2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

THE ABS BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, THEN THERE WAS A NOISE WHICH SOUNDED LIKE A VACUUM. CONSUMER DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY. THE NEXT DAY THE BATTERY WAS RECONNECTED, AND THE NOISE CAME BACK. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR REPAIRS, AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ABS BRAKE MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK...SEVERAL SIMILAR FAILURES ON VEHICLE IN THIS SMALL TOWN. VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED. *AK

MY 2001 CHEVY SUBURBAN MADE A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY LUBED THE STEERING COLUMN INTERMEDIATE SHAFT FOR $110.00. WHEN I GOT HOME I LOOKED THIS PROBLEM UP ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND LOTS OF COMPLAINTS AND THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND A REPLACEMENT SHAFT TO CORRECT WHAT APPEARS TO BE A FACTORY DEFECT. I CAN NOT FIND THE SERVICE BULLETIN AND WOULD APPRECIATE SOME HELP ON FINDING IT. I FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR THE WORK DONE AND WANT MY VEHICLE TO GET THE REPLACEMENT SHAFT. *JB

ON 2/12/04, I TOOK MY 2001 CHEVY SUBURBAN IN TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THE EMERGENCY/PARKING BRAKE DID NOT WORK. BEING THE FIRST TIME I TRIED TO USE IT AND IT DID NOT WORK, I ASSUMED IT WOULD BE A WARRANTY REPAIR. THE DEALER SAID NO, THIS IS COMMON AND A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ADJUSTMENT. I SAID I HAVE NEVER USED IT, HOW CAN IT BE! NOT BEING SAFE W/OUT A EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE, I HAD TO PAY! AFTER THEIR "ADJUSTMENT" THE BRAKES OR SOMETHING SQUEALED. UPON RETURNING TO THE DEALER, I ASKED THEM TO CHECK THEIR ADJUSTMENT AND MENTIONED WHERE I HAD SEEN ON THE NHTSA SITE ABOUT PARKING BRAKES WEARING ALL THE TIME. THEY ADJUSTED AGAIN TO SPEC AND WHEN I GOT IT BACK, BRAKES STILL DID NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE WELL - IT WOULD NEVER HAVE HELD ON A HILL! I TOOK IT BACK AGAIN TO THE CHEVY DEALER ON 7/13/04 AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK IT AGAIN, AND THEY SAID IT WAS TO SPEC AND IT WAS NOT AN EMERGENCY BRAKE, JUST A PARKING BRAKE. I TOLD THEM IT WOULD NEVER HOLD A VEHICLE THIS SIZE AND WEIGHT ON A HILL! ON 10/25/04, THE VEHICLE WAS MAKING A GRINDING/SCRAPING SOUND WHEN MOVING, SO I TOOK IT TO A TIRE STORE AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE PARKING BRAKES WERE TOTALLY WORN OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ($160). I THINK THERE IS A ENGINEERING DESIGN DEFECT WITH THIS SYSTEM IN THESE VEHICLES. FIRST THE BRAKES DO NOT APPEAR TO HOLD THE VEHICLE WELL AND SECOND THE WAY THEY ARE DESIGNED THEY FAIL WITHOUT EVER USING THEM! YOU DON'T KNOW THEY DON'T WORK UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE! VERY DANGEROUS!!! PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ASAP - I THINK BRAKE FAILURE IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *JB

2001 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN WOULD NOT START AFTER SITTING APPROXIMATELY THREE HOURS AFTER DRIVING IT A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY ONE MILE. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AFTER HOURS SO THE VEHICLE WAS NOT LOOKED AT FOR ABOUT TWO DAYS. WHEN I CALL ED THE SERVICE WRITER TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE VEHICLE HE STATED IT WAS STILL PARKED OUTSIDE. WHEN I ASKED WHAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE HE STATED, "PROBABLY THE FUEL PUMP." THE VEHICLE HAD NOT EVEN BEEN LOOKED AT BY A MECHANIC WHEN THE INITIAL DIAGNOSIS WAS MADE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR FOR A FUEL PUMP REPLACEMENT.

WHILE DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. *NM THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE COST FOR A THE TRANSMISSION WAS $2,576.18. *TC *JB

THIS IS CONCERNING A '01 Z71 SUBURBAN. HAD TIRES CHANGED DUE TO UNEXPLAINABLE VIBRATION IN WHEELS. AFTER TIRE CHANGE TIRES DEFLATED. FOUND ALUMINUM ALLOY RIMS SEVERELY RUSTED AND PITTED ON THE BACK SIDE, FOUND ONE RIM HAS A HOLE THE SIZE OF A PEA AFTER BRUSHING SOME RUST AWAY. *JB

CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF NORMAL DRIVING EMERGENCY BRAKE WORE OUT, EVEN IF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS NEVER BEING USED. CONSUMER DECIDED TO CALL DEALER BECAUSE HE FELT THAT IT WAS A SAFETY FACTOR, KNOWING THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS NOT EFFECTIVE. *AK

VEHICLE SHUT DOWN WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING. THE ECM FUSE BLEW OUT AND POPPED OUT. CONSUMER REPLACED THE ECM FUSE, AND THE VEHICLE STARTED. DEALER DID NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM. THESE OCCURRENCES HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN ANY GIVEN DAY. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THERE WERE NO SIMILAR COMPLAINTS.*AK

PARKING BRAKE DOES NOT HOLD WHEN DEPRESSED. PEDAL GOES COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. REMOVED REAR ROTOR AND PADS WERE VERY THIN WITH ONLY 48000 MILES, AND THE ONLY TIME THE BRAKE IS USED IS DURING INSPECTION ONE TIME EACH YEAR. THERE ARE NUMEROUS REPORTS ON THIS PROBLEM AND IT IS PUZZLING THAT CHEVROLET DOES NOT FIX THIS PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE DRIVING OR IDLING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN INTERMITTENTLY AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, AND THE DEALER REPLACED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE DEALER STILL WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK THE REAR FLOOR PLASTIC PLATE HAD BROKEN, THE LEFT REAR WINDOW MOTOR WAS INOPERATIVE UP AND DOWN, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT WAS COMING APART BY THE DOOR, SEAT TRACK HAD BROKEN, THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT SHOULDER STRAP SOMETIMES TIGHTENED UP, THERE WAS NOISE IN THE REAR END HAD A HARMONIC VIBRATION, THE RIGHT SECOND WINDOW WOULD NOT GO DOWN, THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT IN THE FRONT LOCKED UP RIGHT FRONT RETRACTOR LOCKED, THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR SQUEAKS REALLY BAD, THE MOLDING FOR THE RUBBER COMING OFF, AND PASSENGER SIDE FRONT LIGHT HAD COME OUT. *SC