2001 Chevrolet Astro

IN ITS LETTER DATED MARCH 9, 2005, GM STATED THAT IT WOULD CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL TO REMEDY A FAULTY MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH IN CERTAIN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 AND 2002 CHEVROLET ASTRO AND GMC SAFARI VEHICLES; SPECIFICALLY, ALL MY 2001 VEHICLES AND EARLY MY 2002 VEHICLES BUILT BETWEEN MARCH AND AUGUST 2001.SEE NHTSA RECALL NO. 05V-099 FOR DETAILS.THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH MAY DEVELOP AN OPEN CIRCUIT IN THE BRAKE LAMP OR HAZARD LAMP CIRCUIT RESULTING IN INOPERATIVE BRAKE LAMPS AND HAZARD LAMPS.THIS IS DUE TO THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF THE MATERIAL AND LUBRICATION FOR THE HAZARD SWITCH CONTACTOR THAT RESULT IN INCREASED RESISTANCE IN THE HAZARD SWITCH AND STUCK HAZARD SLIDER BUTTON IN OPEN (NO CONTACT) CONDITION.DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE HAZARD SWITCH AND APPLY SPECIAL GREASE TO THE HAZARD SWITCH CONTACTOR.IF A VEHICLE HAS A STUCK HAZARD SLIDER BUTTON, DEALERS ARE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH.

VAN WILL NOT PASS SMOG. THE VERY LAST TIME I DROVE IT, I WAS DRIVING IT ON A CITY STREET AND IT JUST DIED OUT. I'VE SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO HAVE IT FIXED AND ITSTILL ISN'T FIXED TO PASS SMOG. A SHOP SAID MY FUEL INJECTION SPIDER SYSTEM IS BAD.

NHTSA ID

10806234

Incident

Nov 30, 2013

Mileage

166,200 mi

I AM A LICENSED CAR DEALER. I AM VERY CONCERNED AT WHAT I AM SEEING WITH MY CUSTOMERS, WITH CARS I SEE AT THE AUCTIONS, AND WITH BLOG SITES ON THE INTERNET CONCERNING CHEVY'S EBCM COMPUTER MODULE. AT THE AUCTIONS I AM SEEING AT LEAST 25% OF CHEVROLETS AND ABOUT 10% OF FORDS COMING THROUGH WITH BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS ON. MY MAIN CONCERN IS WITH THE CHEVY'S EBCM. THESE VERY EXPENSIVE UNITS FAIL AT THE RELAY POINT ON THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS DUE TO BAD SOLDER JOINTS FROM THE FACTORY. WHEN THEY FAIL, THE DRIVER GETS A BRAKE LIGHT AND AN ABS INDICATOR LIGHT ON THE DASH. THE BRAKES STILL WORK ON THE CAR, BUT THEY DON'T WORK AS DESIGNED. IN FACT THE DRIVER GETS A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY BECAUSE HIS CAR IS STOPPING, BUT IN A SLIPPERY SITUATION IT WILL NOT STOP AS DESIGNED. WHEN I WENT TO THE INTERNET FOR IDEAS TO FIX THE PROBLEM, I AM FINDING A LOT OF POSTINGS SAYING JUST TAKE THE BULB OUT OF THE DASH! I AM ALSO SEEING ADS ON E BAY WHERE YOU CAN SEND YOUR EBCM TO A REPAIR STATION, THEY TAKE IT APART, AND RE SOLDER THE JOINTS FOR $49. I CALLED THE CHEVY DEALER AND THEY WANT OVER $1000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM! I HAVE HEARD OF PEOPLE SELLING THEIR VEHICLE AS IS AND TELLING THE BUYER THAT IT'S OK. THE BRAKES WORK. I CAN'T GET THE LIGHT TO SHUT OFF! THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND IT WILL BECOME MORE DANGEROUS AS MORE AND MORE CARS ARE DRIVING WITH INOPERATIVE EBCM COMPUTERS. IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEFECT COMES FROM HAVING THE COMPUTER DIRECTLY ATTACHED TO THE FRAMES NEAR THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY ARE TAKING ALL THE SHOCK AND VIBRATION IN THAT AREA. I AM ASKING THE GOVERNMENT TO LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL NOTICE FOR DEFECTIVE EBCM COMPUTERS. I ALSO FEEL THIS PROBLEM IS FAR WORSE THAN THE DODGE CLOCK SPRING RECALL, AND THAT EFFECTED ALL DODGE VEHICLES. THIS BRAKING PROBLEM WE ARE SEEING IS BAD ENOUGH THAT IT MAY CAUSE A LARGE LOSS OF LIFE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10637686

Incident

Sep 1, 2014

Mileage

100,000 mi

TL* THE OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SAFETY BELTS WOULD UNLATCH INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,732.

