2001 Chevrolet Astro

I AM A LICENSED CAR DEALER. I AM VERY CONCERNED AT WHAT I AM SEEING WITH MY CUSTOMERS, WITH CARS I SEE AT THE AUCTIONS, AND WITH BLOG SITES ON THE INTERNET CONCERNING CHEVY'S EBCM COMPUTER MODULE. AT THE AUCTIONS I AM SEEING AT LEAST 25% OF CHEVROLETS AND ABOUT 10% OF FORDS COMING THROUGH WITH BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS ON. MY MAIN CONCERN IS WITH THE CHEVY'S EBCM. THESE VERY EXPENSIVE UNITS FAIL AT THE RELAY POINT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS DUE TO BAD SOLDER JOINTS FROM THE FACTORY. WHEN THEY FAIL, THE DRIVER GETS A BRAKE LIGHT AND AN ABS INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE DASH. THE BRAKES STILL WORK ON THE CAR, BUT THEY DON'T WORK AS DESIGNED. IN FACT THE DRIVER GETS A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY BECAUSE HIS CAR IS STOPPING, BUT IN A SLIPPERY SITUATION IT WILL NOT STOP AS DESIGNED. WHEN I WENT TO THE INTERNET FOR IDEAS TO FIX THE PROBLEM, I AM FINDING A LOT OF POSTINGS SAYING JUST TAKE THE BULB OUT OF THE DASH! I AM ALSO SEEING ADS ON E BAY WHERE YOU CAN SEND YOUR EBCM TO A REPAIR STATION, THEY TAKE IT APART, AND RE SOLDER THE JOINTS FOR $49. I CALLED THE CHEVY DEALER AND THEY WANT OVER $1000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM! I HAVE HEARD OF PEOPLE SELLING THEIR VEHICLE AS IS AND TELLING THE BUYER THAT IT'S OK. THE BRAKES WORK. I CAN'T GET THE LIGHT TO SHUT OFF! THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND IT WILL BECOME MORE DANGEROUS AS MORE AND MORE CARS ARE DRIVING WITH INOPERATIVE EBCM COMPUTERS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEFECT COMES FROM HAVING THE COMPUTER DIRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE FRAMES NEAR THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY ARE TAKING ALL THE SHOCK AND VIBRATION IN THAT AREA. I AM ASKING THE GOVERNMENT TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL NOTICE FOR DEFECTIVE EBCM COMPUTERS. I ALSO FEEL THIS PROBLEM IS FAR WORSE THAN THE DODGE CLOCK SPRING RECALL, AND THAT EFFECTED ALL DODGE VEHICLES. THIS BRAKING PROBLEM WE ARE SEEING IS BAD ENOUGH THAT IT MAY CAUSE A LARGE LOSS OF LIFE. *TR

AFTER APPROX. ONE WEEK OF OPER. OF MY 2001 CHEVY ASTRO A FIRE OCCURRED THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE VEHICLE AND CONTENTS IF I HAD NOT BEEN CLOSE BY. AFTER DRIVING MY VEHICLE FOR APPROX. 20 MILES AND PARKING IT MY VAN CAUGHT FIRE AFTER BEING SHUT OFF FOR 15 MINUTES. THE VEHICLES POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLES WERE RUN FROM THE BATTERY TO THE ENGINE DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE STEERING LINKAGE WHERE IT PASSES THE ENGINE SUPPORT STRUCTURE. IF THE VEHICLE IS JACKED UP TO THE POINT WHERE THE TIRE IS STILL TOUCHING THE GROUND AND THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED HALF WAY TO THE LEFT THE PASSENGER SIDE INNER TIE ROD END IS RUBBING INTO THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLES WHICH ARE IN A COMMON HARNESS.IF THE SUSPENSION IS MOVING UP AND DOWN ON A BUMPY ROAD WHILE THE WHEEL IS TURNED TO THE LEFT DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN THE STEERING LINKAGE AND THE BATTERY CABLES WILL CAUSE REPEATED DAMAGE OVER TIME RESULTING IN AN EVENTUAL FIRE.IF THIS FIRE OCCURRED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED LAST NIGHT WHILE MY VAN WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE THE 7 PEOPLE INCLUDING TWO SMALL CHILDREN LIVING HERE COULD HAVE DIED FROM FIRE CAUSED BY VERY POOR ENGINEERING. IF YOU CAN JACK UP A VEHICLE AND CAUSE A MOVABLE PART OF THE VEHICLES SUSPENSION OR STEERING TO COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE THE VEHICLES ENGINEERS WERE NEGLIGENT. ALSO HAVING BOTH BATTERY CABLES IN THE SAME HARNESS IS NOT A VERY GOOD IDEA EITHER MY VEHICLE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT OR HAD ANY MAJOR REPAIR WORK DONE. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD A REPORTED DEATH FROM THIS ISSUE YET IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. MY FIRST VEHICLE WAS A GM AND I SUSPECT MY LAST WILL BE, BUT GM HAS TO ANSWER FOR THIS ACT OF STUPIDITY. I HAVE PICTURES I CAN EMAIL THAT SHOW JUST HOW OBVIOUS THIS FLAW IS. *TR

I OWN A 2001 CHEVY ASTRO VAN. TODAY I HAD TO PAY ANOTHER $300 TO HAVE THE WINDOW MOTOR FIXED. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME ON THIS VEHICLE! WE HAVE FRIENDS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT CAN'T AFFORD TO FIX IT. THERE SEEMS TO BE A TREND WITH ASTRO VANS AND WINDOW MOTORS. ALTHOUGH MOSTLY A CONVENIENCE ISSUE, I SUPPOSE ONE COULD MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT NOT BEING ABLE TO ROLL A WINDOW UP AND DOWN MIGHT BE A SAFETY ISSUE. (BY THE WAY, THE WINDOW GOES DOWN, BUT NOT UP!). *NM

WHILE TRAVELING, AND APPLYING BRAKES CONSUMER'S VEHICLE CAME VERY CLOSE TO HAVE THE VEHICLE BEHIND HIT IT FROM THE REAR. THERE WERE NO BRAKE LIGHTS. CONSUMER CALLED THE DEALER, AND THEY WERE NOT VERY CONCERNED. TOOK VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER WHO REPLACED THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT CONTROLLED THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND PANEL LIGHTS. ALSO, CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. *AK