2003 GMC SAFARI Complaints

MY 2003 GMC SAFARI VAN HAS NOW TWICE HAD ITS ABS ACTIVATE IN A PARKING LOT SITUATION AT A SLOW SPEED CAUSING THE VAN TO TAKE AN EXTREMELY LONG TIME TO STOP. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO PERSON IN FRONT OF ME OR THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURED. THERE WAS NO WARNING BEFORE THE FAILURE. THE MANUAL STATES THAT IF THE ABS LIGHT GOES ON THAT THE SYSTEM IS NOT ACTIVE, BUT THE VAN IS STILL OK TO DRIVE-BUT NO LIGHT CAME ON. I HAVE TLKED WITH OTHERS WHO OWN GM CAR/VEHICLES AND THEY HAVE REPORTED SIMILIAR INSTANCES. DOES GM HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR BRAKES?

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 42 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MINOR INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BY BOTH DRIVERS. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND AND WAS DEEMED TOTALED. THE DEALER WAS ALERTED.

CORROSION HAS BUILT UP ON THE ABS SENSORS CAUSING THEM TO ACTIVATE AT LOW SPEEDS. WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE BRAKES DON'T LOCK UP AND AT LOW SPEEDS (LESS THAN 4 MPH) THAT MEANS THE VEHICLE TAKES AN EXTRA FEW FEET TO STOP. ON ONE OCCASION I ALMOST HIT A PERSON AND TWO OTHER TIMES A PARKED CAR IN A PARKING LOT BECAUSE THE CAR DIDN'T STOP. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT SO THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THEREFORE CAN'T FIX IT. THERE IS A GM RECALL (#05068) FOR OTHER LIKE MODELS OF GM CARS BUT NOT MINE. SO MY PROBLEM IS THE DEALER CAN'T FIX IT WITHOUT A RECALL AND GM WON'T ISSUE A RECALL BECAUSE THERE HASN'T BEEN ENOUGH COMPLAINTS. *JB

I OWN A 2003 GMC SAFARI WHICH I PURCHASED IN UTAH. EARLIER THIS YEAR I EXPERIENCE A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS BAKING SYSTEM WHERE THE ABS WOULD ENGAGE AT LOW SPEEDS, INCREASING MY STOPPING DISTANCE GREATLY. I CONTACTED GM AS THIS SEEMED TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE IT IN TO A LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE BRAKES AND NOTED THAT THE SENSOR WAS BAD AND BILLED ME FOR A REPAIR. I SEE NOW THAT GM HAS ISSUE A RECALL, ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT COVER MY STATE OR VEHICLE MODEL, I WAS EXPERIENCING THE EXACT PROBLEM THAT THESE OTHER VEHICLES HAVE WITH THE ABS FAILURE. I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE MORE WIDELY INVESTIGATED AS IT SEEMS TO BE A LARGER PROBLEM THEN THEY WANT TO ADMIT. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY PRODUCTS USED ON ICY STREETS WHICH THE VAN OPERATED ON IN UTAH BEFORE I BOUGHT IT. PS-THE DEALERSHIP DESTROYED THE FAULTY PART EVEN THOUGH I ASKED TO SEE IT - THEY STATED THAT THIS WAS THERE POLICY. *NM

AT IRREGULAR TIMES WHEN DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS (~10 MPH), ON DRY CLEAN PAVEMENT, AND UNDER LIGHT TO MODERATE BRAKING, THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM ENGAGES AND EXTENDS THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF THE VEHICLE. I UNDERSTAND THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR OTHER VEHICLES IN OTHER STATES, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE PROBLEM EXTENDS TO MORE YEAR MODELS AND OVER A WIDER AREA. IN ADDITION, GM HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #02-05-25-006A COVERING MORE VEHICLES THAN WERE IN THE INITIAL RECALL FOR THIS FAILURE. IT SEEMS THAT IF A TSB WAS RELEASED, THEY ARE AWARE THAT THE PROBLEM IS ON MUCH WIDER SCALE THAN THE RECALL INDICATES. *NM

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

DAMPNER FAILED, PURCHASE VAN WITH THIS PROBLEM 3 MONTHS AGO AND STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE DAMPNER PART FROM GMC. *BF THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH ONLY 60 MILES ON IT. DURING THE TEST DRIVE, PRIOR TO PURCHASE, THERE WAS A HARMONIC ROAR NOISE VIBRATION COMING FROM THE REAR. *SC

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 03V328000. RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED AT DEALERSHIP. AFTER RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED CONSUMER NOTICED TIRES WERE WEARING VERY BADLY ON THE OUTSIDE, AND WERE LOSING ALL TREAD. TOOK VEHICLE TO TIRE DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THAT TIRES WERE NOT ROTATED AFTER RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. BRIDGESTONE, P215/70R16. HAD TIRES ALIGNED AND ROTATED AFTER 11,000 MILES. *AK

VALVE BODY WAS REPLACED, THE FAN MOTOR WAS REPLACED, AND ALL OF THESE PARTS WERE DEFECTIVE AGAIN. DEALER STATED THAT VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE MANUFACTURER STATED WARRANTY EXPIRED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH ENGINE IDLED, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. *AK