2006 Chevrolet Express

I was driving approximately 70 mph on the highway when I came up behind a vehicle whose three brake lights were completely inoperative. The vehicle suddenly stopped, but there was no brake light illumination to warn following traffic. The only reason I realized the vehicle was stopping was because I was traveling on a slope and could see the vehicles ahead of it also slowing down. If the roadway had been level, I likely would not have known the vehicle was braking and could have rear-ended it at highway speed. This created a serious safety hazard and put me and other drivers at significant risk of a high-speed collision.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED SEVERELY AND STOPPED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONSTANTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT FOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

I BOUGHT A CHEVROLET VAN EXPRESS WITH A 6.0 V8 ENGINE A YEAR AGO WITH ONLY 37000 MILES. APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE, I BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE ENGINE AND STABILITRAK SYSTEM IN ADDITION TO THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT FAILURE DETAILED BELOW SAME ACROSS THE ENTIRE V8 6.0 ENGINES PRODUCED BY CHEVROLET. THE VAN VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY STRESSING ALL THE OCCUPANTS. WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY MY CHECK ENGINE AND TRACTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY. I WAS ALSO ALERTED THAT "ENGINE POWER WAS REDUCED" AND MY VEHICLE SHUT DOWN TWO TIMES IN A 30 MINUTE SPAN OF TIME. NOW WITH ONLY 41,000 MILES I HAVE PARKED THE VAN UNTIL A RECALL CORRECTS THE DANGEROUS SAFETY PROBLEMS. AGAIN WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY MY AIR BAG SENSOR WENT OFF WITH THE CHECK ENGINE AND TRACTION LIGHT AGAIN ILLUMINATED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE VAN VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY STRESSING ALL THE OCCUPANTS. I WAS ALERTED THAT "ENGINE POWER WAS REDUCED" AND MY VEHICLE STOPPED COLD. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM PRODUCT THEY ARE FRAUGHT WITH ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. THIS IS CAUSING SAFETY ISSUES BEING IN A COMPROMISING POSITION 3 TIMES WITH 9 PEOPLE AND 2 ARE INFANTS IN THE VAN. RESEARCH SHOWS THIS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE. THIS HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE. SOMETHING AS DRAMATIC AS A TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE IN A CAR THAT IS AS POPULAR AS THE V8 6.0 ENGINE IS A FRIGHTENING ISSUE THAT EVERYONE ACROSS THE INDUSTRY IS GOING TO WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT. F THE ENGINE WON'T RESTART . TTHE STEERING WILL FEEL INCREASINGLY HEAVIER, MAKING IT HARDER TO STEER. ALSO THE POWER BOOST FOR THE BRAKES DISAPPEARS AFTER ONE OR TWO APPLICATIONS, MAKING THE VAN HARDER TO STOP. IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES, THE UNDERHOOD BUSSED ELECTRICAL CENTER (UBEC) HOUSING CAN EXPAND AND CAUSE THE HEADLAMP LOW BEAM RELAY CONTROL CIRCUIT WIRE TO BEND. IF THE WIRE IS REPEATEDLY BENT, IT MAY FRACTURE CAUSING A LOSS OF LOW BEAM HEADLAMP ILLUMINATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EXPRESS. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE JERKED AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE IGNITION NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE IGNITION WAS ORIGINALLY REPAIRED AT 54,322 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.

