2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

MY WIFE DRIVES A CHEVROLET TAHOE 2003 LS WITH ABOUT 48 000 MILES ON IT. RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND NOTICED THE SPEEDOMETER WAS SHOWING 90 MPH. I LOOKED AT OTHER CARS AROUND ME AND DECIDED MAY BE I WAS GOING A LITTLE FAST. SO I SLOWED DOWN A BIT. THE SPEEDOMETER WENT UP TO 100. AFTER I PULLING OVER AND STOPPED IT WENT DOWN SLOWLY AFTER I STOPPED. DURING THE NEXT WEEK, THE SPEEDOMETER CONTINUED TO INCREASE AND EVENTUALLY STUCK AT THE HIGHEST SPEED. SO I MADE SOME CALLS TO VARIOUS DEALERS , AND WAS TOLD THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO COST $500 TO FIX THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND WANT TO NOTIFY CHEVROLET. I THINK THIS IS THEIR PROBLEM. I DON'T WANT TO PAY FOR THIS ONE. YESTERDAY EVENING, THE SPEEDOMETER APPEARED TO BE WORKING AGAIN. THIS TIME I'VE NOTICED IT WILL TRACK ON THE RIGHT SPEED AND THEN HAVE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP TO SORT OF RESET IT. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE LOOSES POWER INTERMITTENTLY. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURRED, THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED A RODENT HAD CHEWED THROUGH THE WIRES. THE WIRES WERE REPLACED. THE SECOND TIME THIS OCCURRED, THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED A CLIP WAS LOOSE. THE THIRD TIME, THE BATTERY HAD JUST BEEN CHARGED AND AFTER DRIVING FOR 40 MINUTES THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART, SO IT WAS JUMPED. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AGAIN AND WOULD ONLY TRAVEL AT 10-15 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR, BUT DETERMINED BOTH COMPONENTS WERE IN GOOD CONDITION. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND NO CODES WERE PRESENT.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE SPEEDOMETER AND TACHOMETER STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. ALTHOUGH THE DEALER DID NOT INSPECT OR REPAIR THE VEHICLE THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THE SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER GEAR FAILED AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. *AK UPDATED 01/25/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE REGULAR MAINTENANCE WAS BEING PERFORMED THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE BRAKE ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR SHOULD BE PERFORMED WITHIN THE NEXT 1,000 MILES. THE BRAKE PADS DO NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE FUEL TANK COLLAPSED, CRUSHING THE FUEL PUMP, WHICH HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE. THE FUEL TANK WAS PLASTIC. THE VENT TO THE FUEL TANK WAS BLOCKED AND CAUSED A VACUUM WHICH CRUSHED THE FUEL PUMP. THE FIRST TIME, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AT 45 MPH, IT SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. AN INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED, STATING THE COMPUTER SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. LESS THAN THREE MONTHS LATER WHILE DRIVING, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED A SECOND TIME, AND THE VENT FOR THE FUEL TANK WAS RETRO FITTED TO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT HAD ANY MORE PROBLEMS. *AK

SPEEDOMETER GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. WOULD REGISTER AS GOING 20 MPH OR EVEN UP TO 80 MPH WHEN PARKED. OCCASIONALLY WOULD APPEAR TO TRACK THEN WOULD REGISTER SIGNIFICANTLY TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW (USUALLY TOO HIGH). DROPPED OFF AT DEALER & TOLD IT NEEDED INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER REPLACEMENT BUT WAS ON BACK ORDER NATIONWIDE. CALLED GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE WHO CONFIRMED WITH THE DEALER THAT IT IS A "HIGH FAILURE ITEM". INITIAL ATTEMPT AT REPLACING. SAME AS OTHER COMPLAINTS THAT I HAVE READ. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE REPLACEMENT OF THIS IS EXPENSIVE. *NM

SPEEDOMETER GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. WOULD REGISTER AS GOING 20 MPH OR EVEN UP TO 80 MPH WHEN PARKED. OCCASIONALLY WOULD APPEAR TO TRACK THEN WOULD REGISTER SIGNIFICANTLY TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW (USUALLY TOO HIGH). DROPPED OFF AT DEALER & TOLD IT NEEDED INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER REPLACEMENT BUT WAS ON BACK ORDER NATIONWIDE. CALLED GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE WHO CONFIRMED WITH THE DEALER THAT IT IS A "HIGH FAILURE ITEM". INITIAL ATTEMPT AT REPLACING IPC FAILED, STILL AWAITING ANOTHER NEW PART & HOPING TO GET VEHICLE BACK SOON. *NM

BEFORE COMPLETE FAILURE, OVER A PERIOD OF A MONTH THE CAR FAILED TO START/TURNOVER. AFTER 5 MINUTES & REPEATED ATTEMPTS CAR WOULD FINALLY START. ON FINAL FAILURE DATE, THE CAR WOULD NOT START EVEN WITH PERIODIC ATTEMPTS OVER 2 DAYS. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER REPLACED FUEL PUMP & FUEL FILTER WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM. *NM

DT: CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONED, AND AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS IT STUCK. THIS OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE OR WHEN THE CLUSTER PANEL HEATED UP. *AK

VEHICLE IS 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN, PURCHASES NEW. SPEEDOMETER WON'T READ CORRECTLY; AT FIRST IT WOULD READ 20-30 MPH FAST; THEN IT FINALLY ONLY READS BETWEEN 30-120 MPH; HAD SAME PROBLEM WITH GAS GAUGE; RAN OUT OF GAS WITH TANK SHOWING ALMOST HALF FULL, IN AN AREA WITH NO CELL PHONE RECEPTION. VERY DANGEROUS. DANGEROUS TO NOT BE ABLE TO DETERMINE YOUR ACTUAL SPEED. GM REFUSES TO COVER THIS PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH DEALER HAS HAD SEVERAL INSTANCES OF THESE FAILURES. GM MUST BE AWARE OF PROBLEM, BUT REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE. *NM