1997 Chevrolet Astro

DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WINDOW WILL NOT STAY OPEN, CLIPS THAT SHOULD HOLD IT UP ARE BLOCKED BY MATERIAL, WINDOW SLAMS SHUT WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP. TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 45000 MILES. *AK OIL LEAK, DEALER ORDERED AXLE OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL AND CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP REPLACED DUE TO VEHICLE CUTTING AND WOULD CRANK, BUT WOULD NOT STAR. OIL PRESSURE GAUGE ERRATIC, DEALER REPLACED OIL PRESSURE SENDER. FRONT BRAKES AND PADS WERE REPLACED, ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS PLAY IN THE STEERING, DEALER REPLACED BOTH IDLER ARMS AND RESET TOE IN. POWER DOOR LOCKS INOPERABLE, DEALER REPLACED POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCH. POWER WINDOW INOPERABLE, DEALER REPLACED POWER WINDOW SWITCH. SHIFTER WAS HARD TO MOVE, DEALER REPLACED SHIFT CABLE. GAS PEDAL BINDS AT TIMES, DEALER ORDERED THROTTLE CABLE AND REPLACED ACCELERATOR CABLE. DRIVER SETA SEEMS LOOSE WHEN BRAKING, DEALER ORDERED DRIVER SEAT TRACK ASSEMBLY AND REPLACED DRIVER SEAT ADJUSTER. PCM FUSE KEPT BLOWING OUT, DEALER REMOVED ENGINE COVER AND TRACED WIRE HARNESS, REPAIRED SHORTED HARNESS AT THE REAR OF THE TRANSMISSION. *SLC

WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK JUST DROPPED MY 2 SMALL CHILDREN OFFF NOT EVEN 5 MIN AGO - WAS DRIVING DOWN RT 97 TOWARDS ANNAPOLIS GOING ABOUT 60 - 65 MPH WHEN TRAFFIC STARTED TO GET A LITTLE HEAVY I NEEDED TO APPLY MY BRAKE AND IT DIDNT WORK I THEN NOTICED THE VAN WAS SPEEDING UP ALL BY ITSELF I CHECKED THE CRUISE CONTROLL AND IT WASNT ON THE VAN KEPT SPEEDING UP I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC - I TURNED MY FLASHERS ON AND DID EVERYTHING I COULD I FINALLY MANAGED TO GET THIS VAN TO THE SHOULDER I HAD MY FOOT PRESSING DOWN AS HARD AS I COULD ( AT THIS POINT MY BODY WAS LIFTED FROM THE SEAT I WAS PRESSING THE BREAK SO HARD I WAS STILL GOING 45-50 MPH ) LUCKILLY AFTER 10 ? MIN OF THIS AND MANY NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES I FINALLY GOT SLOWED DOWN ENOUGH TO THROW IT INTO PARK THE ENGINE WAS SO LOUD I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO TAKE OFF OUT OF PARK I IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE KEY OFF - I WAS LUCKY MY KIDS WERENT THERE AND I WASNT DRIVING IN A RESIDENTILAL AREA I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR EVN WORSE SEVERAL OTHERS SOMEONE NEEDS TO CHECK TIS OUT IMMEDIATLET Y THE DEALERSHIP HAS FIXED THIS A T A COST OF 950.00 AND I HAVER REPORTED IT TO CHEVY - HOWEVER SOMEONE NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE THIS PART JUST BROKE??? NO WARNING NO NOTHING JUST ALL THE SUDDEN DECIDED IT WANTED TO KILL ME. *AK

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH AND THEN THE POWER BRAKES DID NOT WORK. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER REPORTED POWER STEERING PUMP WENT AND OFFERED 50% ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. DEALER ALSO ADVISED THAT THE ALIGNMENT WAS SEVERELY OUT AND WOULD ALSO NEED TO REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES. WHEN DEALER WENT TO DO ALIGNMENT, HE NOW INFORMS US THAT THE STEERING COMPONENTS ARE BAD: PITMAN ARM, 2 INNER TIE RODS, AND 2 IDLER ARMS. DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENANCE, I.E. GREASING. THIS IS THE SECOND ALIGNMENT WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE DONE ON THIS VAN (4/98 FIRST ALIGNMENT AND REPLACED FOUR TIRES AT THAT TIME ALSO. HAD THE VAN FOR 11 MONTHS??) WE FEEL THAT STEERING COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM THE BEGINNING THUS REQUIRING TWO ALIGNMENTS AND TWO NEW SETS OF TIRES IN 40 MONTHS. I CALLED GM CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-222-1020 AND THEY REPORT NO RECURRING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP. I WILL CALL ABOUT STEERING COMPONENTS. *AK

