2004 Chevrolet Suburban

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED AFTER EXTREME COLD TEMPERATURES, FUEL GAUGE, TEMPERATURE GAUGE, OIL PRESSURE GAUGE AND BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM GAUGE. GM KNOWS ABOUT THE FAULTY GAUGES AND AS OF THIS DATE HAS NOT MADE A RECALL OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. CONSIDERING ALL LEGAL REMEDIES AFFORDED BY LAW AS THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT CAN BE RECTIFIED BY GM BY REPLACING THE AFOREMENTIONED FAULTY FACTORY EQUIPMENT. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN WITH 93409 MILE, HAS BEEN WELL TAKEN CARE OF. A FEW MONTHS AGO I NOTICE IT WAS HAVING A HARD TIME STARTING. LAST WK WE RAN OUT OF GAS AT 1.4 TANK AND THIS WEEKEND WHILE THE FAMILY WAS ON A TRIP PULLING A TRAILER WE RAN OUT OF GAS AT 1/2 TANK, IF YOU GO BY THE GAS GAGE. WE COULD HAVE BEEN BADLY HURT IF WE WERE ON A HILL, OR SOMETHING WHEN WE ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE NO POWERSTEERING, BRAKES, ETC. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE WAS READING INACCURATELY AND HE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH FUEL WAS IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE NOR WAS THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

FUEL GAUGE IS NOT ACCURATELY REPORTING FUEL LEVEL. WHEN FUEL LEVEL IS TOO LOW, VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN AND WILL NOT RESTART. LOW LEVEL WARNING LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON. VEHICLE HAS TO BE JUMP STARTED IN ORDER TO RESET SECURITY MECHANISM. CAN CAUSE TRAFFIC ISSUES AND/OR COLLISION FROM ABRUPTNESS OF ISSUE AND HAPPENS WITHOUT WARNING WHEREVER YOU ARE. I CAN JUST IMAGINE WHAT A PROBLEM IT WOULD BE IF IT HAPPENED IN AN INTERSECTION OR RUNNING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. SINCE THE VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN, THIS WOULD MEAN POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES WOULD BE NON-FUNCTIONAL INCREASING THE POTENTIAL RISK FOR AN ACCIDENT OR COLLISION. *TR

IN RESEARCHING ONLINE I'VE NOTICED THIS ON MANY DIFFERENT CHEVY 2004 MODELS. THE TACHOMETER, FUEL GAGE, AND SPEEDOMETER ARE WHAT I NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH AND WHAT OTHERS HAVE SEEN PROBLEMS WITH THOUGH THE SPEEDOMETER IS THE MOST PREVALENTLY NOTICED ITEM. THE GAUGE MOTORS ARE NOT STEPPING BACK DOWN WHEN RPMS, SPEED, OR FUEL LEVELS DROP THUS LEADING DRIVERS TO RESPOND IN POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WAYS. IN MY OWN CASE I ALMOST CAUSED A PILE UP WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD LOST MY SENSES AND APPLIED MY BRAKES A LITTLE HARDER THAN I SHOULD HAVE, ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND CERTAINLY AGITATED THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME WHEN THEY ALMOST HIT MY VEHICLE. I DON'T TYPICALLY GET THIS PROBLEM AS I TYPICALLY DRIVE LESS THAN 10 MILES A DAY. WHEN I DO HAVE TO DRIVE MORE THAN 60 MILES I TEND TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED TO BE MORE PREVALENT IN COLD CONDITIONS WHICH FITS WITH THE EXPLANATION I HAVE HAD THAT IT IS THE HOUSING OF THE GEAR MOTORS BREAKING DOWN AND JAMMING THE GAUGE GEARS IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. A PROBLEM WITH THE PLASTIC USED IN THE HOUSING OF THE GEAR MAGNETS; "THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE PLASTIC MATERIAL THAT HOLDS THE PERMANENT MAGNET FOR THE ROTOR OF THE STEPPER MOTOR." NOW THAT I AM AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAVE ASKED AROUND ABOUT FIXES I HAVE TO STOP THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY AND TURN IT OFF. FROM THERE I HAVE TO TURN THE KEY ENOUGH TO BRING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL MOMENTARILY ON AND THEN BACK OFF. IT STEPS THE TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER, AND FUEL GAUGE BACK DOWN, (BIT BY BIT WITH EACH TURN OF THE KEY) WHICHEVER IS HAVING THE PROBLEM. THIS SOLUTION HAS BEEN REPORTED TO STOP WORKING AS THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST ESTIMATE OF OVER $450 FROM A PRIVATE SHOP AND AT OVER $800 FROM THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP. A GPS FOR SPEED AND A LOG BOOK W/ CALCULATOR CAN GET TWO OF THE THREE SOLVED FOR ME AT A PRICE OF LESS THAN $200; IT'S JUST NOT SAFE TO BE WRITING LOG BOOK ENTRIES WHILE I'M DRIVING. *TR

6-2006, 98 DEGREES, CENTENNIAL, COLORADO 2004 CHEVY 8.1 LITER SUBURBAN, DRIVING 55-60 MPH FOR APPROX. 1 HOUR(NO TRAILER) VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOSS POWER, I HAD TO PULL OVER AND HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO CHEVY DEALER. (DEALER STATED CODES INDICATED MISFIRING) FURTHER TESTING, SERVICE WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE ISSUE AND LOCATE A BULLETIN OUTLINING THE PROBLEM. PER DEALER, FAULTY FUEL PUMP, GM ADVISED TO SWITCH FUEL PUMP TO A HIGH ALTITUDE PUMP, TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. WHICH WAS DONE, AND IT FIXED THE ISSUE. AS THE 8.1 LITER SUBURBAN IS A VEH. PRIMARILY USED FOR TOWING, THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL OR CAMPAIGN TO WARN PEOPLE. THIS SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND CONTROL COULD BE CATASTROPHIC IN NATURE. *NM

