2002 Chevrolet Astro

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN RESERVE AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE BRAKES AND THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

TL. CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVY ASTRO VAN. CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 97,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 50,000. CONTACT STATED UPON PURCHASING THE VEHICLE FROM ENTERPRISE CAR RENTAL THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN BAD. CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP OVER 20 TIME MOST OF THE TIME FOR THE BRAKES. CONTACT HAS CRASH THE DUE TO THE BRAKES ON THE VEHICLE. CONTACT FEELS THATTHE VEHICLE WAS A LEMON UPON PURCHASE AND DOES NOT FEEL THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE ON THE ROAD. JO

ON MARCH 26, 2008, I TOOK MY 2002 CHEVY ASTRO VAN TO BE SERVICED. MILEAGE 93,829,I HAD NO BRAKES. THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AND WAS REPLACED. ON APRIL 12, 2008, ONCE AGAIN I HAD NO BRAKES, THIS TIME IT RESULTED IN ME GETTING INTO AND ACCIDENT. I TOOK THE VAN BACK TO THE SAME REPAIR SHOP. WHEN THEY PUT IT ON THE LIFT THEY SAID THE WHOLE BRAKING SYSTEM WAS MELTED UNTIL THE POINT OF THE HOSE BURSTING. HE SAID HE NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN HIS 20 YEARS OF SERVICE. THEY DID NOT WANT TO TOUCH IT STATING IT WAS NOW A LIABILITY TO THEM AND DIRECTED ME TO CHEVY. CHEVY CONCURRED, FOUR DIFFERENT PEOPLE SAID THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN OR HAVE A CLUE AT WHAT CAUSED THIS. THEY CALLED IN GM, WHO ALSO NEVER HAD SEEN THIS, BUT BOUNCED THE BLAME ON A QUESTIONABLY INSTALLED MASTER CYLINDER. CHEVY SAID THEY CAN REPLACE THE WHOLE BRAKING SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG, BUT SINCE THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS OR WHY FUSES DIDN'T BLOW TO PREVENT IT, IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. WE HIRED OUR OWN CAR CONSULTANT TO LOOK AT THE VAN, HE TOO HAS NEVER SEEN OR HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS. THE HEAT AND MELTED BRAKE LINES RAN CLOSER THAN 1/4 INCH AWAY FROM THE GAS TANK. I DO NOT WANT TO TAKE THE RISK OF DRIVING AGAIN WITH MY CHILDREN AND LOOSING BRAKES OR POSSIBLY IGNITING THE GAS TANK. *TR

OPERATED THE VAN FOR 30 MINUTES. PARKED IT IN A GARAGE AND SHUTOFF ENGINE. TEN MINUTES LATER THE GARAGE SMOKE ALARM SOUNDED. THE VAN HAD FILLED THE GARAGE FULL OF SMOKE. OPENED THE DOOR AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE TO REMOVE FROM GARAGE. DISPLAY REPORTED AN ASSORTMENT OF WARNINGS AND ENGINE STARTER FAILED TO ACTIVATE. OPENED HOOD TO DISCOVER FLAMES COMING FROM THE UNDERSIDE ON THE ENGINE. CALLED FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT AND MADE FIRST ATTEMPT TO USE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO STOP FLAMES FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. WENT UNDER THE VAN'S DRIVER-SIDE AND COULD NOW SEE THE SOURCE OF FIRE. EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE, THEN IT SHORTLY ERUPTED AGAIN. EXTINGUISHED AGAIN. PLACED THE KEY INTO THE STEERING COLUMN TO MOVE TRANSMISSION TO NEUTRAL, SO THAT I COULD PUSH THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE GARAGE. SPARKS IMMEDIATELY FLEW FROM THE DRIVER-SIDE UNDERSIDE AND RE-IGNITED THE FIRE. THE TRANSMISSION LEVER WAS NO LONGER ENGAGED TO THE TRANSMISSION (CONTROL WAS LIMP) AND THE KEY SEIZED IN THE COLUMN. WENT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE A THIRD TIME. AFTER THIS I REMOVED THE POSITIVE POWER LEAD FROM THE BATTERY TO STOP ANY FURTHER ELECTRICAL SHORTS. FIRE SUBSIDED. FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND ORDERED A WRECKER TO DRAG THE VEHICLE FROM THE GARAGE FOR SAFETY OF THE HOUSE. AT THIS TIME IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE FIRE HAD ALSO DESTROYED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM. THE PARKING BRAKE WAS SEIZED IN THE OFF POSITION. CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP REPAIR ORDER STATES AS FOLLOWS: "APPEARS EBCM SHORTED AND CAUGHT FIRE BURNING A HOLE THROUGH THE BRAKE LINE. PARKING BRAKE CABLE. SHIFTER CABLE AND WIRING HARNESS." THE EBCM FIRE NOT ONLY CAUSED THE LOSS OF NORMAL BRAKING OPERATION, THE POOR LOCATION OF UNIT AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE IT STARTED DESTROYED THE EMERGENCY BRAKING SYSTEM AND SEVERED THE CONTROLS TO THE TRANSMISSION. THIS LEAVES A DRIVER WITH A COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING FUNCTIONS AND NO MEANS TO SLOW THE VEHICLE THROUGH DOWN SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION. $6000 OF DAMAGE. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPLYING BRAKE PRESSURE AT VARIOUS LOW SPEEDS, THERE WAS AN INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCE, AND THE ANTILOCK BRAKES ACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL, # 05V379000, REGARDING THE ANTILOCK BRAKES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE ALERTED. UPDATED 12/15/2006 - THE DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT THE ASTRO WAS BUILD ON THE SAME FRAME AS THE SILVERADO WHICH WAS BEING RECALLED. *NM

