2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GM DEALERSHIP TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO REPAIR THE VIBRATION AND HUMMING NOISE COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER. HOWEVER, GM MANUFACTURER WROTE A LETTER TO THE DEALERSHIP , TELLING THEM TO STOP ALL ATTEMPTS TO REPAIR THIS VEHICLE UNTIL THEY COME UP WITH A SOLUTION FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. THE CONTACT HAS BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE COULD HEAR A HUMMING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. THIS OCCURRED ALL THE TIME WHILE THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS TURNED ON. IF THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS OFF THEN THE CONSUMER COULD NOT HEAR THIS NOISE. *AK *JB

DT: ON OCTOBER 6, 2005 THE POSITIVE POST ON THE BATTERY POPPED OUT OF THE BATTERY WITHOUT ASSISTANTS. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THERE WAS AN ACID LEAK. THE BATTERY WAS A SIDE POST BATTERY MANUFACTURED BY A. C. DELCO. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. WHEN HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A ONE IN A MILLION CASE. THE CONTACT FELT THAT IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW. *AK

ON BOTH MY 2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN, AND 2002 CHEVY K2500 TRUCK, THE GAS GAUGE READS ERRONEOUSLY. TENDS TO GET HUNG UP AT 1/4 TANK, THEN LATER GOES TO EMPTY...AT WHICH TIME I'VE RUN OUT OF GAS! CHEVY REPLACED THE BURB FUEL SENSOR TWICE, AND THE TRUCK ONCE...UNDER WARRANTY. PAST WARRANTY THEY WILL NOT HELP. SAFETY ISSUE: I RAN OUT OF GAS IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA, INTERSTATE TRAFFIC DURING RUSH HOUR, HAD TO WEAVE MY DEAD TRUCK THROUGH 70 MPH TRAFFIC TO THE LEFT SHOULDER. VERY DANGEROUS MOVE...LUCKILY WAS NOT REAR-ENDED! HAVE FRIENDS W/ SAME TRUCK...SAME PROBLEM. *NM

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER 300 MILES TRAVEL. HARD SHIFT FROM FIRST TO SECOND (FELT LIKE TRANSMISSION DROPPED FROM VEHICLE. THIS FIRST OCCURRED SIX MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE OF 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN (NEW). DEALER RE-PROGRAMMED TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE. SAME PROBLEM ON RETURN TRIP FOUR DAYS LATER, AND SIX MORE TIMES IN THE PAST 2 1/2 YEARS. FOUR SEPARATE GM DEALERS, IN TWO STATES, HAVE ATTEMPTED FIX VIA: 1. RE-PROGRAM TCM, 2. REPLACE TRANSMISSION SOLENOID, 3. REPLACE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY AND RE-PROGRAM TCM. STILL NOT FIXED.*JB

MY 2003 SUBURBAN WOULD NOT START. I WAS GOING TO JUMP START THE VEHICLE AND WHEN I PULLED THE PLASTIC COVER OFF THE POSITIVE TERMINAL, THE ENTIRE TERMINAL FELL OUT IN MY HAND. THE ACID POURED OUT OF THE HOLD AND LANDED ON MY HAND. THE POSITIVE POST ON MY AC DELCO BATTERY FAILED AFTER ONLY 2 YEARS, 9 MONTHS. IT HAS A 6 YEAR WARRANTY. THE BATTERY WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TON MY 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. I CONTACTED THE CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT SINCE MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED, THEN THE BATTERY WAS NOT COVERED. I CONTACTED AC DELCO AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD REPLACE OR PRO-RATE THE BATTERY. THEY SAID NO. THE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE WAS FROM THE ACID LEAKING OUT OF THE HOLE WHERE THE POSITIVE TERMINAL WAS. THE ACID FROM THE BATTERY ATE THE PAINT OFF THE INTERIOR OF THE BATTERY SHELF. I PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY FROM A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURER AND INSTALLED IT IN MY SUBURBAN. IN LOOKING ON THE INTERNET FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS, IT WAS VERY EASY TO FIND OTHERS WHO HAD AC DELCO BATTERIES AND THEIR POSITIVE POST FAILED. AC DELCO KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM, BUT CONTINUES TO SELL A DEFECTIVE BATTERY. *JB

