1998 GMC Envoy Problems

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45MPH, THE VEHICLE STRUCK A DIP IN THE ROAD AND THE REAR LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY FRACTURED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE BODY TO DROP TO THE GROUND. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR THE CONTACT'S HOME AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED TO A DEALER. AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP MECHANIC INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND CONFIRMED THE FRACTURED LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY. THE VEHICLE IS WAITING REPAIR

ON MONDAY, 5/3/04, MY SON BACKED OUR 1998 GMC ENVOY OUT OF HIS GARAGE. THE LEFT FRONT END DROPPED TO THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO GMC DEALER, THE BALL JOINT AND CV JOINTS FAILED. DEALER ADVISED US RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR GMC JIMMYS UP TO 1996 YEAR, BUT NOTHING FOR 1998. HAD MY SON BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, SERIOUS INJURY OR WORSE COULD HAVE RESULTED. *AK

I WAS DRIVING ALONG AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN MY 1998 GMC ENVOY WITH 43162 MILES STOPPED ACCELERATING. WHEN I STEPPED HARDER ON THE GAS, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT REV AND POWER BEGAN TO RUN OUT FROM THE ENGINE. THE MOTOR STALLED AND YET THE ELECTRICITY WAS STILL ON IN THE CAR. I BEGAN TO LOSE BRAKING POWER AND STEERING BECAME HARDER. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD, TURN OFF AND TURN THE CAR BACK ON AGAIN. BUT THE CAR STALLED AGAIN AND AGAIN, FIVE (5) TIMES IN SIX (6) MILES. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL YEARS BACK, AND HAS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN INTERMITTENLY. I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT HAPPENED WHEN I GOT BELOW 1/4 OF A TANK OF GAS, BUT TONIGHT I WAS AT HALF A TANK. THE ONLY THING I NOTICED WAS THE OOIL PRESSURE GAGUE WAS AT SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF MIDDLE, LIKE AROUND 60 I THINK, WHICH HAPPENS ONLY OCCASIONALLY. FINALLY I GOT HOME AND, WITH THE CAR IN PARK, PUT CONTINUOUS EVEN PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR BUT THE NUMBER OF RPMS WAS VARYING, BY UP TO 1000 OR 1500, FROM 3500 DOWN TO 2000 -- UP AND BACK CONTINUOUSLY BUT NOT ON AN EVEN CYCLE. IT'S VERY DANGEROUS WHEN THIS HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND I HAVE BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER BEFORE TO REPORT THIS (SINCE AROUND 1998 OR 1999) BUT THIS KEEPS HAPPENING. I ONLY HAD THOSE FEW SECONDS WHEN THE MOTOR WAS NOT ACCELERATING BUT THE CAR HAD NOT YET STALLED TO REACT -- PUT ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS, PULL OFF THE ROAD, COME TO A STOP -- AND LUCKILY I KNEW WHAT TO DO OR ELSE I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED BY SOMEONE REAR-ENDING MY CAR. PLEASE HELP, I AM TERRIFIED OF THE CAR AND HAVE LOST ALL CONFIDENCE IN IT, YET AGAIN.*AK

VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOWED NO SIGNS OF NEGLECT. ENGINE LOCKED UP WITH OUT WARNING. MANUFACTURE IS NOT WILLING TO SHARE COST OF REPLACMENT BUT DOES AGREE THAT ENGINE HAS VERY LOW MILEAGE FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM.

ON DEC. 7, 2004, IT WAS A VERY RAINY DAY AND OF COURSE MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THEY WOULD TURN OFF, OR THEY WOULD TURN ON TO FULL WIPING WHEN I HAD THEM SET FOR INTERMITTENT WIPING. THEY ALSO WOULD NOT TURN OFF WHEN I TURNED THEM OFF. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE CORRECTED. THIS FIRST HAPPEND IN OCTOBER OF 2002. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE PROBLEM IS THAT IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE IN AWHILE, BUT WHEN YOU BRING IT TO THE DEALER, IT DOESN'T HAPPEN! I NOTIFIED GENERAL MOTORS ABOUT THIS ON AUGUST 11, 2003. CONFIRMATION NUMBER 1-128999107.*AK

WIPER MALFUNCTION WITH EXACT SYMPTOMS THAT THE NEWER GMC SUV ARE HAVING. MECHANICS ARE USING THE SAME PART ON ALL VEHICLES AND IT OCCURS SPIRATICALLY. DEALERS ARE SAYING THIS CONTROLLING DEVICE IS COMMON TO HAVE THIS OCCUR. THE WIPER MOTOR SOMETIMES JUST STOP OR CHANGE SPEED ON IT'S OWN AND IT HAS BE OCCURING FROM 96 TO CURRENT AND THEY ONLY WANT TO REPLACE CERTAIN ONES. I OWN A 98 GMC ENVOY AND THIS PROBLEM IS HAPPENING. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, BUT WHEN IT DOES IT IS DANGEROUS TO BE DRIVING IN THE VEHICLE ESPECIALLY TRAVELING AT HIGHER SPEEDS WHEN IT IS RAINING.