I BEGAN HAVING A SITUATION WHERE MY ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM WOULD ACTIVATE AT SLOW SPEEDS <10 MPH SUCH AS WHEN PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE - THIS RESULTS IN THE VEHICLE GOING FORWARD FARTHER THAN IT NORMALLY WOULD - PLEASE NOTE THAT I DID NOT HAVE ANY ACCIDENTS. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHICH INDICATED THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THEY MAY BE ABLE TO CLEAN THE SENSORS OF CORROSION (THEY DID NOTE THAT THE SENSORS ARE LIGHTLY BUILT AND COULD BREAK REQUIRING REPLACEMENT DURING THE CLEANING PROCESS - WHICH THEY DID). I VOICED MY CONCERN TO GM VIA THERE CUSTOMER SERVICE SYSTEM THAT THIS FAILURE OCCURRED AT 42000 MILES ON A SAFETY RELATED SYSTEM (3 YEARS FROM IN SERVICE DATE - 6000 MILES OUT OF WARRANT). I CLEARLY INDICATED THAT I FELT THIS WAS A FLAW ON WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE A CRITICAL COMPONENT. AS OF THIS POINT - 1 WEEK LATER - GM'S ONLY RESPONSE WAS THAT MY CONCERN WOULD BE MADE KNOWN TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY. NO ACTION TO INFORM ME OF THE RECALL THAT I HAVE RECENTLY READ ABOUT WAS MADE, NOR WAS ANY ACTION TO COVER THE APPROXIMATELY $500 BILL. NOTE THAT THE RECALL THAT HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS DID NOT MENTION CHEVY ASTROS WHICH MY VEHICLE IS - HOWEVER THE PROBLEM SOUNDS IDENTICAL AND MY VEHICLE IS A TRUCK BASED GM VEHICLE WITH ALL WHEEL DRIVE AND ANTILOCK BRAKES - SIMILIAR TO ALL THE MODELS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL. *NM

THE CONSUMER'S ANTI-LOCK BRAKES DON'T WORK PROPERLY WHEN PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE OR UNDER 10 MPH. THE CONSUMER HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO GET VEHICLE TO STOP OR FOR WARNING BEFORE SLOWING DOWN. THE VEHICLE HAS ALL WHEEL DRIVE. THE CONSUMER PULLED FUSE FOR ANTI-LOCK BRAKE MANY TIMES, AND IT WORKED FINE WITHOUT THE FUSE. *AK *SB PULLING THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FUSE DEACTIVATED THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES CAPABILITY. WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FUSE IN, THE CONSUMER NEARLY RUNS INTO THE BACK OF VEHICLES WHEN STOPPING. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE INCIDENTS HAPPENS ONLY WHEN THE FUSE IS IN AND OCCURED THREE TIMES AT LOW SPEED FOR NO REASON.*SB *NM