2004 Chevrolet Tahoe

ON THE DATE IN QUESTION MY TEENAGE SON AND GIRLFRIEND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A STOP SIGN WHEN, WITHOUT ANY WARNING LIGHTS OR OTHER WARNING OF ANY KIND, THE OVERHEAD SIDE RAIL AIRBAGS ON BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE DEPLOYMENT SIMULTANEOUSLY AND THE SEATBELTS LOCK UP. FORTUNATELY THE KIDS WERE NOT PHYSICALLY HARMED. GM WAS CONTACTED AND THEY ARRANGED AN INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE INCLUDING RECOVERY OF THE ENCRYPTED BLACK BOX DATA WHICH CONFIRMED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN MOTION AND THERE WAS NO EXPLANATION FOR THE DEPLOYMENT. AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS WE WERE FINALLY TOLD THE ENGINEERS HAD CONCLUDED THAT THE SENSORS HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO A LOT OF WATER DAMAGE AND WERE SEVERELY CORRODED. THEY AUTHORIZED A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE SMART MODULE, EVERY AIRBAG SENSOR, SEAT BELT HARDWARE AND ALL INCIDENTAL DAMAGE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. I SUBSEQUENTLY SUBMITTED A CLAIM TO GM FOR MONEY DAMAGES IN MARCH-APRIL 2013, AND RECEIVED A CALL IN , REGARD TO THIS TWO WEEK AGO. GM OFFERED A FEW MEAGER ITEMS TO TRY AND SETTLE THE DISPUTE, AND IN THE PROCESS OF THIS LATEST DISCUSSION, WE WERE ADVISED FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT NOT A SINGLE REPORT MADE MENTION OF ANY WATER OR CORROSION DAMAGE, BUT THE ENGINEERING REPORT FOUND INSTEAD THAT INADEQUATE DOOR PADDING IN ALL FOUR DOORS FROM THE FACTORY ALLOWED THE SENSORS TO VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY, THUS CAUSING THE DEFECTIVE DEPLOYMENT. SHE ADMITTED THAT GM HAD SEVERAL SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH CERTAIN VEHICLES LIKE OURS MADE DURING A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER WE SPOKE WITH OUR ORIGINAL CLAIMS REP WHO DENIED EVER TELLING US THAT WATER DAMAGE AND CORROSION WERE CULPRITS. SHE CLAIMED TO HAVE MADE THE REPAIR DECISION ON HER OWN THE FIRST TIME AND SHE WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY ENGINEERING REPORT REGARDING DOOR PADDING. SINCE FEBRUARY MY SON HAS CONTINUED TO DRIVE A VEHICLE WITH A SERIOUSLY DEFECTIVE AIR BAG SYSTEM. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON E-470 WESTBOUND NEAR QUEBEC WHEN THE CAR SHUTDOWN COMPLETELY. NO POWER. THE CAR THEN WOULD NOT START AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A COMPUTER CHECK. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP, AFTER A WEEK, WHEN I WAS HAVING IT TOWED TO MY MECHANIC FOR THE REPAIR, I DECIDED TO TRY TO START IT AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. I DROVE IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO CHECKED THE FUEL PUMP AND SAID IT WAS FINE. THEY COULD NOT FIND A REASON WHY THIS HAPPENED. SAME WITH ANOTHER MECHANIC. SINCE THEN (I HAD OWNED THE CAR FOR 5 MONTHS AT THAT POINT) THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR MORE TIMES, THE LATEST ON MAY 9TH. AGAIN IT'S BEEN TOWED AND AGAIN I AM TRYING TO FIND A PERMANENT SOLUTION. I AM NOW FINDING OUT THE PASSLOCK ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS AND CUTS OFF FUEL TO THE PUMP BECAUSE THE CAR THINKS IT IS BEING STOLEN. I HAVE ALSO LEARNED IT HAS BEEN A COMMON PROBLEM IN MANY GMC MODELS OVER MANY YEARS. SOMETIMES THE PASSLOCK SYSTEM CAN BE RESET (THOUGH THAT HAS NEVER WORKED FOR ME). THE ONLY WAY TO PERMANENTLY FIX THE PROBLEM IS TO DISABLE THE PASSLOCK ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM. THESE SYSTEMS SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THESE CARS. I WOULD RATHER MY CAR BE STOLEN THEN SHUT DOWN AT 65 MPH OR WHEN MY WIFE IS DRIVING HOME FROM DOWNTOWN DENVER AT 10:30 AT NIGHT THROUGH NOT SO GREAT PARTS OF TOWN. *TR