I PURCHASED A NEW 1998 GMC ENVOY (VEHICLE IS BASED UPON THE GMC S-10 "JIMMY" MODEL) IN JANUARY 1999. THE VEHICLE AS OF 12/2003 HAS ONLY 15,400 MILES. FROM TIME TO TIME THE RIGHT HIGH INTENSITY DISCHARGE ("HID") LAMP DOES NOT FUNCTION AND THE VEHICLE OPERATES WITH ONLY ONE HEADLIGHT AT NIGHT. INITIALLY, I SOUGHT TO HAVE THE RIGHT SIDE HID LAMP REPLACED BUT AFTER DOING A SIGNFICANT AMOUNT OF RESEARCH DISCOVERED THAT THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS PARTICULAR HID LAMP NO LONGER PRODUCES IT AND THERE ARE NO AVAILABLE "LIKE-KIND" REPLACEMENTS ON THE AFTER-MARKET. GIVEN THE SPECIFIED USAGE HOURS FOR HID LAMPS, THIS TYPE OF HID LAMP MAY BE LATENTLY DEFECTIVE AS THERE ARE MANY REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM, PARTICULARLY CONCERNING THE PASSENGER SIDE HID LAMP. FURTHER, OWNERS/OPERATORS OF VEHICLES WITH THIS TYPE OF HID SYSTEM WILL NOT KNOW OF THIS HEADLIGHT SAFETY PROBLEMS (E.G. DEFECTIVE LAMPS THAT DO NOT HAVE AN HOURLY USE LIFE AS SPECIFIED AND INABILITY OF GMC/MANUFACTURER TO PROVIDE AN ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE) UNTIL YEARS AFER PURCHASING A VEHICLE. PRELIMINARY RESEARCH ALSO INDICATES THAT WHILE A "RETRO-FIT" MAY BE POSSIBLE, THE COST OF SUCH ACTION FOR BOTH HID LAMPS IS IN EXCESS OF $1,200 AND IN SOME INSTANCES A MODIFICATION OF A SAFETY SYSTEM (NIGHT TIME DRIVING LIGHTS) ON A VEHICLE MAY BE PROHIBITED BY STATE LAW. *AK

UPON PURCHASING VEHICLE, IN FIRST YEAR, HEADLIGHTS HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE IN SAME YEAR. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

LEFT REAR WHEEL CAP AND HUB CAME OFF WHILE SWITCH ING AT 15 MPH. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

LEFT FRONT AND REAR TIRE CAME OFF WHILE DRIVING. COULD HAVE CAUSEDAN ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

I WAS DRIVING ON A 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY WITH MULTIPLE STOPLIGHTS. AS A LIGHT TURNED RED, I APPLIED THE BRAKES. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR ACCOMPANIED BY THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND I ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I PULLED OFF INTO A PARKING LOT AND DISCOVERED BRAKE FLUID LEAKING IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEFT REAR WHEEL. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT ALL OF THE BRAKE LINES ARE SEVERELY CORRODED AND THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED IN THE STEEL BRAKE LINE THAT GOES TO THE REAR BRAKES. ALL OF THE STEEL LINES ON THIS VEHICLE (BRAKES, FUEL LINES) ARE SEVERELY CORRODED ALONG WITH THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THIS VEHICLE. I'VE OWNED THIS VEHICLE SINCE IT WAS NEW AND IT'S BEEN LOCATED IN DELAWARE WHICH GENERALLY HAS VERY LITTLE SNOW (AND THEREFORE SALT) DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. THIS BRAKE FAILURE AND THE CONDITION OF THE FUEL LINES ARE A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE AND WARRANTS AN IMMEDIATE RECALL. HAD I BEEN GOING SLIGHTLY FASTER OR HAD BEEN TOWING, I WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE OR LOSS OF LIFE. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH, THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT THAT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED. I CANNOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE NOW WITHOUT REPLACING ALL OF THESE LINES--THE CONDITION OF THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF THIS VEHICLE IS INEXCUSABLE AND I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER GM PRODUCT. *TR

PROBLEM WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SENSOR; ANTI-LOCK BRAKES KICK IN AT LOW SPEEDS 5-10 MPH

TRACTION MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING REAR WHEELS TO LOCK UP AND RESULTING IN VEHICLE SPINING WHICH COYLD HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH. DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NO SUMMARY

THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR DID NOT CLOSE PROPERLY. WHEN THE DOOR WAS LOCKED, IT WOULD COME OFF OF THE HINGE AND WAS PARTIALLY OPEN. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK THIS WOULD OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. *SC *JB

TRACTION MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING REAR WHEELS TO LOCK UP AND RESULTING IN VEHICLE SPINING WHICH COYLD HAVE RESULTED IN A CRASH. DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK