1998 GMC Jimmy

TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND LOST POWER WHILE TOWING 4200 POUND RV, A UNIT WELL UNDER THE TOWING CAPACITY OF THE GMC JIMMY. TRANSMISSION GOT HOT AND SLIPPED WITH NOTICABLE LOSS OF POWER. ODD ODOR CAME FROM ENGINE COMPARTMENT, ALSO. "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT CAME ON DURING FUEL STOP. WE THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO FUEL CAP OR GASOLINE USED. CONTACTED DEALER UPON RETURN FROM TRIP AND HAD ITEM SCHEDULED FOR CHECK ON MON 6/7/1998. HAD TRANSMISSION OIL AND FILTER CHANGED AND MECHANIC NOTED OIL EXCESSIVELY BLACK. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT MONITOR INDICATED TRANMISSSION HAD OVERHEATED TWICE. RECOMMENDATION WAS TO DRIVE SLOWER, CHANGE OIL AND FILTER MORE OFTEN, GET A WIND RESISTANCE DEFLECTOR FOR TOWING VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS TOWING PACKAGE WITH EXTRA TRANSMISSION OIL COLLER RATED AT OVER 10,000 POUNDS TOWING CAPACITY. SALESMAN, WHO WAS A PREVIOUS RV DEALER/SALESMAN, ASSURED US WHEN WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THAT IT WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE TO HANDLE THE TOWING OF THE RV (26 FOOT DUTCHMAN LITE, RATED AT 4200 POUNDS). AFRAID THAT TRANSMISSION WILL FAIL AGAIN AND WE WILL BECOME STRANDED. WIFE, WHO DRIVES VEHICLE DAILY, ALSO NOTED THAT TRANSMISSION FELT LIKE IT WAS SLIPPING PERIODICALLY WHEN DRIVING WITHOUT ANY LOAD ATTACHED TO THE VEHEICLE. AM OVERLY CONCERNED NOW THAT I ALSO HAVE A 1998 GMC SONOMA WITH SAME ENGINE, TRNASMISSION, AND TOWING CAPACITY FOR ALTERNATE FOR TOWING RV, AND THAT IT'S TRANSMISSION MAY EXPERIENCE THE SAME SYMPTOMS. *AK

THE STEERING WHEEL ABRUPTLY PULLED TO THE RIGHT. WHEN I TRIED TO STEER THE VEHICLE BACK ON THE ROAD, THE STEERING DID NOT RESPOND WELL. THE STEERING WAS OUT OF CONTROL. THIS CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO DO A 180 AND GO OFF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE SUBSEQUENTLY FLIPPED 4 OR 5 TIMES. ALSO THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS FRONT END DAMAGE. *AK

THE CAR WHILE DRIVING AT A HIGH SPEED, LOST POWER, THE TRANSMISSION DROPPED INTO LOW GEAR, AND WOULD ONLY PROCEED AT A SLOW SPEED, THIS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE, THE SERVICE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON.I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THEY COULD NOT DETECT THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM OCCURED NEAR, FOR THE THIRD TIME, NEAR CORAL SPRINGS GMC AND I TOOK THE CAR INTO THEM IMMEDIATELY AND THEY CAME UP WITH TRANSMISSIONS CODES ON THE COMPUTER. I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO KING SINCE THE OTHER DEALER DID NOT HAVE A TRANMISSION MECHANIC. KING WAS CONTACTED AND I WAS TOLD TO BRING THE CAR IN LATER , THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION LIGHT WENT OFF AND IT DROVE NORMALLY. THE DAY I BROUGHT THE CAR TO KING IT OCCURED AGAIN, AND THIS TIME THE SYMPTOMS WERE THE SAME, BUT THE INSTRUMENT ALSO WENT DEAD. KING REPORTED TO ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT THE TRANSMISSION BUT THE IGNITION SWITCH WHICH CAUSED THE COMPUTER TO LOOSE POWER, CREATING THE TRANSMISSION TO DOWNSHIFT AND, THE CAR TO LOOSE ENGINE POWER, AND THE INSTRUMENTS TO FAIL. AT HIGH SPEED THIS CREATES SOME CONCERN AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. THEY INDICATED IT HAS HAPPEN ON OTHER VECHILES. I CONTACTED GENERAL MOTORS SINCE I CONSIDERED IT A SAFETY PROBLEM. I FEEL OWNERS AND OTHER DEALERS SHOULD BE NOTIFIED, SINCE APPARENTLY IT IS NOT EASILY RECOGNIZED. THANK YOU.

WHEN YOU LET GO OF STEERING WHEEL, CAR GOES IMMEDIATELY RIGHT. THE FIRST TIME THE DEALER DID A WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND IT WAS OKAY FOR A WHILE BUT THEN IT DID IT AGAIN AND WE TOOK IT BACK. THE SECOND TIME WE TOOK IT BACK TO DEALER THEY CHARGED US FOR A WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND SAID WE HAD "CURBED" THE VEHICLE BUT WE HAD NOT. NOW IT IS DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN AND WE DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO PAY FOR ANOTHER WHEEL ALIGNMENT.