2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500 Complaints

WHILE DRIVING IN A 45MPH ZONE, I CHECKED MY SPEEDOMETER AS I PASSED A POLICE OFFICER AND IT READ 75MPH SO I IMMEDIATELY HIT THE BRAKES TO SLOW. I DIDN'T THINK I WAS SPEEDING AS I WAS GOING WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I DISCOVERED THE DEFAULT POSITION OF THE GAUGE WAS 30MPH. EVENTUALLY THE SPEEDOMETER WAS FULLY PEGGED AT 120+ MPH. I DISCUSSED THE FAILURE WITH COLLEAGUES AT WORK AND TWO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS AND I DISCOVERED 1) THE PROBLEM IS COMMON IN GMC TRUCKS IN MODEL YEARS 2002-2006 AND 2) THE ONLY WAY TO CORRECT IT IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT PANEL AT A COST OF APPROX. $700. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD FOR TWO REASONS: FIRST, THE FAILURE IS INSIDIOUS AND CAN CAUSE AN OVERREACTION (ONE CASE II KNOW OF WHERE SOMEONE WAS PULLING A BOAT TRAILER ON A WET ROAD, LOOKED DOWN AND SAW 90MPH, HIT THE BRAKES AND SKIDDED OFF THE HIGHWAY), AND SECOND, BECAUSE OF THE HIGH COST OF REPAIR FOR OLDER VEHICLES OWNERS (AS I AM) WILL BE HESITANT TO SPEND THE MONEY TO FIX ONE INDICATOR NEEDLE. THANK YOU FOR ASSISTANCE. *TR

THE REAR WINDOWS OF THE 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN AND TAHOE AUTOMOBILES (AND PRESUMABLY OTHER MODEL YEARS AS WELL) ARE SIMPLY GLUED TO HINGES. A GREAT NUMBER OF THESE WINDOWS HAVE DELAMINATED FROM THE HINGES. I WAS TOLD BY THE CHEVROLET SERVICE ADVISOR TWO DAYS AGO (WHEN I TOOK MY SUBURBAN IN FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE REAR WINDOW) THAT HE HAS SEEN A LARGE NUMBER OF THE WINDOW DELAMINATIONS. HE FURTHER ADVISED ME THAT IF BOTH HINGES DELAMINATE (WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY OCCUR DUE TO THE EXTRA WEIGHT BEING PLACED ON A REMAINING HINGE) THAT THE WINDOW WILL SEPARATE FROM THE AUTOMOBILE. IF THIS OCCURS AT HIGH SPEED THE CONSEQUENCES COULD BE FATAL FOR THE AUTOMOBILE FOLLOWING BEHIND. THE SERVICE ADVISOR STATED THAT THERE SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN A RECALL ON THE REAR WINDOWS OF SUBURBANS AND TAHOES. *TR

THE HINGE FOR THE REAR LIFTGATE WINDOW FAILED. THERE IS A HORIZONTAL CRACK ACROSS THE HINGE. IT APPEARS TO BE METAL FATIGUE. THIS FAILURE IS A SAFETY HAZARD FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: 1) THE WINDOW NO LONGER SEALS PROPERLY AND COULD ALLOW EXHAUST GASES TO ENTER THE VEHICLE CABIN, RESULTING IN CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT THIS FAILURE WOULD NOT BE DETECTED IMMEDIATELY. 2) THE HINGE FAILURE CAUSES ADDITIONAL STRAIN ON THE REMAINING HINGE AND LATCH. FURTHER FAILURE WOULD RESULT IN THE WINDOW DETACHING FROM THE VEHICLE. A) IF THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING, THE WINDOW COULD IMPACT VEHICLE BEHIND THE SUBURBAN OR SHATTER ON THE ROADWAY LEADING TO DEBRIS RELATED ACCIDENTS. B) IF THIS OCCURRED WHILE STATIONARY, THE GLASS COULD (WHICH IS HEAVY AND SHARP EDGED) COULD INJURE A PERSON STANDING OR WALKING AT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THIS EXACT SAME FAILURE OCCURRED PREVIOUSLY ON THIS VEHICLE AT ~ 13000 MILES OF OPERATION. THE REPAIR WAS MADE BY A DEALER AT NO CHARGE TO THE OWNER. THE RECENT RECURRENCE OF THE FAILURE OF THE SAME HINGE OCCURRED AT ~107000 MILES. THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED TO GENERAL MOTORS CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS LOGGED AS SERVICE REQUEST # 71 743 851 820 BY JATTA FLORES. JATTA DENIED OWNER'S REQUEST THAT GM REPAIR THE DEFECT. *TR

SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATES, INDICATES VARIOUS SPEEDS OTHER THAN ACTUAL SPEED. NEVER A STANDARD OFFSET FROM ACTUAL SPEED. MIGHT INDICATE 20 MPH AT 55 MPH ACTUAL AS MEASURED BY GPS ONE TIME, THEN 10 MPH AT 60 MPH ACTUAL ANOTHER TIME. *TR

2003 CHEVY SUBURBAN 53000 MILES, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILING, SPEEDOMETER PEGGED AT 120 MPH. STARTED INTERMITTENTLY AT 49,000 MILES. *TR

NORMAL USE FOR FOUR YEARS. THE FAILURE WAS THE WINDOW ON THE REAR HATCH HAS MOSTLY SEPARATED FROM THE VEHICLE AS THE GLUE HOLDING IT ON IS NO LONGER SUFFICIENT TO HOLD IT ON. THERE IS A GAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDOW WHERE IT IS RAISING UP, LOOKING AS IF IT COULD FLY OFF AND HIT VEHICLES BEHIND WHILE DRIVING. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET TO REPLACE IT AS THE COST IS ASTRONOMICAL IN THE AMOUNT OF $1200 QUOTED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHERE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. *TR

THE HINGES THAT SUPPORT THE BACK WINDOW ARE SEPARATING FROM THE HINGES. THIS CAUSES THE ENTIRE WINDOW TO REALIGN AND NOW THERE IS A GAP WHERE YOU CAN FEEL AND HEAR WIND CONSTANTLY. IT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD FALL OFF AT ANY MOMENT. OCCURRED AROUND 60,000 MILES. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER ON OUR 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN RANDOMLY STOPS WORKING. WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A DEFECT AND THAT IT WILL ONLY BE REPLACED BY CHEVROLET IF THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. OUR SUBURBAN HAS 85,000 MILES ON IT. SINCE IT IS A DEFECT IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, AND NOT BECAUSE OF WEAR AND TEAR, CHEVROLET SHOULD REPLACE IT FREE OF CHARGE. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY THE $550+ TO HAVE IT REPLACED SO WE WILL DRIVE IT WITHOUT THE SPEEDOMETER WORKING, WHICH IS UNSAFE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WITH HIS VEHICLE. THE HINGES THAT SUPPORT THE BACK WINDOWS ARE SEPARATING FROM THE HINGES. THIS CAUSES THE ENTIRE WINDOW TO REALIGN AND SHATTER AT ANY TIME. IT IS CURRENTLY BEING HELD TOGETHER WITH ADHESIVE TAPE. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V037000 (STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

I BOUGHT MY SUBURBAN WITH GOODYEAR TRACKER II TIRES ON IT FROM THE DEALER IN DEC 06. IN APRIL 07 A TIRE WAS FLAT. IT HAD A SMALL SLICE IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE BETWEEN THE GROOVES. NOTHING HAD TOUCHED OR SCRAPED AGAINST THE TIRE TO CAUSE IT. I BOUGHT ANOTHER ONE FROM WALMART AS THEY ARE ONLY ONES ABLE TO GET AND SELL THEM. I HAD TAKEN THE WHEELS OFF FOR THE SUMMER AND PUT THEM BACK ON IN SEPT 07. IN MARCH 08 ON THIS NEW TIRE, IT HAD A LEAK IN THE GROOVED SECTION OF THE SIDE WALL NEAR THE TREAD. AGAIN NOTHING PUNCTURED IT OR SCRAPED IT. BECAUSE I COULDN'T CHANGE THE TIRE AT THE TIME I HAD TO PUT A PLUG IN IT TO GET HOME. THESE ARE VERY POORLY MADE AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY OTHER TIRES GET SMALL SLICES IN THE SIDEWALL. I COULD UNDERSTAND IF I HIT A POTHOLE, CURB, NAIL, SOMETHING. BUT THE FIRST TIRE WAS 3" ABOVE THE GROUND AND THIS ONE WAS ABOUT 1" ABOVE THE GROUND. I HAVE ABOUT 5,000 MILES ON THIS TIRE WITH ALOT OF TREAD LEFT THAT IS NOW GARBAGE. *TR