1996 Chevrolet Blazer

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH DOWNHILL ON WET PAVEMENT, THE ACCELERATOR SUDDENLY DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR. MY FOOT WAS ON THE PEDAL LIGHTLY AT THE TIME, AND THE PEDAL MOVED FROM BENEATH MY FOOT. I ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE ACCELERATOR HAD APPARENTLY OVERRIDEN THEM. MY SPEED WAS NEARING 90 MPH WHEN I RESORTED TO TURNING OFF THE ENGINE, AND COASTED TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER. THIS SEQUENCE OF EVENTS SPANNED ABOUT 20 SECONDS. AS THE VEHICLE NEARED ITS STOP, I HEARD THE ACCELERATOR POP FREE. WITH THE ENGINE OFF, BOTH PETALS THEN SEEMED TO DEPRESS NORMALLY, SO I DROVE TO THE NEAREST AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP. ALL APPEARED TO BE NORMAL UNDER THE HOOD AT THAT POINT. I CONTACTED GM ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AND THOUGH THEY EXPRESSED SYMPATHY, THEY TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, THERE WAS NOTHING THAT I COULD DO. I WAS EXTREMELY FORTUNATE THAT MY YOUNG CHILD WAS NOT WITH ME, THAT THE ROADS WERE NOT ICY (IT HAD RECENTLY SNOWED), THAT THERE WAS NO NEARBY TRAFFIC IN THE VICINITY, AND THAT I DID NOT PANIC. I WAS, HOWEVER, SCARED OUT OF MY WITS. THIS SITUATION OCCURRED SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER OUR LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP PERFORMED ABS RECALL MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLE, AND I CANNOT HELP BUT WONDER IF THE TWO EVENTS ARE RELATED. I HAVE NOTICED THAT OTHER CONSUMERS HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN THE RECENT PAST. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE SEEING A GROWING PATTERN, AND IF GM PLANS TO TAKE ANY ACTION. THIS IS MY WINTER VEHICLE; IT HAS ONLY 24,000 MILES ON IT AND I NOW FEAR GETTING BEHIND ITS WHEEL, ESPECIALLY UNDER ADVERSE WINTER CONDITIONS.*AK

BRAKE FAILURE, POWER BRAKE BOOSTER FAILED AND MY COULD NOT STOP THE CAR EXCEPT WITH BOTH FEET USING ALL THE STRENGTH SHE HAD. LUCKY SHE DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ABOUT 35 MILES/PER HOUR AND THER WAS NO TRAFFIC AT THE TIME. IF THERE HAD BEEN A CAR STOPPED IN FRONT OF HER SHE WOULD HAVE HIT IT BECAUSE SHE COULD NOT STOP THE CAR. VERY DANGEROUS SAFETY CONDITION.*AK

VEHICLE WAS PUT IN FOR RECALL ON ABS SYSTEM. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. WAS RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND WAS CHECKED AGAIN. SOME TIME LATER THE LIGHT WAS GOING ON AGAIN AND WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY HOOCKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER AND THEY SAID THERE WERE AT LEAST 10 DIFFERENT CODES IN THE SYSTEM AND THEY WOULD NEED TO START WITH THE FIRST THING AND WORK THROUGH TO FIND OUT THE PROBLEM. THE LIGHT SEEMS TO GO ON WHEN THE TRUCK IS IN REVERSE AND WHEN YOU STEP ON THE BRAKE HARD AT 5 MPH THEN PUT IT IN DRIVE IT SEEMS TO GO OUT. IS THERE A WAY THAT THIS CAN BE CHECKED OUT WITHOUT THE TRUCK BEING TAKEN FOR A WEEK OR IS IT THE WHOLE COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT IS FAULTY?*AK

THE CAR HAD MADE A NASTY NOISE SINCE ABOUT 30K MILES. WE BROUGHT THIS TO THE DEALERS ATTENTION MORE THAN ONCE, BUT THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM. WE HAD THE CAR LUBED, ALIGNED, REPLACED TIRES, ETC. WE LIVED WITH THE NOISE, ASSURED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. THEN LAST SUNDAY MY WIFE TURNED INTO OUR DRIVE, AND THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL DETACHED AT THE LOWER BALL JOINT. HAD SHE BEEN GOING FASTER, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. CHEVROLET SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM, AND BALL JOINT FAILURE IS NOT UNUSUAL. I DISAGREE AND CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS DEFECT, AS AT MODERATE SPEED THIS KIND OF FAILURE WOULD RESULT IN A ROLLOVER.*AK

DEXCOOL IN RADIATOR COOLING SYSTEM HAD TURNED TO A RUSTY SLUDGE. HAD COOLANT FLUSH DONE AT 60,000 MILES BY THE DEALER. HAD DEALER REINSPECT VEHICLE AS I WAS GOING ON A LONG ROAD. I HAVE COPY OF 27 POINT INSPECTION STATING MY VEHICLE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION WITH NO NOTED PROBLEMS. 261 MILES LATER I WAS STRANDED IN THE DESERT WITH A PLUGGED AND BLOWN RADIATOR AND HEATER CORE. THE RADIATOR CAP WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED. THE FLUID IN THE OVERFLOW TANK WAS A RUSTY BROWN THICK MESS. THE HOSES GOING INTO THE RADIATOR HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A COATING OF RUST ON THE INSIDE. I HAD A NEW RADIATOR PUT ON, NEW HOSES, AND THE RADIATOR AND ENGINE BLOCK REFLUSHED, NEW COOLANT ADDED AND OVERFLOW TANK WASHED. 1,500 MILES LATER (TO THE CURRENT MILEAGE I AM AT NOW) THE DEXCOOL FLUID IS ALREADY DISCOLORING AND PARTICLES OF RUST ARE STARTING TO REAPPEAR. WHICH TELLS ME THE CORROSION IS DEEP INSIDE THE SYSTEM. GM WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE A PROBLEM OF RUSTING AND CORROSION, DEALER WILL TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR WORK OR INSPECTIONS. GM NEVER WARNED THE CONSUMERS THAT THIS HAD TO BE CAREFULLY WATCHED OR MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE WOULD OCCUR. GM HAS A TRAINING VIDEO THAT WAS SENT TO DEALERS THAT SPECIFICALLY DEALS WITH THE DEXCOOL CORROSION PROBLEM. IT IS CALLED GM TRAINING VIDEO UNDERSTANDING RADIATOR CAP AND COOLING SYSTEM CONTAMINATION. THEY ARE CLAIMING THE RADIATOR CAPS MAY HAVE A PROBLEM PROPERLY SEALING THE RADIATOR THUS CAUSING HIGH EVAPORATION AND THUS CONTAMINATING THE COOLING SYSTEM. IF THEY ARE AWARE OF THIS WHY WAS THE CONSUMER NOT INFORMED? HOW CAN GM NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DAMAGE THAT IS BEING DONE TO A LARGE AMOUNT ON THEIR VEHICLES. THEY ALSO CLAIM THAT THE RADIATOR DESIGN ON CERTAIN TYPES OF THEIR VEHICLES MAKE THEM MORE PRONE TO THE CORROSION CONTAMINATION, SUCH AS THE BLAZER, JIMMY, ST PICKUPS, CAMAROS. THAT IS WHY NOT ALL GM PRODUCTS THAT WERE DELIVERED ORIGINALLY WITH DEXCOOL HAS HAD A PROBLEM.