MY WIFE AND I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE NEW. IT WAS ALWAYS KEPT IN A GARAGE AND DRIVEN VERY LITTLE. AS OF TODAY IT ONLY HAS 30,000 MILES ON IT. TO BEGIN WITH, ON OR NEAR MARCH 2007 AFTER EXITING THE VEHICLE I NOTICED A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE. I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND I SAW A FAIRLY HEAVY DRIPPING OF GAS FROM THE TOP OF THE GAS TANK. I DROVE IT TO A MECHANIC THAT I HAVE BEEN USING FOR MANY YEARS. HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD A HARD TIME FINDING WHERE THE GAS WAS COMING FROM BUT WITH A MIRROR , HE WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE FUEL PUMP OR WHAT HE CALLED THE FUEL SENDING UNIT. HE SAID IT APPEARRED TO BE COMING FROM THE PUMP IN THR TOP OF THE TANK AND THAT IT WAS BADLY RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I CALLED THE DEALER FROM WHO WE HAD BOUGHT THE TAHOE AND ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS TO THIS. THEY SAID NO. I SHOULD ALSO TELL YOU THAT THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT HE HAD REPLACED MANY OF THIS SAME TANKS. HE SAID IT WAS BUILT IN SUCH A WAY AS TO BE SHAPED LIKE A BOWL AND THAT THE WATER JUST LAID IN IT. IT COST ME 750.00 TO GET A NEW FUEL SENDING UNIT PUT IN. ABOUT 4 YEARS LATER, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED. THE ENTIRE TOP OF THE PUMP WAS RUSTED OUT AND AGAIN GAS LEAKED OUT . ENOUGH GAS LEAKED OUT TO ALMOST COVER MY ENTIRE GARAGE FLOOR. THIS REALLY KIND OF SCARED ME. EVEN JUST ANY KINK OF A SMALL SPARK AND NOT ONLY ME BUT MY HOLE HOUSE WITH FIVE OTHER PEOPLE NOT MIGHT OF GOT HURT, WITH THIS MUCH GAS WE WOULD HAVE BEEN DEAD.. AGAIN I CHECKED FOR RECALLS OF WHICH THERE WERE NONE AND ENDED HAVING AGAIN A NEW FUEL PUMP INSTALLED. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING THAT HE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM THE FUEL PUMP. THE FAILURE WAS NOTICED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS ADVISED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED TWICE FOR THE SAME FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CYLINDER HEADS FRACTURED ON THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE OVERHEATED. THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC AND IT WAS FOUND THAT COOLANT LEAKED INTO THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT IF THIS CONTINUES THE ENGINE WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 117,000. *TR

LAST OCTOBER, WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 CHEVY TAHOE LT, THE TACHOMETER ON THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED AFTER AN ACCELERATION EVENT AND NEVER FUNCTIONED AGAIN. SINCE IT WAS THE TACHOMETER ELEMENT, IT DID NOT RAISE ANY SIGNIFICANT CONCERN, ONLY DISAPPOINTMENT. HOWEVER, ON 3/15/2013, THE ANALOG OIL PRESSURE GAUGE NEEDLE WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT ( INDICATING FAILURE, I ASSUME) AND THEN ON 3/30/2013, THE SPEEDOMETER BEGAN TO FUNCTION ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS AND CONTINUES TO DO SO. AFTER READING SOME OF THE 341 COMPLAINTS ON LINE, I CANNOT BELIEVE GM GETS A PASS ON A CRITICAL SAFETY/LEGAL COMPONENT LIKE THE CLUSTER GROUP AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. IN GENERAL, WHAT AUTHORITY DOES THE NHTSA HAVE IN COERCING AUTO MANUFACTURERS TO ISSUE RECALLS IN THE U.S.? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE, BUT THEY WOULD CHANGE THE MODULE AND SENSOR TO SEE IF THE REPAIR WOULD CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WAS 89,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET TAHOE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT RESPOND. THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL UNTIL THE BRAKES BECAME RESPONSIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THAT THE BRAKE HYDRO BOOST EXHIBITED A LEAK AND WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V045000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) BUT WAS ADVISED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.

THE SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATED OVER A PERIOD OF 2-3 DAYS, THEN STOPPED WORKING. I CALLED A MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD THIS IS A "KNOWN PROBLEM" WITH THIS VEHICLE AND THAT THERE WAS A CAMPAIGN. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS CAMPAIGN HAS LONG EXPIRED. THIS IS AN EXPENSIVE SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE DRIVER CANNOT TELL HOW FAST THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING. IT SHOULD BE A SAFETY RECALL. *TR