2003 GMC ENVOY Complaints

I HAVE A GMC ENVOY 4WD, ON 2 OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE HAS LOCKED THE GEAR INTO 4WD AND 4HI. VEHICLE WILL NOT RESPOND TO COMMAND TO SHIFT GEARS TO NORMAL DRIVING IN 2WD. IN TURN THIS LEADS TO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE BRAKING SYSTEM--VEHICLE TAKES TOO LONG TO STOP DURING NORMAL BRAKING. THE VEHICLE ALSO BECOMES VERY UNSTABLE ON THE ROAD--KEEPS SHIFTING SIDES MAKING HARD TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN A STRAIGHT ALIGNMENT DURING DRIVING. I HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED BY A GMC AUTHORIZED DEALER IN NOVEMBER, 2005 AT WHICH POINT THEY FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSFER CASE WHICH CAUSES IT TO BREAK APART. THIS IN TURN CAUSES ALL THE OTHER SYSTEMS IN THE VEHICLE TO MALFUNCTION BECAUSE IT'S A COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM. THE TRANSFER CASE WAS REPLACED WHICH TEMPORARILY FIXED THE PROBLEM UNTIL FEB, 2006 AND THE SAME PROBLEM RECURRED. I HAVE MADE GMC AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY REFERRED ME TO THE DEALER. ON SPEAKING WITH THE DEALER I BECAME AWARE THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH GMC ENVOY AND THE DEALER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE ONLY WAY GMC IS RESOLVING THE PROBLEM IS REFERRING CUSTOMERS TO THE DEALER FOR A REPLACEMENT ON THE TRANSFER CASE--WHICH HAPPENS TO BE THE SAME ONE THAT KEEPS MALFUNCTIONING. AT THIS POINT GMC DOES NOT HAVE A DIFFERENT TRANSFER CASE THAT WILL RESOLVE THE ISSUE ONCE AND FOR ALL. GMC IS ALSO WILLING TO FIX YOUR VEHICLE AS LONG AS IT'S UNDER WARRANTY BUT ONCE IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSFER CASE PERSIST, YOU HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. GMC IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSFER CASE BUT THEY ARE NOT LETTING THE CONSUMERS KNOW. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED ON 10-14-04 BOTH REAR DOOR LATCHES WERE REPLACED BECAUSE THE DOORS WERE FAILING TO LOCK. IN 2-06 THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER CONCERNING THE LATCHES/LOCKS AND LINKAGES; NHTSA RECALL # 05V494000. ON 3-13-06 THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE WEATHER STRIPPING AROUND THE REAR DOORS AND INSPECTED THE VEHICLE FOR CORROSION ON THE LATCHES. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THERE WAS NO CORROSION ON THE LATCHES. ON 4-8-06 WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, AS THE CONTACT WAS MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR DOOR FLEW OPEN, CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR AND TO THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR. BOTH CHILD SAFETY LOCKS WERE ENGAGED AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 4-08-06.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE PARKING BRAKE IS INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THERE IS NO REPAIR AVAILABLE.

THE ENGINE ON MY 2003 ENVOY XL CAUGHT FIRE AND THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED BY THE FIRE. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER DRIVING UP A ROAD RISING 1500 VERTICAL FEET OVER A DISTANCE OF 3.5 MILES. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON BEFORE SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE CAR ALERTED US TO THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE HAD 36000 MILES ON IT AND HAD RECENTLY HAD ALL THE RECOMMENDED SERVICE COMPLETED INCLUDING OIL CHANGE AND TRANSMISSION AND FUEL SYSTEM FLUSHES. THE ONE ISSUE WHICH THE GMC DEALER HAD BEEN UNABLE TO FIX WAS A LEAK TO THE FRONT PINION SEAL. THE DEALER HAD THE CAR FOR TWO DAYS AND COULD FIND NO PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH A VERY REPUTABLE REPAIR SHOP HAD ALERTED US TO THE PROBLEM WHILE PERFORMING THE OTHER MAINTENANCE AND SUGGESTED THAT WE HAVE THE DEALER ADDRESS THE PROBLEM WHILE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO I WAS TOLD BY A SERVICE MANAGER THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO REPLACE THE SEAL BECAUSE IF IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A WASTE OF MONEY TO REPLACE THE SEAL. THE FIRE SEEMED TO ORIGINATE FROM A LOCATION A QUARTER OF THE WAY IN FROM THE PASSENGER BUMPER ABOUT AS FAR BACK AS THE TIRE. SINCE THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED WITHIN THE LAST TWELVE HOURS I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CAUSE COULD BE. OUR INSURANCE AGENT'S CLAIMS ADJUSTER WILL BE LOOKING INTO THIS I'M SURE. THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY RECALL RELATED TO THIS ISSUE. WE HAD SEVEN PEOPLE IN THE CAR TODAY INCLUDING 3 CHILDREN AND 2 SENIOR CITIZENS. LUCKILY EVERYONE WAS ABLE TO GET OUT UNHARMED BUT WE HAD NO WARNING. HAD WE NOT BEEN IN A LOCATION WHERE SOMEONE SAW THE FIRE AND ALERTED US I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. WHAT CAN WE DO TO FIND THE CAUSE AND MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN TO SOMEONE ELSE? *NM

SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON, SMALL EMISSIONS FUEL LEAK, DEALERSHIP WANTED TO REPLACE FUEL TANK, OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW, HOPING FOR RECALL. *NM

I TOOK MY 2003 GMC ENVOY TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE BACK LIFT GATE CHECKED BECAUSE I NOTICED THAT THE PLASTIC SHIELD ON TOP DID NOT SEEM TO BE ALIGNED CORRECTLY AND WHEN I OPEN THE LIFT GATE IT MAKES A CRACKING SOUND. I WAS INFORMED BY MY DEALER THAT THE BRACKETS THAT SECURE THE LIFT GATE ARE SEPARATING AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE NOT HAD A CRASH OR INJURY YET RELATED TO THIS. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO APPLY BRAKE PRESSURE AT 5 MPH OR LESS THE ENGINE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALERSHIP WAS ALERTED. UPDATED 04/14/06. *JB

1. NORMAL WINTER DRIVING IN NORTHEASTERN OHIO. 2. ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM FAILED TO OPERATE. THE RESULT WAS IMMEDIATE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING IT TO SLIDE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC ON A RURAL COUNTRY ROAD WHERE IT WAS STRUCK BY AN ON COMING CAR. 3. THE CAR IS TOTALED AS ASSESSED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY, NO REPAIRS MADE. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH THE DRIVER SIDE REAR DOOR FLEW OPEN AND WOULD NOT CLOSE. THE INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP DETERMINED THERE WAS CORROSION ON THE DOOR LATCH FROM ROAD SALT BUILD UP. THE DOOR LATCH WAS REPLACED. THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR DOOR REQUIRED MORE FORCE TO OPEN. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 05V494000, REGARDING THE DOOR LATCHES. THE VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL; HOWEVER IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. UPDATED 3/3/2006 - *NM

2003 GENERAL MOTORS GMC ENVOY XL DID NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT BRAKING WHEN BRAKES WERE STRONGLY APPLIED IN A LOW SPEED (10-15 MPH) SUDDEN STOP RESULTING IN A MINOR FRONT END COLLISION WITH THE BACK OF ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS STRONGLY APPLIED, THE VEHICLE TOOK MORE DISTANCE TO STOP THEN EXPECTED. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, BUT DEALERSHIP DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE FINDING ANY PROBLEM. THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE ADEQUATE STOPPING POWER IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. *JB