2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Complaints

THE METAL BRAKE LINE BETWEEN THE ABS MODULATOR VALVE AND FRONT RIGHT WHEEL RUPTURED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS PRESSED. THE LINE FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. ALL BRAKE LINES IN THE VEHICLE HAD SIMILAR LEVELS OF CORROSION NEAR THE AREA THE AFOREMENTIONED LINE RUPTURED, AND AT VARIOUS OTHER LOCATIONS ON THE VEHICLE. A BRAKE LINE BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER AND ABS MODULATOR HAD FAILED IN A SIMILAR MANNNER APPROXIMATELY 8 MONTHS PREVIOUSLY. THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINES HAD ALSO FAILED DUE TO CORROSION APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AGO. THE CORROSION AND RUST ON MANY OTHER COMPONENTS BENEATH THE VEHICLE AND IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS RATHER CONCERNING. POWER STEERING LINES (INCLUDING POWER BRAKES, SINCE THE VEHICLE HAS HYDRO-BOOST BRAKES) APPEAR TO BE NEXT. ALL METAL BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MOST RECENT FAILURE FOR AN OWNER COST OF ABOUT $500. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NHTSA RECENTLY CLOSED AN INVESTIGATION OF BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO CORROSION ON SEVERAL GM TRUCKS AND SUVS. AFTER ABOUT 4 YEARS, THIS INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT "A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AT THIS TIME." APPARENTLY THEY DON'T READ THE COMPLAINTS ON THEIR OWN WEBSITE...

MY '03 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HAS DEVELOPED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON CONDITION WHERE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER BECOMES INOPERABLE. FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE TRAVELING AT LOW, IN TOWN SPEEDS, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL HAVE READINGS IN THE 60S, 70S' AND 80S. WHILE IN THE PARK POSITION, THE SPEEDOMETER WILL READ 55MPH. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND I AM REALLY SHOCKED THAT THE NHTSA HASN'T FORCED A RECALL. THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF REPORTS ONLINE OF THIS EXACT PROBLEM. GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM, AS THEY EVEN EXTENDED. GENERAL MOTORS EVEN PROVIDED OWNERS WITH A SPECIAL COVERAGE THAT EXTENDS THE WARRANTY ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CLUSTER FOR THE CONDITION DESCRIBED ABOVE, AS LONG AS THE VEHICLES AGE AND MILEAGE FALLS WITHIN CERTAIN PARAMETERS. THOSE PARAMETERS ARE THE MAIN REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT. THOSE PARAMETERS ARE 1) 7 YEARS OF THE IN SERVICE DATE, AND 2) 70,000 MILES, WHICH EVER OCCURS FIRST. MY CLAIM TO HAVE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN MY VEHICLE REPAIRED UNDER THE SPECIAL COVERAGE WAS DENIED ON 9/4/09 BECAUSE THE MILEAGE OF MY VEHICLE WAS 93,000 MILES AT THE TIME OF MY REQUEST. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A LARGE SCALE SAFETY PROBLEM THAT WARRANTS A RECALL BY GENERAL MOTORS RATHER THAN AN EXTENSION OF WARRANTY WITH UNREASONABLE MILEAGE PARAMETERS. EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ALONE IS A CLEAR ADMISSION OF A KNOWN WIDESPREAD ISSUE. IS NHTSA IN BED WITH GM TOO? I GUESS I SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE GAUGES ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED. A MONTH LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND ALL THE METERS, GAUGES, AND WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

10/11/2 BRAKES FAILED PLUS PARKING BRAKE FAILED AND PARKING BRAKE SHOE ASSEMBLY WAS NOT FOUND UPON DEALER INSPECTION. REPLACED DISC BRAKES AND HAD PARKING BRAKE SHOE INSTALLED. 11/09/12 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REVEALED IGNITION PROBLEM. NEW IGNITION WIRE SET INSTALLED. 01/29/13 DASH CLUSTER FAILED, HAD NO HORN, NO HEADLIGHTS, NO INTERIOR LIGHTS, NO SPEED CONTROL , NO STEERING WHEEL LIGHTS FOR CONTROL BUTTONS, NO SPEEDOMETER READING, NO RADIO. REPLACED DASH CLUSTER. 05/05/14 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND STRANDED WHEN VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. MISFIRE MESSAGES ON DEALER EQUIPMENT READING. 06/16/14 STRANDED AGAIN , VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH. 07/15/14 STRANDED AGAIN , VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. REPLACED STARTER RELAY. 02/16/15 DRIVER HEATED SEAT COMING ON/OFF WHILE DRIVING ON ITS OWN. 4 WD ENGAGED ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING AND MADE DRIVING UNCONTROLLED. AWD ENGAGED ON ITS OWN WHILE DRIVING ON DRY SMOOTH ROAD. STRANDED, WOULD NOT START. VEHICLE AT DEALER AGAIN TODAY FOR THIS LIST OF PROBLEMS. *TR

