1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN INFORMATION I HAVE REGARDING THE INSTALLATION OF A FORWARD-FACING CAR SEAT IN A 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE SUBURBAN COMES WITH TETHER ANCHORS INSTALLED FOR THE TWO OUTBOARD SEATS IN THE THIRD ROW, BUT NO ANCHORS FOR THE CENTER SEAT IN THE THIRD ROW AND NO ANCHORS FOR ANY SEATS IN THE SECOND ROW. THE OWNER'S MANUAL SAYS THE DEALER CAN INSTALL ANCHORS FOR YOU. NOT TRUE! ACCORDING TO THE REPRESENTATIVES AT THE 800-NUMBER PROVIDED IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL, CHEVROLET DOES NOT HAVE PERMANENT ANCHORS FOR THE SECOND ROW. INSTEAD, THEY HAVE A LITTLE METAL PLATE (IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE LATCH PLATE PART OF THE REGULAR SEAT BELT) THAT HOOKS INTO THE BUCKLE FOR THE THIRD ROW. THIS MEANS SEVERAL THINGS: WITH A TETHERED CHILD RESTRAINT IN THE SECOND ROW, YOU LOSE A SEATING SPOT IN THE THIRD ROW, YOU CAN'T LOWER THE THIRD ROW TO INCREASE CARGO SPACE, YOU CAN'T REMOVE THE THIRD ROW TO INCREASE CARGO SPACE, AND THE TETHER STRAP DOES NOT GO STRAIGHT BACK BUT INSTEAD GOES AT AN ANGLE. THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THIS ADD-ON DEVICE ARE UNCLEAR, BUT THEY SEEM TO INDICATE THAT IF YOU HAVE THREE TETHERED CHILD RESTRAINTS IN THE SECOND ROW, TWO OF THEM MUST SHARE ONE TETHER ANCHOR FOR THE CENTER REAR SEAT. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT MANAGER AT OUR LOCAL DEALER TRIED TO BE HELPFUL, BUT HE SAID HE COULDN'T EVEN HELP ME INSTALL AN AFTER-MARKET TETHER ANCHOR BECAUSE OF LIABILITY REASONS. I'M USING THE ADD-ON DEVICE THE DEALER PROVIDED (ACTUALLY, THEY GAVE ME ONE AND SOLD ME ANOTHER, BECAUSE I NEEDED TWO). COULDN'T CHEVY JUST DEVELOP SOME INSTRUCTIONS FOR DEALERS TO USE IN INSTALLING A TETHER ANCHOR IN THE FLOOR FOR THE SECOND-ROW SEATING POSITIONS? I WANT TO GET THE WORD OUT TO OTHER CONSUMERS BEFORE THEY BUY THIS VEHICLE UNDER THE WRONG ASSUMPTIONS LIKE I DID...ANY ADVICE? (THE INCIDENT DATE REPRESENTS THE FIRST DATE ON WHICH I CALLED THE CHEVY 800-NUMBER.) *JB

INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH VEHICLE STALLED, ALSO, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. INDEPENDENT SHOP REPLACED THE FUEL INJECTION PUMP. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING VEHICLE STALLED. TECHNICIAN INDICATED THAT FUEL CHARCOAL FILTER CLOGGED THE TANK, CAUSING GAS TO LEAK. MANUFACTURER STATED FUEL SYSTEM FAILED BECAUSE OF POOR MAINTENANCE.*AK

VEHICLE IS A 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN K2500 WITH GM 6.5 LITER TURBO-DIESEL ENGINE. THE VEHICLE STALLED IN INTERSTATE TRAFFIC (I-270) MULTIPLE TIMES ON OCTOBER 21, 2003. I CALLED THE DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE LIKELY CAUSE WAS THE ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION PUMP, WHICH GM HAS WARRANTED FOR 10 YEARS OR 120,000 MILES. THE DEALER THEREAFTER REPLACED THE INJECTION PUMP UNDER WARRANTY. WHILE I AM PLEASED THAT THE PART WAS REPLACED AT NO COST TO ME, I BELIEVE THAT THIS REPRESENTS AN UNACCEPTABLE DEFECT. GM IS OBVIOUSLY AWARE THAT THE PART IS DEFECTIVE, OR IT WOULD NOT HAVE AGREED TO REPLACE IT FOR FREE AFTER THE REST OF THE VEHICLE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. IN THIS CASE, THERE WAS NO HARM, BUT THESE ENGINE ARE OFTEN USED IN TRUCKS AND LARGE SUVS THAT ARE DESIGNED FOR TOWING AND HAULING. FOR EXAMPLE, WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE TO TOW A HORSE TRAILER THAT IS WEIGHS OVER 5000 LBS. WHEN THE VEHICLE STALLS, IT LOSES POWER STEERING AND BRAKING. THE POTENTIAL FOR DISASTER WHEN TOWING A LARGE TRAILER IS VERY HIGH, AND THE STALLING OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING. *LA