2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN 1500 (52,000 MILES) WITH REAR HATCH. RECENTLY ONE OF THE SIDES OF THE WIND REAR HATCH SNAPPED IN HALF. THIS IS A PLASTIC PIECE BOLTED ON TO THE VEHICLE STRUCTURE. WHEN I CALLED A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER TO INQUIRE IF THERE MAY BE A RECALL THE ANSWER WAS NO, BUT THEY SEE THE PROBLEM OFTEN. OFTEN TELLS ME THIS IS AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE FIXED AND NOT AT THE CONSUMERS EXPENSE. IT IS DANGEROUS AND MAY CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY. *NM

DT: CONSUMER OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. HE TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AT LEAST SEVEN TIMES SINCE APRIL. WHEN THE VEHICLE TURNS OVER IT JUST DOES NOT START. HE CAME BACK FROM MYRTLE BEACH, AND WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 80 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AND STALLED. HE MANAGED TO COAST OFF THE INTERSTATE, IT THEN STARTED BACK UP WITH ONE ATTEMPT. HE TRAVELED ABOUT 150 MILES AND THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN AND IT STARTED BACK, THIS TIME IT STARTED AND WAS RUNNING A LITTLE ROUGH. THE CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE NEXT EXIT AND FOUND A DEALER WHO TOLD HIM THAT HE COULD MAKE IT BACK TO OHIO IF HE DID NOT DRIVE IT VERY FAST. THE DEALER TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS THE FUEL FILTER THAT WAS NOT ABLE TO HANDLE THE PRESSURE. HE DROVE BACK AT 55 MPH, AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT SHUT DOWN. THE NEXT MORNING HE TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER IN FARRIS OHIO WHERE HE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER CHANGED THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE FUEL PUMP, AND SOMETHING HE THINKS IS CALLED A UBECK. HE WAS FRUSTRATED THAT HE SEEMED TO SPEND TOO MUCH TIME AT THE DEALER INSTEAD AT HOME.*AK

EXITING ONTO ON RAMP RIGHT REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE CAUSING DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. TIRE WAS STILL INFLATED HOWEVER TREAD HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM TIRE. *JB

MY 5 YEAR OLD CHILD WAS BUCKLED INTO THE SEAT BELT, HE WAS PLAYING WITH THE SEAT BELT PUT HIS LEGS THROUGH THE SEAT BELT, HE UNBUCKLED THE SEAT BELT TO UNTANGLE AND REBUCKLE, WHEN HE UNFASTENED THE SEAT BELT THE SLACK WENT BACK INTO THE HOLDER, THE SEAT BELT BEING LOCKED WOULD NOT MOVE UNTIL IT WAS COMPLETELY RELEASED , THERE WAS NO WAY TO RELEASE COMPLETELY SINCE IT WAS AROUND HIS WAIST AND NO WAY FOR HIM TO GET OUT, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH SLACK FOR HIM TO MOVE, AS OUR FINGERS WOULD NOT EVEN FIT IN BETWEEN THE SEAT BELT AND HIS WAIST. WE HAD TO CUT THE SEAT BELT TO GET HIM OUT. ****THERE NEEDS TO BE A RELEASE BUTTON SO THAT THE SEAT BELTS RELEASE IF THIS OCCURS AGAIN.***** *JB

I HAVE RECENTLY SNAPPED TWO BELTS TO MY AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR AND WHEN I WENT TO MY PRIVATE GARAGE HE TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS REPAIR. THIS TELLS ME THAT GM KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM BUT TOLD NO ONE ABOUT IT. *JB NOW I HAVE TO PAY A NEARLY $1,000.00 BILL TO GET IT FIXED AT MY GM DEALER. THIS IS A SHAM. WHY COULDN'T THEY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT AND ISSUE A RECALL RATHER THAN A SERVICE BULLETIN? HOW MANY REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THIS TYPE OF REPAIR, MORE THAN AVERAGE I WOULD BET? CAN YOU PROVIDE ME THOSE NUMBERS? I FIRST NOTICED THE NOISE CREATED FROM THIS PROBLEM LAST YEAR BUT WHEN IT WENT AWAY IN THE WINTER I THOUGHT IT HAD FIXED ITSELF, UNTIL I STARTED USING MY A/C AGAIN THIS SUMMER THEN IT CAME BACK. *JB