1995 GMC Jimmy

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION: WE HAD A 1995 GMC JIMMY THAT TWICE HAD A "STUCK" ACCELERATOR, SPEEDING UP WAY BEYOND THE SPEED LIMIT; ONCE IN GILLETTE, WY RETURNING FROM A TRIP EAST, AND LATER THAT SUMMER AT HOME NEAR LA GRANDE, OREGON. I HAD TO LITERALLY "STAND" ON THE BRAKE TO BRING IT TO A STOP BOTH TIMES, THEN AT MY HUSBAND'S DIRECTION, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. WE WERE FORTUNATE BOTH TIMES THAT IT DIDN'T CAUSE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO STRAIGHT ROADS AND LITTLE TRAFFIC, JUST SCARING US BOTH TO DEATH. WE REPORTED IT TO POLICE THE 2ND TIME. GMC DEALERS IN EITHER LOCATION SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR, WHICH WE TRADED IN 2004. *YT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 GMC JIMMY. THE CONTACT WAS EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE ABS ON HER VEHICLE AND THE BRAKES FAILED. THE BRAKE FLUID WAS NEARLY OBSOLETE. SHE PLACED MORE FLUID IN THE VEHICLE AND IT APPEARED TO QUICKLY EVAPORATE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS WITH THE ABS. THE CONTACT ADVISED HER TO CALL THE DEALER. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER AND THEY EXPLAINED THE ISSUE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBERS 99I006000 AND 99V193000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK). ANOTHER DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THAT VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 129,700.

BOTH OUTSIDE MIRRORS HAVE FALLEN OFF BEFORE 90K MILES. THIS WAS DUE TO THE PLASTIC DETERIORATING AT THE JUNCTION WHERE THE MIRROR "FOLDS AWAY." REPLACED EGR VALVE SEVERAL TIMES. THE FIRST THREE WERE UNDER WARRANTY, THE REST HAVE BEEN ON ME. IN ADDITION, MOST MAJOR FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED, OR REPAIRED. THE IDLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ROUGH, AND IT WILL ON OCCASION, SMOKE AND OMIT STRONG ODORS OF UNBURNED FUEL. WIPERS FAILED AT 20K MILES. I RESOLDERED THE CIRCUIT BOARD TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. DRIVERS SEAT WILL NOT STAY IN A LOCKED POSITION, WHICH CAUSES ME SOME CONCERN. BY THE WAY, THE FIRST WEEK I HAD THE CAR (BOUGHT IT NEW), THE SEAT WOULD NOT STAY LOCKED. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND WAS PROMPTLY TOLD THAT "IT IS A NORMAL CONDITION." HMMM, AS A DESIGN ENGINEER I HAVE TO WONDER ABOUT THE LOGIC BEHIND THIS; AS ANY FORWARD OR REARWARD IMPACT WOULD ALLOW THE SEAT TO FLEX WHICH COULD MAKE A MINOR NON-INJURY ACCIDENT SOMETHING FAR WORSE. THE WATER PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES, ALTERNATOR TWICE, BATTERY FIVE. ALL PARTS WERE REPLACED WITH ORIGINAL PARTS THROUGH GM. I HAVE HAD ALL BRAKE COMPONENTS REPLACED THREE TIMES, AND STILL THERE IS A PAINFUL CHATTER OF THE PEDAL UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE ABS PARAMETERS. WIND NOISE IS QUITE LOUD, AS THE FIT OF THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR IS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, TERRIBLE. THE PLASTIC WHICH COVERS THE A/C WITHIN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT HAS DETERIORATED TO THE POINT WHERE IT HAS BROKEN AND FALLEN AWAY, PIECE BY PIECE, SOMETIMES LODGING ITSELF ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, CAUSING SOME RATHER UNPLEASANT ODORS. OH, AND SINCE THERE IS NO LONGER ANY COVERING OVER THE A/C, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT THE COLDNESS, WHICH WAS THE SAVING GRACE OF THIS VEHICLE, HAS BEEN REDUCED TO THAT OF A GLORIFIED FAN. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCES WHEN THE ABS WAS ACTIVATED ON ROUGH ROAD CONDITIONS. THE BRAKES GRINDED WHEN THEY WERE APPLIED ON ROUGH ROADS BUT WORKED FINE ON SMOOTH PAVEMENTS. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 99I006000, REGARDING THE SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC: ANTILOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

