1997 GMC Jimmy

VEHICLE HAD NO DEFECTIVE BALL JOINTS UNTIL AFTER VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP.*AK CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE UPPER/LOWER BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL AS THE IDLER ARM TO PASS INSPECTION, CONSUMER COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 39,532 WOULD NEED SUCH PARTS, CONSUMER WAS LATER INFORMED THAT GMC WOULD REPLACE THE PARTS AT NO CHARGE DUE TO THEIR GOODWILL PROGRAM, HOWEVER CONSUMER STILL HAD TO PAY FOR THE LABOR CHARGE, CONSUMER WAS THEN INFORMED BY A FRIEND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR UPPER BALL JOINTS, BUT WHEN CONSUMER CONTACTED GMC SHE WAS TOLD THAT HER VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.*JB

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.

WHILE DRIVING THE LOWER BALL JOINT SEPARATED WITHOUT WARNING, VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SEVICE STATION AND CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT BOTH BALL JOINTS WERE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, HOWEVER ON SEPTEMBER 5,2001 CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR THE FAILURE HE EXPERIENCED, CONSUMER WAS THEN INFORMED THAT HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE REIMBURSEMENT BECAUSE THE SERVICE STATION CONFIRMED THAT THEY DID NOT USE GM PARTS.*JB

ENGINE SHUTS OFF WHEN LEAVING SIGNAL LIGHT, TURNING OR CHANGING DIRECTION OF TRAVEL. ALSO HAS OCCURRED WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. CANNOT MAKE IT HAPPEN, IT JUST HAPPENS WHENEVER IT WANTS TO HAPPEN. NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPORTED; 816911, 863413, 825902, 730158, JUST TO LIST A FEW. THIS NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE A FATALITY OCCURS. IN ONE INSTANCE, IF I HAD NOT BEEN AWARE OF THE POSSIBLITY OF THIS OCCURING I WOULD HAVE PANICED AN D BEEN BROADSIDED! AS IT WAS, I WAS ABLE TO STEER HARD RIGHT AND PARALELL THE TRAFFIC THAT WOULD HAVE HIT ME IF I HAD STOPPED!