ON APRIL 29, 2011, A PASSENGER AND I WERE INVOLVED IN A VERY SERIOUS NEAR-FATAL MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT. I WAS THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH WAS A 2006 CHEVY EXPRESS CARGO VAN. WE WERE DRIVING FROM MEDFORD, OREGON TO KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON ON HWY 140 EAST. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR MILE MARKER 59 AT APPROXIMATELY 8 A.M. THIS STRETCH OF HIGHWAY RUNS PARALLEL TO KLAMATH LAKE. THE VEHICLE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL WHEN WE DROVE OVER A PATCH OF UNSEEN BLACK ICE. AS THE VEHICLE SPUN OUT OF CONTROL WE WENT ACROSS THE HIGHWAY AND INTO THE LAKE WHERE WE COLLIDED HEAD ON INTO A HUGE BOLDER (NOT A ROCK) THAT WAS PROTRUDING FROM THE WATER. THE IMPACT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL OVER LENGTH WISE AND THEN CAME TO REST UPRIGHT IN THE WATER. THE VAN SANK INTO THE WATER AND STOPPED SINKING WHEN THE WATER LEVEL HAD RISEN TO OUR CHINS. HIGHWAY PATROL AND AN AMBULANCE TEAM WERE DISPATCHED TO THE SCENE AND IT WAS NOTED THAT THE DUAL AIRBAG SYSTEM DID NOT DEPLOY. AS A RESULT I SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES INCLUDING A FRACTURED STERNUM AND A VERY SERIOUS SHOULDER INJURY WHICH REQUIRED RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY AND A LENGTHY RECOVERY PERIOD. MY PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. I BELIEVE, AS WELL AS OTHERS, THAT HAD THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AS THEY SHOULD HAVE, THE INJURIES I RECEIVED WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED OR WOULD HAVE BEEN GREATLY MINIMIZED. *KB

THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVATES FOR NO REASON AND GREATLY EXTENDS THE STOPPING DISTANCE. THIS HAS PUT OUR DRIVERS IN VERY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. WE HAVE SEVERAL GM LIGHT DUTY VANS AND TRUCKS AND THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH ALMOST ALL OF THEM. THE WHEEL SENSOR MECHANISM IS A FAULTY DESIGN AND CAUSES A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR THE DRIVERS. GM SHOULD RECALL AND REPLACE ALL OF THESE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED UNIT THAT WORK SAFELY. *TR

I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH BOTH THE PASSENGER AND DRIVERS SIDE CARGO DOOR HINGES NOT OPERATING PROPERLY AND BINDING. THIS PROBLEM WITH THE HINGES HAS OCCURRED DESPITE OUR EFFORTS TO KEEP THE HINGES LUBRICATED TO TRY TO PREVENT THE DOORS FROM BINDING SO BADLY THAT IT MADE OPENING THE DOORS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE EVEN FOR A STRONG, GROWN MAN. I HAD TO HAVE BOTH OF THESE PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY EITHER THE HANDICAPPED VEHICLE CONVERSION COMPANY OR THORNTON CHEVROLET ON THOSE OCCASIONS WHEN THESE PROBLEMS BECAME SO SEVERE THAT THEY PREVENTED MY UTILIZATION OF THE VEHICLE. THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE OF PROBLEMS WITH THE HINGES TOOK PLACE ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2011. I CONTACTED THE COLLISION REPAIR SHOP AT THORNTON CHEVROLET AND HAD THEM ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE ISSUE BY REPLACING THE HINGE PIN ASSEMBLY ON THE PROBLEM DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE (WHERE MY WHEELCHAIR LIFT IS INSTALLED AND USED TO ALLOW ME TO ENTER AND EXIT THE VEHICLE). HOWEVER, THE TRAINED COLLISION REPAIR SPECIALISTS AT THORNTON CHEVROLET REALIZED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS MORE SERIOUS THAN THIS AND INFORMED ME THAT THE ENTIRE LOWER HINGE ASSEMBLY ON THE REAR PASSENGER CARGO DOOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF A CRACK IN THE METAL OF THE HINGE ASSEMBLY WHERE IT IS WELDED TO THE VEHICLE. AS YOU WILL REALIZE, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM HAD I NOT BEEN OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE ON THE THREE SEPARATE INSTANCES WHEN THE LATCH MECHANISM FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. HAD I BEEN INSIDE THE VEHICLE OR NOT AT MY RESIDENCE (SUCH AS BEING AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT) WHEN THIS OCCURRED, I WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. *KB

PURCHASED ANOTHER FLY WHEEL. *DT THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE REDESIGNED FLYWHEEL AND THERE MUST BE ANOTHER REASON FOR IT WEARING OUT. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER MECHANIC FOR A SECOND OPINION AND WAS TOLD THE ORIGINAL FLYWHEELS WERE MADE STRONGER AND HAD DIFFERENT HOLES IN THEM. THE REDESIGNED FLYWHEEL WAS MUCH THINNER AND LESS EXPENSIVE. *JB