I AM WRITING THIS LETTER BECAUSE CHEVROLET AND GENERAL MOTORS ARE PRODUCING VEHICLES THAT HAVE MECHANICAL DEFECTS THAT ARE LIFE THREATENING AND ARE COVERING UP THE PROBLEM. THE BASIC PROBLEM IS WITH THE BRAKES OF THE CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN. SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VAN I NOTICED THE VAN BEGAN PULLING OR STEERING OFF TO THE LEFT UPON BRAKING. IT WAS VERY SLIGHT AT FIRST BUT AS TIME WENT ON THE PROBLEM BECAME MORE ACUTE. I TOOK THE VAN INTO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE BECAUSE OF THE PULLING WHEN BREAKING PROBLEM. (LITTLE DID I KNOW THEN THAT THIS WOULD BE A LONG SUCCESSION OF VISITS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM.) WHEN I EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM WITH THE VAN PULLING WHEN BREAKING, ONE OF THE WRITERS BEHIND THE DESK STATED THAT THOSE VANS HAVE A HISTORY OF PULLING AND THERE WERE A LOT OF THINGS THEY COULD DO TO ELEVATE THE PROBLEM. SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD THE VAN IN AT LEAST 7 TIMES (CONFIRMED DEALER RECEIPTS) FOR THE PULLING PROBLEM. THE REASON I AM NOT COMPLETELY SURE IS BECAUSE THE DEALER DID NOT ALWAYS INCLUDE THE PULLING PROBLEM AS ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THEY WORKED ON. THE DEALER KEPT REASSURING ME THAT THERE WERE ADDITIONAL TECH NOTICES THEY COULD EMPLOY TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE LAST TIME I TOOK THE VAN IN FOR THE PROBLEM THEY TOLD ME THE DID ALL THEY COULD DO. I THEN CALLED THE GM CUSTOMER SUPPORT LINE TO REPORT THE PROBLEM. THE PERSON IN TURN THEN CALLED THE DEALER TO VERIFY THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER DID VERIFY THE PROBLEM BUT THEN TOLD THE PERSON ON THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT LINE THAT IT WAS THE CUSTOMERS BAD DRIVING HABITS THAT WERE CAUSING THE PROBLEM. NOW I AM 54 YEARS OLD AND HAVE BEEN DRIVING SINCE I WAS 16 AND NEVER ENCOUNTERED THIS TYPE OF A PROBLEM. THE LAST VAN I HAD JUST BEFORE FOR THIS ONE WAS A FORD AEROSTAR WHICH IS A VERY SIMILAR TYPE VAN AND I NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF A PROBLEM. THE GM CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE THEN TOLD ME THAT AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED IT WAS MY FAULT THAT THE VAN WAS PULLING WHEN I WAS BREAKING. THEY ALSO STATED THAT

UPON MA STATE INSPECTION THE 2 FRONT IDLER ARMS WERE FOUND TO BE COMPLETELY GONE "TYPICAL OF BLAZERS AND ASTROS" THEY SAID. INDEPENDANT GARAGE FOUND THAT THE ARMS WERE EXTREMELY WORN FOR THIS MILAGE. ALSO THE FRONT DISK ROTORS ARE WORN PAST THE POINT OF SAFTY, AND A DETERATION OF THE COOLING AND SUPPORT FINS IS NOTED, THIS SEEMS ODD AS THE ROTOR PADS SHOW TYPICAL AND EVEN WEAR FOR THE MILAGE. THE ROTORS ARE EVENLY WORN, BUT EXCESSIVLY DEEP CUT. AT 15000 MILES THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AT A STOP SIGN, OK ON SECOND PUMP, NEVER OCCURED AGAIN. I HAVE HEARD OF THIS AND I AM ALWAYS CAUTIOUS. BREAKS SOMETIMES ACT ODDLY BUT WORK OK. I STILL FEEL GREAT ABOUT CHEV VANS THOUGH MY ARM REST FELL OFF ?