2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

MY SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2003 SUBURBAN DOESN'T WORK. CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING NOT KNOWING THE SPEED I AM GOING. IT STOPPED WORKING SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT USED, COULDN'T AFFORD TO GET IF FIXED THEN. AFTER RECALL OBTAINED RECENTLY, I TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS OVER MILEAGE CLAIMED IN RECALL. *TR

LIFT GATE GLASS HINGES BROKE; CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED IF I HAD NOT NOTICED A GAP IN THE BACK AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF PARKING LOT. *TR

BASED ON NHTSA #05V379000, OUR 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HAS EXHIBITED THE SAME PROBLEM OF ENGAGING THE ABS SYSTEM WHEN COMING TO A STOP AT A LIGHT OR INTERSECTION. THIS ONLY HAPPENS ON A SLOW STOP. THE REFERENCED RECALL DOES NOT INCLUDE YEAR 2003 AND CHEVROLET WILL NOT REPAIR AT NO CHARGE. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY, SOMETIMES THREE TIMES IN ONE DAY AND THEN NOT AT ALL FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS. MY AUTO MECHANIC HAS CONFIRMED THE PROBLEM IS A CORROSION OF FRONT WHEEL SPEED SENSOR. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT, THE CONTACT APPROACHED A STOP SIGN. HE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND IT EXTENDED TO THE FLOOR. ALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, WHICH INDICATED THAT THE BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED. THE CONTACT HAD TO ENGAGE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE SYSTEM WAS RUSTED. THE REPAIR WOULD COST $3,000 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE SYSTEM. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 94,000. UPDATED 10/16/08 *BF BRAKE FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE LEFT FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 10/20/08.*JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE CONTACT'S GARAGE, SHE NOTICED THAT THE REAR WINDOW HINGES SEPARATED FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DID NOT NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCES IN THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR WINDOW NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 85,000.

SPEEDOMETER READING INCORRECT WHEN IDLE OR MOVING. REGISTERS OVER 120 MPH WHILE TRAVELING APPROX 40 MPH. DEALER MADE RECALL BUT LIMITED TO UNDER 60,000 MILES. I PUT ON ALMOST THAT AMOUNT OF MILES IN THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP. CHEVY SHOULD JUST RECALL & REPAIR PERIOD. *TR

SPEEDOMETER ON OUR 2003 SUBURBAN QUIT WORKING BACK IN MARCH 2008 WITH APPROXIMATELY 106,000 MILES ON IT. (IT NOW HAS 110,000 MILES) THE SPEEDOMETER WENT UP TO 120 WHEN WE WERE GOING APPROX. 40 MPH AND THEN IT STUCK DOWN PAST 160 AND HAS NET MOVED SINCE. SO FAR I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND A RECALL NOTICE FROM CHEVROLET/GM. WE HAVE OWNED MANY DIFFERENT MAKES OF CARS ALONG WITH ANOTHER SUBURBAN WITH MANY MORE MILES THAN THIS ONE AND THE SPEEDOMETERS NEVER STOPPED WORKING. I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST OVER $600 TO FIX AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME UP WITH THE MONEY YET. SEARCHING ON-LINE, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM THAT GM IS NOT WILLING TO FIX AS MANY, MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR

RECALL NUMBER: 05V379000 SUMMARY: CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE UNWANTED ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) ACTIVATION. THIS CONDITION IS MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR IN ENVIRONMENTALLY CORROSIVE AREAS. THIS RECALL WILL BE LAUNCHED IN THE "SALT BELT" STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MAINE, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ONLY. MY 2003 SUBURBAN EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT DEFECT WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND ALMOST RAN OUT INTO A BUSY INTERSECTION BECAUSE OF LOW SPEED ABS ACTIVATION. IMMEDIATELY I TOOK THE CAR IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT, THAT COST ME OVER $500 TO FIX. THE PROBLEM RESULTED FROM EXCESSIVE CORROSION BECAUSE I LIVE IN ONE OF THE LISTED SNOWBELT STATES. CHEVROLET WOULD NOT ASSIST, ACKNOWLEDGE OR HELP ME RESOLVE OR FIX THIS ISSUE. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE HYDO VALVES DISCS AND ROTORS ALL COSTING ME CLOSE TO $1000. I FEEL THAT THE 2003 SUBURBAN SHOULD BE ADDED ON THE RECALL LIST MENTIONED ABOVE BECAUSE THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED TO MY SUBURBAN. THANK GOD MY WIFE AND KNOW ONE ELSE WAS HURT! *TR

READ ON RV.NET ABOUT HITCH FAILURES. CONTACTED HITCH SHOP, HAD MINE INSPECTED. UPON INSPECTION FOUND THAT THE DRIFT PIN HOLES WERE ELONGATING AND FRACTURING. SINCE I TOW A TRAVEL TRAILER OFTEN, IT WAS DETERMINED BY THE HITCH SHOP THAT THE HITCH WOULD EVENTUALLY FAIL DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE WEAR AROUND THE DRIFT PIN AREA OF THE HITCH. THEY STATED THAT THE METAL MAY NOT HAVE BEEN HARDENED CORRECTLY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE MOVED SLIGHTLY WHILE PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THIS WAS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE AND IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT IS EXPECTING A CALL FROM THE MANUFACTURER TO ANSWER HER QUESTIONS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 110,000.