1997 GMC Suburban

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 GMC SUBURBAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WORK INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V159000 (VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER), ALTHOUGH THE FAILURES WERE IDENTICAL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. UPDATED 01/07/09. *LJ UPDATED 01/12/09. *JB

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ON MY 1997 GMC SUBURBAN WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY, CONSISTENT WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN 03V159000. I CONTACTED GMC, AND AFTER A LENGTHY PHONE CALL TO COLLECT ALL RELEVANT DATA, THEY SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME AT MY LOCAL GMC DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT INSPECTED THE WIPER ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND INFORMED ME THAT THE FAILURE WAS INDEED DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE WIPER CONTROL CIRCUIT BOARD. HOWEVER, MY SPECIFIC VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. IF I WOULD HAVE HAD THE PROBLEM FIXED PRIOR TO 70,000 MILES ON MY VEHICLE, THEN THEY WOULD HAVE FIXED IT AT NO CHARGE UNDER A "WAIVER SYSTEM?", BUT NOW IT WOULD BE $120 TO FIX. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH GM CONTINUES TO SEND ME MARKETING MATERIAL TO TRADE IN THIS VEHICLE FOR A NEW ONE, THEY FAILED TO INFORM ME AT ANY TIME OF THIS SAFETY HAZARD RECALL. THEY ALSO WASTED SEVERAL HOURS OF MY TIME ON THE TELEPHONE AND ARRANGING TO LEAVE MY VEHICLE AT THE DEALER PRIOR TO TELLING ME THAT I WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE RECALL. HOW CAN THIS AUTOMAKER HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY IN MIND WHEN THEY DENY CONSUMERS A REMEDY TO A POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC SAFETY HAZARD BASED ON THE NUMBER OF MILES ON THEIR VEHICLE? THIS IS A $30 RETAIL PRICE CIRCUIT BOARD! APPARENTLY MY SAFETY AND THAT OF OTHERS AROUND ME IS NOT WORTH $30 TO GMC. THE "ICING ON THE CAKE" IS THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT GM INVESTED TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO, AND THEN BACK PEDDLING ON WHY THEY COULDN'T REPLACE THE CARD UNDER THE RECALL. WHAT WOULD THE COST BE IF I WAS CAUGHT IN A RAINSTORM DRIVING HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP WITH MY UNREPAIRED VEHICLE AND HAD A CRASH? I HAVE PERSONALLY REPLACED THE DEFECTIVE PART WITH A REPLACEMENT THAT I PURCHASED AT AN AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY STORE. *JB

I HAVE A 1997 GMC SUBURBAN. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING COMPLETELY AND UNPREDICTABLY. THIS HAPPENED ONCE OR TWICE SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2001, BUT IN RECENT MONTHS HAS HAPPENED VERY FREQUENTLY, MOST MEMORABLY WHEN I WAS TRAVELING IN HEAVY RAIN ON THE HIGHWAY. I MANAGED TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY, BUT WAS DEFINITELY IN DANGER. I CONTACTED GMC AND WAS TOLD THAT ALTHOUGH THERE IS A RECALL FOR WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE ON 1997 GMC SUBURBANS (GM RECALL #03023; NHTSA RECALL NO. 03V159), MY VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED BASED ON THE VIN. I HAVE SCHEDULED THE VEHICLE FOR REPAIR, BUT FEEL STRONGLY THAT IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED UNDER THE RECALL. *NM