FUEL PUMP SEIZES WHEN IN HOT CLIMATES OR WHEN TOWING A TRAILER. GM REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP LAST YEAR AND IT APPEARED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. BUT, THE PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN WHILE PULLING A TRAILER UP AND DOWN A STEEP MOUNTAIN PASS RESULTING IN A LOSS OF BRAKES AND STEERING WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED. THIS OCCURS WHEN THE FUEL TANK IS AT 1/4 FULL OR LESS. THE TRAILERING FUEL ADVANCE DELIVERS FUEL TO THE ENGINE AND IF NOT NEEDED THEN IT IS RETURNED TO THE TANK AND RECIRCULATION. THE FUEL IS WARM WHEN RETURNED TO THE TANK. THE LONGER THE ENGINE RUNS THE HOTTER THE FUEL BECOMES AND WHEN THE FUEL IN THE TANK BECOMES HOT ENOUGH THE FUEL PUMP, WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE FUEL TANK THEN SEIZES AND THE ENGINE STALLS. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD, PARTICULARLY WHEN TRAILERING IN THE MOUNTAINS AND THE LOSS OF BRAKES AND STEERING OCCURS. THE ONLY SOLUTION WHEN THIS OCCURS IS TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IF POSSIBLE, RAISE THE HOOD AND LET THE VEHICLE COOL FOR 15-20 MINUTES AND THEN START AGAIN. OR, FIND THE NEAREST GAS STATION AND FILL THE TANK WITH COOL GASOLINE SO THE FUEL PUMP NO LONGER SEIZES. IN THE CASE OF BREAKING DOWN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THIS IS ANOTHER MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THIS PROBLEM OCCURS BOTH GOING UP OR DOWN HILLS AND THERE IS A LOSS OF STEERING AND BRAKES. THIS MEANS THE VEHICLE IS OFTEN IN TRAFFIC AND MAY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.*JB

HAD STARTING PROBLEMS WITH MY SUV. TOWED TO DEALER, WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT THE FUEL PUMP WENT BAD DUE TO A CLOGGED FUEL FILTER. CALLED TO COMPLAIN TO GM THAT THE REQUIREMENT TO REPLACE THE FUEL FILTER WAS NOT LISTED ON THEIR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE CHART IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL, I WAS THEN TOLD THAT THE PUMP SHORTED OUT WHICH CAUSED THE FAILURE. THIS IS AN INTERNAL FUEL PUMP MOUNTED WITHIN THE TANK ITSELF. *JB

JULY 19TH IN DENVER COLORADO 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN STALLED ON SANTA FE BLVD. IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. WAITED 30 MINUTES AND THEN STARTED TRUCK AND WENT ABOUT 2 MILES AND STALLED AGAIN CALLED LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND HAD TRUCK TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP REPLACED FUEL PUMP UNDER WARRANTY. DROVE TRUCK 1.5 HOURS AND SAME ISSUE OF TRUCK STALLING. TOOK BACK TO DEALERSHIP AND MECHANIC ON DUTY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH THE 2004 CHEVY SUBURBAN AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE UNTIL THE AIR TEMPERATURE WENT DOWN. TEMPERATURE WAS AROUND 100 DEGREES. PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY HIGH TEMPERATURE AND ALTITUDE. PROBLEM IS VAPOR LOCK. ON THE 22 OF JULY DEALERSHIP WAS TOLD TO REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP AGAIN BY LOCAL CHEVY AREA VEHICLE MANAGER (AVM). DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AGAIN AND I DROVE IT FOR 1.5 HOURS AND IT STALLED AGAIN IN TRAFFIC. TOOK SUBURBAN BACK TO DEALERSHIP NEXT MORNING. DEALERSHIP ASSURED ME THAT 700 NEW FUEL PUMPS ARE AVAILABLE TO FIX PROBLEM AND ONE WOULD BE INSTALLED ON MY TRUCK ON JULY 26TH. ON JULY 26TH FOUND OUT THAT FUEL PUMP SENT BY CHEVORLET CORPORATE WOULD NOT FIT THE SUBURBAN AND THAT I HAD TO TAKE MY CHANCES AND DRIVE IT BACK TO MINNESOTA. TEMPERATURE WAS COOLER AND CHEVY FELT IT WAS WORTH THE RISK FOR ME TO DRIVE IT BACK TO MINNESOTA AND LET THEM KNOW IF I HAD A PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP ALSO ADMITTED THAT THE FUEL PUMP IN THE SUBURBAN WAS ALREADY THE "NEW " HEIGHT ALTITUDE VERSION OF THE FUEL PUMP AND THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAD MULTIPLE VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND CHEVY DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. DEALERSHIP SAYS ISSUE IS WITH 2004 SUBURBANS AND SILVERADOS. KNOWN ISSUE AT CHEVY AND THEY ARE DOING NOTHING TO FIX IT. SUBURBAN WILL STILL NOT WORK AT HIGH ALTITUDES (DENVER) AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 90S. SUBURBAN WAS NOT FIXED. LUCKILY WEATHER COOLED DOWN. CALL CHEVY 800-222-1020 REFER TO TICKET 1-350803636 ASK FOR ARCH SUMMERS HE IS THE CHEVY REPRESENTATIVE I AM WAITING FOR CALL BACK FROM. *NM