WHEN ORIGINALLY PURCHASED, THE CAR WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION R/T BRAKES AND EMISSIONS. THE DEALERSHIP GOT THE VEHICLE TO PASS INSPECTION, BUT I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN ON 2-3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS FOR PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES FAILING TO STOP THE CAR PROPERLY ALONG WITH THE VEHICLE SPEEDING UP. THEY REPLACED A PART THAT CAUSED THE SPEEDING UP, BUT CLAIMED THE BRAKES WERE OK. AFTER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT BACK 3 MORE TIMES FOR THE INTERMITTENT BRAKE FAILLURE/SLOW RESPONSE, NEARLY CAUSING SEVERAL MAJOR ACCIDENTS, ALONG WITH AN UNGODLY NOISE WHEN THE ABS SYSTEM FAILED AND LOCKED UP. ABS LIGHT WENT ON AND A PUMP WAS REPLACED, BUT THEN THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM OF BRAKE FAILURE AND SPEEDING UP OCCURRED CAUSING ACCIDENT. PERSONAL INJURIES OCCURRED. THIS VEHICLE HAS NEARLY KILLED ME ON 4 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND NEARLY SERIOUSLY HURT MY DAUGHTER ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. IT WAS CLEARLY EQUIPMENT FAILURE.*AK

BRAKES ON MY 1995 GMC JIMMY FAIL PERIODICALLY. THE LAST TIME I REAR ENDED A WOMEN AND DESTROYED THE FRONT OF MY CAR. EVERYTHING HAS BEEN CHECKED OVER TWICE BY MECHANICS WHO HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION IT IS THE MODULE IN THE ABS. GM HAS SAID IT IS NOT THEIR PROBLEM. IF I AM DRIVING ALONG AT 25 MILES AN HOUR, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WONDER IF AND WHEN MY BRAKES WILL FAIL AGAIN. THE BRAKES WERE PUT TO THE FLOOR AND NOTHING HAPPENED, I CONTINUED AT THE SAME RATE OF SPEED. THE FIRST TIME I ALMOST GOT BROAD SIDED AT A STOP SIGN. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR AND GM WON'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FAILING COMPONENT. *NM

10 DAYS AGO MY 1995 GMC JIMMY DID NOT STOP, IT SKIDDED. I HAVE, ON MANY OCCASIONS, CALLED GMC REGARDING THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM, IT DID NOT WORK ALL THE TIME AND WHEN IT DIDN'T IT WOULD MAKE A GRINDING NOISE AND TAKE A LONGER TIME TO STOP. GMC HAD ASSURED ME AND MY HUSBAND THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE SYSTEM. ON JULY 15 WE WERE TRAVELING ON A LOCAL ROAD AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF US STOPPED SHORT. WE WERE GOING 20-25 MPH AND HIT THE BRAKES, BUT THE BRAKES AGAIN FAILED, ALTHOUGH WE HAD SUFFICIENT TIME TO STOP, WE SKIDDED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF US AND THERE WAS PROPERTY DAMAGE AND I HURT MY NECK AND BACK. ON THE DAY AFTER THE ACCIDENT WE CALLED GMC AGAIN REGARDING THE FAILURE OF THE BRAKES AND WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL, AND THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. TODAY, JULY 26, WE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE RECALL FROM A FRIEND WHO OWNS A AUTO REPAIR STATION. GMC WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE CONTACTED PEOPLE IN 1999. WE WERE NEVER CONTACTED. Y HUSBAND WAS A PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVER FOR 30 YEARS AND HAS NOT HAD AN ACCIDENT UNTIL NOW. OUR INSURANCE RATES WILL GO UP AND THIS IS THE FAULT OF GMC.*AK