THERE IS ALREADY AN APR 28, 2003 RECALL BUT YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE REP TOLD ME I SHOULD FILE THIS ANYWAY SINCE THE MANUFACTURER (GMC) WILL NOT HONOR THE RECALL (BELOW). THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE QUEBEDEAUX GMC SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. GMC REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM (THE WIPERS WILL NOT WORK AND MY WIFE WAS ALMOST IN A BAD ACCIDENT AS A RESULT). AT FIRST, THEY SAID MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. NOW THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT THE WORK WAS ALREADY DONE SINCE THE 2003 RECALL. IT WAS NOT. I CAN ONLY ASSUME THAT THEY COULD NOT NOTIFY ME OF THE RECALL BECAUSE I AM ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY AND MOVE RESIDENCES EVERY 2 YEARS. THEY PROBABLY JUST CHECKED IT OFF AS DONE OR THERE WAS A TYPO. EITHER WAY, THE PROBLEM EXISTS AND IT IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD. MAKE : GMC MODEL : SUBURBAN YEAR : 1997 MANUFACTURER : GENERAL MOTORS CORP. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 03V159000 RECALL DATE : APR 28, 2003 COMPONENT: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER POTENTIAL NUMBER OF UNITS AFFECTED : 1755876 SUMMARY: ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, PICKUP TRUCKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH CERTAIN MODEL-ENGINE COMBINATIONS, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY FAIL DUE TO CRACKED SOLDER JOINTS ON THE CONTROLLER CIRCUIT BOARD. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT ALL. CONSEQUENCE: IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR DURING BAD WEATHER, DRIVER VISIBILITY WOULD BE REDUCED, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH. REMEDY: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BOARD AND COVER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, GMC AT 1-800-462-8782, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.

WHILE DRIVING A 1997 GMC SUBURBAN AT NIGHT IN THE RAIN THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT NOTICE. IT RESULTED IN A VERY URGENT AND PANICY STOP ON I96 FROM HIGHWAY SPEED IN RELATIVELY LIGHT TRAFFIC. WE WAITED A FEW MINUTES BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEY RESTARTED ON THEIR OWN. I CALLED THE CORPORATION CUSTOMER SERVICE AND GOT NOWHERE. I WROTE A LETTER THINKING IT WOULD GET ACTION (DEC 1, 2003). I GOT A RESPONSE THAT BASICALLY SAID THAT THIS VEHICLE HAD ALREADY BEEN RECALLED FOR THE PROBLEM AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. THIS IS ALL NEWS BECAUSE WE PURCHASED THIS TRUCK IN JULY OF 2003. THE SERVICE MANAGER, ELIZABETH NAVARRO, SUGGESTED I GO BACK TO THE DEALER FOR ADDITIONAL EVALUATION. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY COULD NOT EVALUATE IF THE SYSTEM IS FUNCTIONING. SO THE FIRST TIME IT FAILED NEAR THE DEALER WAS YESTERDAY,7/27/04. THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS AN AFTERMARKET MODULE (THE COMPONENT THAT EVERYONE AGREES IS FAILING) ON THE VEHICLE AND THAT THEY COULD DO NOTHING. HERE IS MY CONCERN, I AM SOMEWHAT MECHANICALLY INCLINED AND UNDERSTAND THAT I OWN A VEHICLE THAT HAS NOW FAILED AT LEAST TWO MODULES, POSSIBLY THREE, AND IT IS AT MOST EIGHT YEARS OLD WITH 80,000 MILES ON IT. IN TALKING WITH OTHER VEHICLE OWNERS OF SIMILAR AGE AND BRAND I AM TOLD THIS IS COMMON. EVERONE AT GM AND THE DEALERS TALK ABOUT A COMPONENT FAILURE. THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A SYSTEM FAILURE. THE DESIGN IS FAILING. NAMELY THEIR RECALL FIX NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. MY OBVIOUS QUESTION TO YOU IS WHAT TYPE OF FOLLOW UP DO YOU DO AFTER A RECALL HAS BEEN EXECUTED? DO YOU PERFORM ANY STATISTICAL ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE EFFECTIVENESS? MAY I HAVE COPIES OF THOSE STUDIES? BELIEVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE A MANDATORY COMPONENT. I BELIEVE IF MY WIFE WERE DRIVING THAT NIGHT (OR MY MOTHER) THE PROBABILITY THE THE TRUCK COMING TO A SAFE STOP WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH LESS.*AK