1997 GMC Jimmy

UPPER BALL JOINT SEPARATED AND THE WHEEL WAS CUT THROUGH CAUSING THE TIRE TO GO FLAT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND THE FRONT END HAD BEEN CHECKED A FEW MONTHS EARLIER BY A COMPETENT MECHANIC WHEN NEW SHOCKS WERE INSTALLED. TWO WEEKS LATER A FRIEND ALERTED ME TO "GM PRODUCT SAFETY CAMPAIGN" # 01048. THIS WAS AN ALERT TO UPPER BALL JOINTS SEPARATING WITHOUT WARNING ON SOME '96-'97 JIMMYS, BRAVADAS AND BLAZERS. I INQUIRED AT MY DEALER TO SEE IF MY VEHICLE QUALIFIED AND WAS TOLD "NO, THERE ARE NO OPEN RECALLS ON YOUR VIN.". I CALLED THE GMC CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-GMC-8782 AND SPOKE WITH "LISA" WHO ASSIGNED ME REFERENCE NUMBER 056 42 894. GM CONFIRMED THEY "CAN DO NOTHING FOR ME, AS THERE ARE NO OPEN RECALLS ON YOUR TRUCK." "IT WAS BUILT AT A DIFFERENT PLANT AND A DIFFERENT SUPPLIER PROVIDED THE BALL JOINTS THAN THE ONES IN THE RECALL." SOUNDS LIKE A LOAD OF CRAP TO ME. IF I SOUND OVERLY ANGERED BY A BALL JOINT FAILURE IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT GRIEF WITH THIS VEHICLE AND AM TIRED OF BEING A VICTIM. THE TRANSMISSION WAS PULLED UNDER WARRANTY AT 28000 MILES, YET I HAD TO HAVE IT PULLED AGAIN AT MY EXPENSE ($1474) AT 52500MILES. TWO OF THE FOUR O2 SENSORS HAVE FAILED, THE RADIATOR WAS FULL OF THE INFAMOUS "MISSISIPPI MUD" DEX-COOL SLUDGE, THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH, THE SERPENTINE TENSIONER FELL APART AT 37K MILES AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AGAIN AT 58K, THE WIPERS FREQUENTLY WON'T TURN ON UNLESS YOU HIT THE MIST LEVER AS YOU HIT A BUMP (COMMON ACCORDING TO THE EDMUNDS.COM SITE), AND LAST WEEK MY ABS WENT OUT FROM WHAT THE TROUBLE CODE DIAGNOSED AS A BAD LEFT FRONT SPEED SENSOR. I'LL HAVE TO DRIVE IT WITH THE SENSOR UNPLUGGED FOR NOW BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY PUT OVER $2000 IN REPAIRS INTO THIS THING DURING CALENDAR YEAR 2001 ALONE, AND I'M TAPPED OUT. SAME WITH THE WIPER CONDITION.

THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE...UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS A SPUR OF THE MOMENT PURCHASE. ALTHOUGH USED, WITH ONLY 39,000 MILES, I THOUGHT I WOULD BE OK SINCE IT HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY TILL 72,000. I HAVE REPLACED BOTH UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS, IDLER ARM, ALTERNATOR, BELT TENSIONER, IGNITION SWITCH, 4WD SENSORS, GAS GAUGE SENSOR, LEFT REAR AXLE SHAFT AND BOTH REAR AXLE BEARINGS. AT LEAST THESE WERE ALL COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY, BUT NOT THE RENTAL CARS FOR ALL THE TIME THE TRUCK SPENT IN THE SHOP. NOW THE VEHICLE HAS 90,000 MILES AND THE DEALERSHIP IS TELLING ME THAT THE RECALL FOR THE BALL JOINTS DOES NOT PERTAIN TO MY TRUCK (THE VIN # IS NOT INCLUDED), THE TRANSMISSION DIPSTICK IS RUSTED (I'VE SEEN SEVERAL COMPLAINTS BUT NO RECALL), MY ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS SEVERELY (ALSO NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS), AND I'VE ALREADY REPLACED (OUT OF POCKET COST OF $1700) A COMPLETE REAR END. I OWE MORE THAN THIS VEHICLE IS WORTH...BUT WILL NEED TO GET RID OF IT SOON BECAUSE I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY SON AROUND IN IT. MANY OF THESE PROBLEMS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT...

TRANSMISSION HAS A HISTORY OF "SHIFTING HARD" BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND, ESPECIALLY WHEN WARM. DURING A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE, MECHANIC NOTICED A "RUSTED TRANS DIP STICK". THOUGH PROTESTED BY GM AS A DEFECT, EXTENDED WARENTY COVERED. I HAD TO GO ELSEWHERE FOR TRANS FLUSH, DEALER DID NOT HAVE EQUIPMENT. PROBLEM PERSISTS THROUGH 2000. TRASMISSION OVERHEATED ON HWY CAUSING OVERFLOW AND SLIPAGE. DEALER FOUND "RUST IN RADIATOR" AND "DEBRISE IN TRANS". HAD TO REPLACE RADIATOR/FLUSH ENGINE AND TRANS. AT MY EXPENSE 1/2001. NOW, WITH WARMER WEATHER, TRANS. OIL IS "VARNISHED" AND SHIFT HARD BETWEEN 1 & 2ND AGAIN JUST 5000 MILES LATER. ENGINE LITE ON. FOUND MULTIBLE SIMULAR COMPLAINTS AT HTTP://WWW.THECOMPLAINTSTATION.COM/G/GM_TOC.HTM. GM IS NOT RECOGNIZING WHAT APPEARS TO BE AN EXPENSIVE, CHRONIC PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION AND ASSOCIATED COOLING COMPONENTS. I AM NOT PREPARED TO SPEND ANOTHER $1-$2K ON A $30K THAT HAS BEEN WELL CARED FOR WHEN GM KNOWS ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS. I CALLED GM CUSTOMER RELATIONS AND SENT LETTERS TO GM DIRECTORS AND GOT NO INTELLECT OR SYMPATHY ASSIGNED TO MY CASE. PLEASE READ THE WEB SITE, THERE ARE MANY CASES OF 1995-1997 JIMMY/S10/BLAZERS WITH THE EXACT SYMPTOMS.*AK

VEHICLE DESCRIBED IN THIS COMPLAINT APPEARS TO HAVE A FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF TRANSMISSION. IN ADDITION TO WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT, I ALSO HAD A PROBLEM AT 28,000 MILES WHERE THEY "REPAIRED" THE TRANSMISSION WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. IN BOTH CASES THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO IN REVERSE, THE 4X4 WOULD NOT WORK, AND CERTAIN GEARS FAILED. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO NOTE THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM. I WOULD SUPPORT THIS NOTION BY THE COUNTLESS TRANMISSION COMPLAINTS (FOR THE EXACT SAME YEAR AND MAKE OR OTHER VEHICLES THAT MOST LIKELY USE THE SAME TRANSMISSION IE THE BLAZER) NOTED ON THE TOD COMPLAINT WEB SITE FOR GENERAL MOTORS, WHICH IS WHERE I FOUND A LINK TO THIS SITE.*AK