1997 Chevrolet Suburban

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS VERY ABRUPTLY FROM GEAR TO GEAR AFTER CAR IS DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR A LENGTH OF TIME (USUALLY 10 MILES OR MORE). DEALER HAS CHECKED THE TRANSMISSION AND EVERYTHING APPEARS FINE (NO ERROR CODES) BUT CONTINUES TO HAVE PROBLEM. LOOKS LIKE THE ECM IS BAD BUT BECAUSE THE CODES ARE NOT PRESENT, NO ONE IS WILLING TO DIAGNOSE. *AK

POWER STEERING IS UNRELIABLE, SURGE/INCREASE IN STEERING POWER IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO DEALER 5 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. FIRST TIME THE DEALER SAID ALIGNMENT WAS PROBLEM, NOT SO. SECOND TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING GEAR BOX, THIS FIXED PROBLEM FOR 4 MONTHS. THIRD TIME THE DEALER REPLACED POWER STEERING GEAR BOX, POWER STEERING PUMP AND FLUSHED LINES, THIS FIXED PROBLEM FOR 5 MONTHS. FOURTH TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE EVO SENSOR ON STEERING COLUMN, THIS FIX LASTED 15 MONTHS. FIFTH TIME THE DEALER STATED THAT THE EVO SENSOR MUST BE BAD AND WILL NOT REPLACE UNDER EXTENDED WARRENTY. AFTER MUCH INVESTIGATION, I FIND THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM SPECIFIC TO THE 1997 SUBURBAN WITH THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL ON THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM. THERE HAVE BEEN IN EXCESS OF 75 REPORTS OF THIS OR SIMILAR STEERING RELATED PROBLEMS. NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE THIS PRIOR TO THERE BEING ANY FATALITIES.*AK

THE FIRST TIME I HAD A PROBLEM WAS RIGHT AFTER I BOUGHT THE SUBURBAN, IT PULLED TO THE RIGHT. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS, BUT THEY EVENTUALLY ALIGNED THE TIRES ( WHICH THEY SAID IT WAS VERY UNUSUAL TO HAVE TO DO THAT FOR A BRAND NEW VEHICLE). OVER THE MONTHS AFTER THE ALIGNMENT, I DID NOT NOTICE ANY PROBLEMS. I CAN NOT TELL YOU EXACTLY WHEN MY CAR STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS. MY VEHICLE WOULD ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE A VERY LOOSE FEELING IN THE CONTROL OF THE STEERING. THINKING IT WAS JUST ME, I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT FOR AWHILE. I HAD TIRES PUT ON MY CAR AND THE STEERING FELT DIFFERENT (GOOD), I THOUGHT MAYBE IT HAD SOMETHING TO WITH TIRES AND IT WAS FIXED. EVENTUALLY THE STEERING STARTED DOING THE SAME THING, THE SUDDEN LOOSE STEERING. WE LIVE IN A RURAL AREA 40 MILES FROM OUR DEALER AND BY THE TIME I REALIZED THE PROBLEM WAS NOT NORMAL, AND I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE MY VEHICLE UP FOR A FEW DAYS, MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY (MILEAGE) SO I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT I USE, THEY DROVE IT AROUND ON THEIR ERRANDS FOR ABOUT TWO DAYS AND IT FINALLY DID IT FOR THEM. THEY WERE THINKING THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE GEAR BOX, BUT THEY CALLED GM TO CONSULT ABOUT THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY NEVER HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM AND THEY TOLD THEM ABOUT STEERING SENSOR PROBLEMS. ON 9/20/00, I GAVE THEM THE OK TO REPLACE THE SENSOR AND I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS AS OF THIS DATE. I AM REPORTING THIS TO YOU BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED FOR OTHERS THAT MAY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, IT IS A VERY SCARY FEELING WHEN THE STEERING CHANGES TO A LOOSE FEELING AND THINKING IF I WERE TO REACT TO AN INCIDENT, I WOULD PROBABLY OVERCORRECT BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM STEERING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. *AK

ABS ENGAGES AT SLOW SPEED IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS AND OCCASIONALLY FOLLOWING BRAKING WHEN CORNERING. DECREASE IN BRAKING DISTANCE ALSO NOTICED AS IT FEELS AS IF SLIPPING OCCURS IN BRAKES. GRINDING NOISE ALSO ATTENDANT TO THIS SITUATION. DEALER SERVICE REPLACED SENSOR AND HUB ASSEMBLY. BRAKES HAD BEEN REPLACED PREVIOUSLY AT 70,000 MILES, WHICH I CONSIDER TOO EARLY ON THIS VEHICLE. *AK