THE GAS GAUGE ON THE DASHBOARD DID NOT READ THE CORRECT FUEL LEVEL IN GAS TANK. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. *PH *SCC *JB

TIRE TREAD SEPARATED ON VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH. *MR THE FIRST TIRE TREAD CAME OFF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. WHEN THE NEW TIRE WAS PLACED ON THE VEHICLE, THE TREAD CAME OFF THAT TIRE AND DAMAGED THE VEHICLE. *SCC *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH BRAKES FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE RIGHT. BRAKE PEDAL WENT THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. *AK

STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF FOUR OF FIVE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FIRESTONE STEELTEX TIRES. WE PURCHASED A NEW 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 2500 (VIN [XXX]) IN 1998 EQUIPPED WITH STEELTEX R4S LT245/75R16 TIRES. FOUR OF FIVE OF THESE TIRES FAILED AT A SIMILAR MILEAGE, WITH ABOUT 50% OF TREAD LEFT. THREE OF THE TIRES FORMED BULGES UNDER THE TREAD AND WERE EXCHANGED AT TWO DIFFERENT FIRESTONE DEALERS WITH CREDIT FOR THE TREAD REMAINING. DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE. THE FOURTH FAILURE OCCURRED WITHIN ONLY A FEW HUNDRED ADDITIONAL TIRE MILES LATER. THE FAILURE WAS A SUDDEN BLOWOUT AT HIGHWAY SPEED WITH LOSS OF VIRTUALLY ALL TREAD AND RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE SUBURBAN, WITH TRAVEL TRAILER IN TOW, TO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE AND NO INJURY WAS SUSTAINED TO MYSELF AND FOUR PASSENGERS. IT IS ABSOLUTELY UNREASONABLE TO BELIEVE THAT FOUR OF FIVER TIRES WILL SUFFER STRUCTURAL FAILURE AT ABOUT THE SAME MILEAGE AND WITH ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF TREAD REMAINING, UNLESS THE TIRES WERE IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. TO DATE WE HAVE RECEIVED NO CONSIDERATION FROM EITHER BRIDGESTONE FIRESTONE OR CHEVROLET RELATIVE TO THE PROPERTY DAMAGE WE INCURRED DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE FIRESTONE TIRES.*AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THREE OF THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON THE VEHICLE HAVE HAD TREAD SEPARATION. THE THIRD TREAD SEPARATION CAUSED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE LEFT QUARTER PANEL. THE TIRE WAS RETURNED TO FIRESTONE AT THEIR REQUEST. SHORTLY AFTER THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM FIRESTONE DENYING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE SEPARATION BECAUSE OF A PRIOR PUNCTURE IN THE TIRE. *AK *TS *NLM

WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY OR FAST, AT DIFFERENT TIMES, AND NOT EVERY SINGLE TIME, TURNING TO THE RIGHT AROUND A CURVE OR TURNING A CORNER THE STEERING HOLDS THE TURN AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN LETS GO OF THAT HOLD. I CAN CORRECT IT BY SLIGHTLY TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT AND THEN BACK INTO THE TURN. SOMETIMES IT HOLDS THE SECOND TIME AND SOMETIMES IT LETS GO AGAIN. THIS IS REPEATED UNTIL THE END OF THE CURVE OR TURN. STEERING GEAR, PITMAN ARM, STEERING PUMP ALL REPLACED AND PROBLEM STILL IS PRESENT. *LA