WAS DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN IN VEHICLE. AS I WAS APPROACHING INTERSECTION, STEPPED ON BRAKE PEDAL AND IT WENT COMPLETELY TO FLOOR. THE BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING AT ALL. I HAD TO DOWNSHIFT AND USE EMERGENCY BRAKE IN ORDER TO AVOID COLLISION. HAD TO HAVE SUBURBAN TOWED. *JS

I AM A TEACHER AND GOT A CALL IN MY CLASSROOM THAT MY SUBURBAN WAS ON FIRE PARKED IN THE PARKING LOT. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND WHEN I GOT OUTSIDE, SURE ENOUGH THERE WAS SMOKE ALL IN THE SUBURBAN AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE (NOT THE HOOD). WHEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, THEY ENTERED THE VEHICLE, DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY, AND PROCEEDED TO TEAR OUT MY REAR HEADLINER TO EXTINGUISH THE ELECTRICAL FIRE THAT WAS OCCURRING. MY INSURANCE COMPANY HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED AND IT WAS DEEMED REPARABLE, WHICH I WAS NOT TOO HAPPY ABOUT SEEING AS WE DON'T REALLY KNOW THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE BEYOND ELECTRICAL. THE FIRE ORIGINATED NEAR THE REAR DOME LIGHT AND BURNED THE HEADLINER AND MELTED THE PAINT OFF THE ROOF THE VEHICLE. THE LOCATION OF THE FIRE WAS NOT A IN A PLACE WHERE ANY MECHANIC COULD CHECK TO HAVE PREVENTED THIS FROM OCCURRING AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE MOVING FORWARD. I AM NOT IN A FINANCIAL POSITION TO AFFORD A NEW SUBURBAN AND DO LOVE MINE, BUT AM NOW JUST CONCERNED. I AM THANKFUL NO ONE WAS IN THE VEHICLE AND THAT NO ONE WAS HURT.. BUT HAD A PARENT DROPPING A KID OFF TO SCHOOL NOT NOTICED THE SMOKE COMING OFF THE ROOF OF MY CAR IN THE PARKING LOT, THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. I HAD ALSO JUST FILLED MY TANK UP THE DAY BEFORE SO THE CAR WAS SITTING WITH 30 GALLONS OF GASOLINE IN IT. I AM ALSO THANKFUL THAT I WAS NOT TRYING TO SCRAMBLE TO GET MY 4 KIDS OUT OF THE CAR (AND YES WE DO USE THE 3RD ROW SEAT DAILY). I THINK THIS INCIDENT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT TO PREVENT ANY OTHER OWNER OF A 2003 SUBURBAN FROM HAVING A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE. THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE THAT WOULD HAVE LEAD TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

I HAD JUST COME OFF THE HIGHWAY AND WAS ON THE EXIT RAMP. WENT TO PRESS MY BRAKES AT THE STOP LIGHT AND MY FOOT WENT TO THE FLOOR. THANKFULLY THE OFF RAMP WAS AN SLIGHT UPHILL SO THAT HELPED ME SLOW AND THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC COMING ACROSS. I WENT THROUGH THE STOP LIGHT AND WAS ABLE TO STOP AFTER THE TURN BY PRESSING THE BRAKE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO OUR MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT 2 OF THE BRAKE LINES HAD RUSTED THROUGH. THE OTHER LINES WERE SHOWING SIGNS OF RUST SO THEY WERE ALL REPLACED. I WAS THANKFUL THAT MY 4 KIDS AND HUSBAND WERE NOT IN THE CAR AND THAT THERE WAS NO CROSS TRAFFIC OR THIS COULD HAVE HAD A MUCH WORSE ENDING. AFTER SEEING HOW MANY COMPLAINTS THERE ARE ABOUT THE BRAKE LINES ON THE 2003 SUBURBAN, I WOULD HOPE THAT A RECALL WOULD BE ISSUED FOR SAFETY SAKE! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS APPLIED IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE BRAKE LINES WERE REPLACED ON TWO OCCASIONS BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BACK TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND I LOST ALL POWER. IT SAID (REDUCED ENGINE POWER) ON THE DASH. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND I HAVEN'T FOUND A MECHANIC WHO CAN FIX IT. I'VE LOOKED ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. IT COMES OUT OF NOWHERE AND FOR THIS TO HAPPEN TO SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT'S GOING TO CAUSE SOME DEADLY CRASHES. *TR

WAS DRIVING BEHIND A SCHOOL BUS WHEN IT STOPPED TO LET KIDS OFF. I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. I HAD NO BRAKES, I AM NOT REALLY SURE HOW I MANAGED TO STOP WITHOUT HITTING THE BUS. I PULLED OVER IN A PARKING LOT. GOT OUT OF MY 2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN WENT INTO THE BANK TO CALL MY HUSBAND TO COME GET ME. BY THE TIME I GOT BACK OUT TO MY TRUCK THERE WAS A PUDDLE OF BRAKE FLUID UNDER THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR. MY BRAKE LINES WHERE SHOOT. *TR