1997 Chevrolet Astro

DRIVER'S SIDE REAR WINDOW WILL NOT STAY OPEN, CLIPS THAT SHOULD HOLD IT UP ARE BLOCKED BY MATERIAL, WINDOW SLAMS SHUT WHEN GOING OVER A BUMP. TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 45000 MILES. *AK OIL LEAK, DEALER ORDERED AXLE OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL AND CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. ELECTRIC FUEL PUMP REPLACED DUE TO VEHICLE CUTTING AND WOULD CRANK, BUT WOULD NOT STAR. OIL PRESSURE GAUGE ERRATIC, DEALER REPLACED OIL PRESSURE SENDER. FRONT BRAKES AND PADS WERE REPLACED, ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS PLAY IN THE STEERING, DEALER REPLACED BOTH IDLER ARMS AND RESET TOE IN. POWER DOOR LOCKS INOPERABLE, DEALER REPLACED POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCH. POWER WINDOW INOPERABLE, DEALER REPLACED POWER WINDOW SWITCH. SHIFTER WAS HARD TO MOVE, DEALER REPLACED SHIFT CABLE. GAS PEDAL BINDS AT TIMES, DEALER ORDERED THROTTLE CABLE AND REPLACED ACCELERATOR CABLE. DRIVER SETA SEEMS LOOSE WHEN BRAKING, DEALER ORDERED DRIVER SEAT TRACK ASSEMBLY AND REPLACED DRIVER SEAT ADJUSTER. PCM FUSE KEPT BLOWING OUT, DEALER REMOVED ENGINE COVER AND TRACED WIRE HARNESS, REPAIRED SHORTED HARNESS AT THE REAR OF THE TRANSMISSION. *SLC

POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH AND THEN THE POWER BRAKES DID NOT WORK. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER REPORTED POWER STEERING PUMP WENT AND OFFERED 50% ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. DEALER ALSO ADVISED THAT THE ALIGNMENT WAS SEVERELY OUT AND WOULD ALSO NEED TO REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES. WHEN DEALER WENT TO DO ALIGNMENT, HE NOW INFORMS US THAT THE STEERING COMPONENTS ARE BAD: PITMAN ARM, 2 INNER TIE RODS, AND 2 IDLER ARMS. DEALER CLAIMS THIS IS DUE TO LACK OF MAINTENANCE, I.E. GREASING. THIS IS THE SECOND ALIGNMENT WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE DONE ON THIS VAN (4/98 FIRST ALIGNMENT AND REPLACED FOUR TIRES AT THAT TIME ALSO. HAD THE VAN FOR 11 MONTHS??) WE FEEL THAT STEERING COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE FROM THE BEGINNING THUS REQUIRING TWO ALIGNMENTS AND TWO NEW SETS OF TIRES IN 40 MONTHS. I CALLED GM CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SERVICE 1-800-222-1020 AND THEY REPORT NO RECURRING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP. I WILL CALL ABOUT STEERING COMPONENTS. *AK

UPON MA STATE INSPECTION THE 2 FRONT IDLER ARMS WERE FOUND TO BE COMPLETELY GONE "TYPICAL OF BLAZERS AND ASTROS" THEY SAID. INDEPENDANT GARAGE FOUND THAT THE ARMS WERE EXTREMELY WORN FOR THIS MILAGE. ALSO THE FRONT DISK ROTORS ARE WORN PAST THE POINT OF SAFTY, AND A DETERATION OF THE COOLING AND SUPPORT FINS IS NOTED, THIS SEEMS ODD AS THE ROTOR PADS SHOW TYPICAL AND EVEN WEAR FOR THE MILAGE. THE ROTORS ARE EVENLY WORN, BUT EXCESSIVLY DEEP CUT. AT 15000 MILES THE PEDAL WENT COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR AT A STOP SIGN, OK ON SECOND PUMP, NEVER OCCURED AGAIN. I HAVE HEARD OF THIS AND I AM ALWAYS CAUTIOUS. BREAKS SOMETIMES ACT ODDLY BUT WORK OK. I STILL FEEL GREAT ABOUT CHEV VANS THOUGH MY ARM REST FELL OFF ?

OCCURANCE 1) ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE APPROCAHING AN INTERSECTION. THE RESULTING LOSS OF POWER CAUSED A SEVERE CONTROL PROBLEM WITH THE VAN. THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE WAS THE FUEL GUAGE READ 3/4 AND THE VAN RAN OUT OF FUEL. OCCURANCE 2) THE FUEL GUAGE HAS TOTALLY STOPPED FUNCTIONING, AFTER TOPPING OFF AND PROCEEDING ONTO HIGHWAY I DROVE FOR 1/2 HOUR AT 65, A SUDDEN SLAM OCCURED 2 OR THREE TIMES, APPEARED TO BE THE ENGINE CUTTING IN AND OUT, SLOWED TO 55 AND CONTINUED FOR 150 MILES WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. OCCURANCE 3) VEHICLE HAS NO FUEL GUAGE, I AM TOLD IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY, EVEN IF FULL THE VEHICLE SEEM TO LOOSE CONTROL MOMENTARALLY, AS IF TO LOOSE POWER.