO USE ANTIFREEZE AGAIN. AGAIN WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP NOVEMBER 1, 2004. SERVICE DEPARMENT CONTACTED ME ON NOVEMBER 2, 2004 DIAGNOSIS: LEAKING INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET AGAIN. WE PURCHASED WHAT WE THOUGHT WOULD BE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION, OBVIOUSLY WE WERE MISTAKEN. IF WE CANNOT GET TO WORK WE CANNOT MAKE THE PAYENTS. IM DISGUSTED.

WHEN BRAKING BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE CONSUMER CRASHED INTO A GARAGE WALL WHILE ENTERING. THE PEDAL STAYED UP AND FIRM AND WOULDN'T SLOW THE VEHICLE. SECONDS LATER THE BRAKES WORKED FINE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. *SC

WHEN TURNING THERE WAS NO RESISTANCE. WHEN THE CONSUMER MADE A SHARP TURN, THE STEERING LATER BECAME VERY SOFT. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER WHO WAS NOT ENGAGING IN THE DEFECT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

THE INTAKE MANIFOLD LEAKED. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT THE ENGINE WILL BE DESTROYED. *AK

DRIVER REPORTED INTERMITTENT LOSS OF WINDSHIELD WIPERS, PRIMARILY DURING SUMMER MONTHS WHILE TRYING TO CLEAN WINDSHIELD. OCT 2004, FIRST BIG RAIN OF THE SEASON AND WIPERS ARE INTERMITTENT AGAIN. LOSS OF WIPERS WHILE HEAVY DOWNPOUR ON FREEWAY LEAD TO NEAR SERIOUS ACCIDENT.0/19/04 - SPOKE WITH CHEVROLET CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE. THEY REPORT NO RECALL FOR THIS YEAR (1999, SOLD IN 6/1998) AND NOT SERVICE BULLETIN. A LOOK ON THE INTERNET FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME YEAR. ARRANGING TO HAVE SERVICE DONE; WILL KEEP OLD DEFECTIVE PART (MOTOR?). *AK I DOUBT THIS IS AN ISOLATED SITUATION GIVEN THE OCCURANCE OF FAILURES ACKNOWLEDGE VIA THE EXISTING RECALLS, AND THE QTY OF COMPLAINTS RECEIVED.

I OWN A 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN K1500 WITH A 6.5L TURBO DIESEL ENGINE. I RECENTLY WENT THROUGH NUMEROUS INSTANCES WHERE THE ENGINE SHUT OFF IMMEDIATELY AS IF THE IGNITION WERE SHUT OFF. SEVERAL INSTANCES WERE NOT LIFE THREATENING AS THEY OCCURRED IN PARKING LOTS OR NOT WHEN IN TRAFFIC. SEVERAL INSTANCES WERE MORE DRAMATIC. WHEN MERGING INTO CITY AND HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, I WAS SUDDENLY LEFT WITH NO STEERING OR BRAKES AS THE ENGINE HAD DIED. THIS IS A LARGE HEAVY VEHICLE AND DOES NOT RESPOND WELL WITHOUT POWER INPUT FROM THOSE COMPONENTS. LUCKILY NONE OF THE INSTANCES RESULTED IN A ACCIDENT. I NOW HAVE A NEWBORN SON AND ALWAYS HAVE A CONCERN WITH HIM IN THE VEHICLE THAT ANOTHER SHUT DOWN COULD OCCUR AT ANY POINT. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE DEALER AND THE INJECTION PUMP WAS REPLACED. DOING RESEARCH ON THIS REVEALED COUNTLESS INCEDENTS OF SIMILAR OCCURANCES WITH VEHICLES HAVING THE SAME ELECTRONIC INJECTION PUMP. WHILE FIXING THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY HAS HELPED, IT APPEARS AS IF ONLY A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL IT OCCURS AGAIN. HAD I BEEN AWARE OF THESE PERSISTANT PROBLEMS PRIOR TO PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, I LIKELY WOULD HAVE PURCHASED ANOTHER. AS IT IS NOW, I AM STUCK WITH THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON AN INCLINE VEHICLE MISFIRED. CONSUMER CONTINUED TO DRIVE. DEALERSHIP REPAIRED THE PROBLEM ONCE, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE IT. *AK

WINDSHIELD WIPERS QUIT WORKING WHILE DRIVING IN A RAIN STORM. WINDSHIELD WIPERS STUCK IN THE UP RIGHT POSITION. THIS REDUCED DRIVER'S VISIBILITY, ALMOST RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. CONSUMER PULLED OF THE ROAD AND WAITED UNTIL THE RAIN STOPPED. THE RELAY SWITCH OR MECHANISM IS MOUNTED ON THE FIREWALL BROKE DUE TO THE HEAT, WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE.*AK

OWN A 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 6.5 DIESEL ENGINE, W/145K MILES, SUV WAS RUNNING OK BUT THE LAST FEW MONTHS ENGINE STALLING AND STOP WITHOUT REASON, TOOK SUV TO A REPAIR CENTER, DIAGNOSE WITH FUEL INJECTION PUMP FAILURE, CHEVY DEALER EXPLAINED THIS IS A WELL KNOWN DEFECT, FUEL INJECTION PUMP HAS AN ELECTRONIC COMPONENT (PMD) LOCATED ON THE SIDE OF THE PUMP WHEN ENGINE GETS HOT SENT FAILURE SIGNAL TO THE MAIN COMPUTER. CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE TO VERIFIED/UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE, ANSWERED THAT YES INDEED THEY AGREED ABOUT THE PROBLEM ALSO SAID THEY HAD "CAMPAIGN" NOT A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM BUT THEY DIDN'T MAKE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PUBLIC. I ASKED FOR HELP TO FIX THE PROBLEM WAS TOLD THAT I RUN OUT OF OPTIONS ONLY HONOR THIS PROBLEM FOR 10 YEARS OR 120K MILES? I WAS NOT AWARE AND NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GMC. THIS IS A POTENTIAL ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN WITH TERRIBLE CONSEQUENCES, IMAGINE IF THE ENGINE STOPS OR STALL GOING DOWN THE HILL IN ANY URBAN OR RURAL AREA; PASSING ANOTHER CAR IN A BUSY HIGHWAY AND STALLING OR JUST THE ENGINE QUIT RUNNING (FRONTAL CRASH!!); CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION WITH SCHOOL KIDS INSIDE AND NO POWER (HORRIBLE ACCIDENT WITH SERIOUS INJURIES OR PERHAPS CASUALTIES!!); TOWING A CAMPER OR BOAT ON A BUSY AND FAST HIGHWAY AND SUDDENLY STALL OR STOPPING IN FRONT OF A SEMI-TRAILER; CROSSING A RAIL ROAD AND STALLING IN THE MIDDLE WITH PEOPLE INSIDE A TRAIN COMING ITS WAY!!. THESE ARE A FEW CONSEQUENCES THIS FAILURE CAN CREATED, IMAGING A LAWYER JUMPING ON THIS ISSUE WITH A "LAWSUIT" AND TRYING TO BLAMING ON YOU GUYS!! WHILE THIS IS A FACTORY FAILURE AND POOR DESIGN. I HAD REPLACED THE "PUMP MODULE DRIVE" (PMD) AND AFTER SPENDING OVER $1000.00 STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. AT THE PRESENT TIME I AM NOT DRIVING THE SUBURBAN UNTIL I HEAR FROM YOUR AGENCY TO SEE THE RESULTS OF YOUR INVESTIGATION. HOPING YOU WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS MATTER IN A SERIOUS MANNER, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP. GOD BLESS. *AK