1996 GMC Suburban

VEHICLE BATTERY WENT BAD. DEALER REPLACED BATTERY WITH NEW GMC ORIGNAL AND REPLACED ALTERNATOR. NEW BATTERY FAILED MONTHS LATER. POSITIVE TERMINAL ON BATTERY LEAKED AND DESTORYED CONNECTOR. FAILED WHLIE DRIVING CAR ON INTERSTATE AT 65MPH. TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. CAR STATRED BACK UP. FAILURE WAS ON AND OFF AND HARD TO DETECT. FINALLY FAILED FOR GOOD FEW DAYS LATER. DEALER WANTED TO CHARGE $600 FOR NEW CABLES & BATTERY. BATTERY DESTORYED ALL POWER CABLES. HAD "COMING TO JESUS" TALK WITH DEALER. WASN'T GOING TO PAY FOR DAMAGE THAT WAS DONE BY THEIR BATTERY THAT THEY INSTALLED UNDER WARRANTY. AGREED PAINFULLY TO PAY FOR NEW BATTERY ($79). INSTALLED INTERSTATE BATTERY INTEAD. NO PROBLEMS SINCE.

WHEN WE FIRST TEST DROVE THIS VEHICLE WE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES WERE "GRABBING" VERY ABNORMALLY AND WE COMMENTED THAT THE BRAKES HAD A BAD PROBLEM TO THE SALESMAN THAT WAS WITH US, ALSO WE HAD NOTICED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER DID NOT WORK PROPERLY ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE BRAKES WOULD BE FIXED AND THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WOULD BE FIXED. THE DEALER SAID THAT THEY HAD TURNED THE ROTORS ON BOTH FRONT AND BACK BRAKES AND HAD REPAIRED THE WIPER. AFTER WE HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE THE BRAKES WERE BETTER BUT THEY WERE NOT FIXED. WHEN YOU WOULD APPLY THE BRAKES AT ANY TIME IT WOULD SHIMMY, BUCK AND JUMP. IF YOU HAD TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP IT WOULD JUMP MANY TIMES BEFORE IT WOULD COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. I DON'T MEAN THAT THE FOOT PEDAL WOULD JUMP, I MEAN THAT THE VEHICLE ITSELF WOULD SHIMMY AND JUMP. I HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO ANOTHER GMC DEALER - GWATNEY GMC- TO HAVE THEM WORK ON THE BRAKES AND THEY AT FIRST THOUGHT THAT THE ROTORS NEEDED TURNING AGAIN. AFTER THEY TURNED THEM THE VEHICLE STILL RESPONDED IN THE SAME MANNER. THEY NOW SAY THAT THE ANTI-LOCK SENSOR IS BAD ON THE RIGHT SIDE, (A $500.00 COMPONENT). I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE INDICATOR ON THE DASH NEVER GAVE ME A WARNING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU HAVE HAD ANY REPORTS SIMILAR TO THIS PROBLEM FOR THE GMC BRAKING SYSTEM, MALFUNCTIONING OF INDICATORS ON THE DASHBOARD OR IF THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL FOR ANY OF THESE PROBLEMS. MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW HAS TOLD ME THAT SHE THOUGHT THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ON GMC LIGHT TRUCKS FOR THE YEARS 1993 THRU 1997. I KNOW SOMEONE IN A 1996 GMC JIMMY THAT WAS IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WHERE HER AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND HER BRAKES DID NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY IN THIS ACCIDENT. IT'S A MIRACLE THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO KEEP HER LEG WHICH WAS MANGLED, BROKEN IN SEVERAL PLACES AND CUT UP FROM THIS ACCIDENT.THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK ABOUT 96% OF THE TIME.

REPEATED PROBLEMS WITH BRAKE FAILURE FOLLOWING VEHICLE BEING PARKED IN WET WEATHER. SOMETIMES THERE IS NEAR TOTAL LOSS OF BRAKING CAPABILITY, SOMETIMES SEVERE VEHICLE "BUCKING" WHILE TRYING TO STOP. SYMPTOMS DIMINISH AFTER SEVERAL BLOCKS OF DRIVING, RE-APPEAR AFTER VEHICLE IS PARKED FOR A FEW HOURS. DEALER EXAMINED SHORTLY AFTER WE PURCHASED VEHICLE (USED) AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. HAVE TALKED TO OTHER OWNERS OF SUBURBANS AND GMC/CHEVY LIGHT TRUCKS OF SIMILAR VINTAGE AND HAVE FOUND SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. RECENT EPISODE INVOLVED INABILITY TO STOP AND VEHICLE CONTINUED CLEAR THROUGH INTERSECTION. I SUSPECT REAR BRAKE LININGS/DRUMS RUST AND TEND TO LOCK/RELEASE WHICH SEEMS TO CONFUSE THE ABS SYSTEM UNTIL LININGS WEAR CLEAN AGAIN. VEHICLE IS A HAZARD TO OPERATE FOR FIRST FEW BLOCKS IN WET WEATHER. *AK

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN A HEAVY RAINSTORM WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER SAID THAT CONSUMER NEEDED TO REPLACE MOTOR AND CIRCUIT BOARD. ALSO, WHEN PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP LIGHT DRIVER'S SEAT SLID FORWARD OR BACKWARD. SEAT WOBBLED IN THE TRACKS. DEALER REPLACED DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT TRACK. *AK

ARCING CONNECTOR INSIDE FUEL TANK CAUSES FUEL PUMP TO FAIL AND LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. GM TECHNICAN REPORTED THAT HE PERFORMS AT LEAST 2 REPLACEMENT SENDERS + FUEL PUMPS/WEEK- INDICATING THAT " THE SENDER/FUEL PUMP CONNECTOR IS ALWAYS FRIED WHEN THE PUMP GOES". AS AN ENGINEER, I BELIEVE THERE IS AN EMINENT DANGER OF A FUEL TANK EXPLOSION PROVIDED PROPER AIR/FUEL RATIO IS ACHEVIED. VEHICLE HAS 42 GALLON TANK. MODEL YEARS 1999 ONWARD HAVE THIS ASSEMBLY ENCASED IN FIBERGLASS CYLINDER WHICH WOULD PREVENT FIRE/EXPLOSION. *AK

A TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME STOPPED WHEN THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED YELLOW. I TRIED TO STOP AND HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO STOP. THE BRAKES LOCKED UP (THERE WAS A SLIGHT NOISE OF THE BRAKES LOCKING UP) AND I WAS SURPRISED I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO STOP. I RELEASED THE BRAKES TO TRY BRAKING AGAIN. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY LOCKED UP AGAIN. TO AVOID REAR ENDING THE TRUCK, I HAD TO SWERVE BETWEEN IT AND THE CAR IN THE LEFT TURN LANE. MY PASSENGER SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR MADE CONTACT WITH THE BACKSIDE OF THE TRUCK. MY BRAKES FINALLY CAUGHT WHEN MY SUBURBAN WAS AHEAD OF HIS TRUCK. THE PAVEMENT WAS WET BUT IT WAS NOT RAINING. *AK