NHTSA ID

10628551

Incident

Feb 1, 2014

Mileage

162,732 mi

BRAKE AND ABS LIGHTS COME ON INTERMITTENTLY, I HAD THE CODE PULLED AT THE AUTO PARTS STORE, IT IS THE ELECTRONIC ABS CONTROL MODULE AND UPON GOOGLING "CHEVROLET BRAKE ABS LIGHTS" IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION THAT THEIR APPEARS TO BE THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES WITH FAULTY ABS ELECTRONIC MODULES WHICH PREVENTS THE ABS FUNCTION FROM WORKING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10536053

Incident

Sep 30, 2009

Mileage

58,000 mi

GOING TO STOP AT A SLOW SPEED ENGAGES ABS , CAUSING VAN TO NOT STOP UNLESS BREAKERS WERE SLAMMED ON HARD AND HOPS OF STOPPING! *TR

NHTSA ID

10534307

Incident

Oct 20, 2011

Mileage

150,000 mi

WHILE PULLING INTO A DRIVEWAY AT LOWSPEED I APPLIED THE BRAKES. THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND ALL BRAKING POWER WAS LOST. MY VEHICLE STRUCK THE ONE INFRONT OF ME. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THIS LOW SPEED LOSS OF BRAKING. *TR

NHTSA ID

10485956

Incident

Jul 20, 2012

Mileage

198,000 mi

AFTER APPROX. ONE WEEK OF OPER. OF MY 2001 CHEVY ASTRO A FIRE OCCURRED THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A TOTAL LOSS OF THE VEHICLE AND CONTENTS IF I HAD NOT BEEN CLOSE BY. AFTER DRIVING MY VEHICLE FOR APPROX. 20 MILES AND PARKING IT MY VAN CAUGHT FIRE AFTER BEING SHUT OFF FOR 15 MINUTES. THE VEHICLES POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLES WERE RUN FROM THE BATTERY TO THE ENGINE DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE STEERING LINKAGE WHERE IT PASSES THE ENGINE SUPPORT STRUCTURE. IF THE VEHICLE IS JACKED UP TO THE POINT WHERE THE TIRE IS STILL TOUCHING THE GROUND AND THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED HALF WAY TO THE LEFT THE PASSENGER SIDE INNER TIE ROD END IS RUBBING INTO THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLES WHICH ARE IN A COMMON HARNESS.IF THE SUSPENSION IS MOVING UP AND DOWN ON A BUMPY ROAD WHILE THE WHEEL IS TURNED TO THE LEFT DIRECT CONTACT BETWEEN THE STEERING LINKAGE AND THE BATTERY CABLES WILL CAUSE REPEATED DAMAGE OVER TIME RESULTING IN AN EVENTUAL FIRE.IF THIS FIRE OCCURRED WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY PEOPLE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED LAST NIGHT WHILE MY VAN WAS PARKED IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE THE 7 PEOPLE INCLUDING TWO SMALL CHILDREN LIVING HERE COULD HAVE DIED FROM FIRE CAUSED BY VERY POOR ENGINEERING. IF YOU CAN JACK UP A VEHICLE AND CAUSE A MOVABLE PART OF THE VEHICLES SUSPENSION OR STEERING TO COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE THE VEHICLES ENGINEERS WERE NEGLIGENT. ALSO HAVING BOTH BATTERY CABLES IN THE SAME HARNESS IS NOT A VERY GOOD IDEA EITHER MY VEHICLE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT OR HAD ANY MAJOR REPAIR WORK DONE. THIS ISSUE SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD A REPORTED DEATH FROM THIS ISSUE YET IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. MY FIRST VEHICLE WAS A GM AND I SUSPECT MY LAST WILL BE, BUT GM HAS TO ANSWER FOR THIS ACT OF STUPIDITY. I HAVE PICTURES I CAN EMAIL THAT SHOW JUST HOW OBVIOUS THIS FLAW IS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10460092

Incident

May 30, 2012

Mileage

174,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN. WHILE TRAVELING 5 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES WOULD NO LONGER ENGAGE AND THAT THE STEERING WHEEL HAD BECOME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 160,000.

NHTSA ID

10361105

Incident

Oct 16, 2010

Mileage

160,000 mi

This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have an unusual noise and is difficult to identify, isolate or pinpoint. Technician should get record a sound clip or take a video of the noise for assessment by engineering. Technician will need to call General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further assistance.

This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8 starting/charging tester  and Vehicle Data Recorder tools, giving website address and step by step instructions to complete the update.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature.

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that the Heater-Vent-Air Conditioning blows warm air. Before calling General Motors Technical Assistance Center technician will need to have high and low pressures, outside temperature, humidity, and vent temperature.

Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to updating affected modules (with some exceptions). The updating of modules is completed in parallel instead of the technician needing to update one module at a time. This allows a more streamlined approach for dealers and customers.