1999 GMC Safari

1999 GMC SAFARI TRANSMISSION FAILURE. SEE GM TSB #00-07-30-002 DATED 11/2000. 1ST-2ND LATE SHIFT, REVERSE, 2ND, & 4TH GEAR CAUSED IMMEDIATE FAILURE. ALL REQUIRED TRANSMISSION SERVICE PERFORMED BY DEALER ON THIS VEHICLE. ROOT CAUSE IS THE KNOWN SUN GEAR SHELL FAILURE IN THE GM 4L60E AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE HAS 70,511 MILES. FILED GMC CUSTOMER COMPLAINT #1-366073225. *JB

THIS MORNING (5/4/05) WHILE DRIVING MY 1999 GMC SAFARI, I EXPERIENCED A JOLT AND A HIGH RPM REV AND A LONG 1-2 SHIFT. I GOT TO MY DESTINATION (1/4 MILE UP THE ROAD) AND THEN DISCOVERED THAT I HAD NO REVERSE. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO THE DEALER (A 6-MILE DRIVE). I NOTICED IN ADDITION TO NO REVERSE, THERE WAS ALSO NO OVERDRIVE (4TH GEAR). THE PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS FROM THE DEALER IS A FAILED SUN SHELL ASSEMBLY. THEY (THE DEALER) INDENTIFIES THIS AS A COMMON PROBLEM. TO REPAIR IT REQUIRES A MAJOR OVERHAUL A NEARLY $2000.00 REPAIR. I'M A MEMBER OF IATN (INTERNATION AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIANS' NETWORK) AND I DID A SERACH OF THIS CONCERN AND LEARNED THAT THIS IS A COMMON FAILURE. I ALSO LEARNED THAT GM HAS A TSB ON THIS CONCERN (I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER OR NATURE OF THE TSB). AT 6-YEARS OF AGE AND 88,000 MILES THIS (IN MY ESTIMATION) IS A PREMATURE FAILURE. THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN SERVICED (FLUSHED AND FILTER REPLACEMENT) TWICE IN THE PAST THREE YEARS AND HAS NOT BEEN ABUSED. I DO TOW TWO SNOWMOBILES IN THE WINTER, BUT THE WEIGHT IS BY FAR WITHIN THE PARAMETERS STATED FOR THIS VEHICLE. I CALLED THE GM SERVICE ASSISTANCE CENTER AND THE WOMAN ACKNOWLEDGED THE PATTERN FAILURE, BUT SAID THEIR "POLICY" FOR GOODWILL ASSISTANCE IS CAPPED AT 72,000 MILES, MY VEHICLE HAS 88,000 MILES. SHE WAS PREPARED TO OFFER ME SOME KIND OF VOUCHER TO BE USED TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF A NEW GM VEHICLE, BUT I'M NOT INTERESTED IN THAT. THERE'S CLEARLY A PRODUCT CONCERN, AND IF GM IS WILLING TO GIVE ME A DEAL ON A NEW CAR, WHY DON'T THEY GIVE ME A "DEAL" ON REPAIRING THIS ONE? ANYWAY, THAT'S MY COMPLAINT.

(1) NOTHING LEADING UP TO EVENT. SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE MOVED IN REVERSE ALTHOUGH THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS ABLE TO BE PLACED INTO R. ALSO, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT DRIVE SMOOTHLY IN ANY FORWARD GEARS. HOWEVER, IT WAS ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND SUBSEQUENTLY ABLE TO BE DRIVEN ONTO A TRANSPORT TRAILER FOR TOWING. (2) FORTUNATELY, THE FAILURE HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT AND NO ACCIDENT OR INJURIES WERE INCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS LOADED ONTO A U-HAUL VEHICLE TRANSPORT TRAILER AND TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION REPAIR FACILITY (OCEAN SIDE TRANSMISSION INCORPORATED LOCATED IN OCEANSIDE, CA). (3) TRANSMISSION WAS REPAIRED WITH SEVERAL PARTS REPLACED AT THE COST OF ALMOST $2000.00. TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP SAID THE SHELL WAS CRACKED AND "THIS VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION IS KNOWN FOR HAVING A WEAK SHELL". I HAVE THIS OLD PART AVAILABLE AND IT IS BROKEN INTO TWO PIECES APPEARING TO HAVE SHEARED APART. *JB

DEAR WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, LAST MONDAY(5-17-04) MY CAR WOULD NOT START. PRIOR TO THAT THE CAR WAS RUNNING FINE, IT HAS BEEN A DEPENDABLE VEHICLE. THE F- CONTROL HAD BROKE IN TWO. THE CAR CAN NOT GO INTO GEAR AND/OR CHANGES GEARS WITHOUT NOTICE WHEN THE F CONTROL IS BROKEN. THE CAR WAS TOWED THE NEXT DAY TO THE DEALER. IT WAS AT THE DEALER UNTIL FRIDAY(052104), DUE TO THE NEED TO ORDER THE F CONTROL PART. THE CAR SEEMS TO BE REPAIRED. I DO HAVE THE OLD PART. I AM NOTIFYING YOU DUE TO THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF LIFE IF A VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN WHEN THE F CONTROL BREAKS. I WAS PARKED AT THE TIME MY F CONTOL BROKE. I HAVE NOTIFIED GMC. I WILL ALSO NOTIFY CALIFORNIA SAFETY BOARD. SINCERELY, DANNA WILLIAMS. *AK

RED ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TRANSMISSION WAS JUMPING INTO GEAR, WITH 26,000 MILES, TOOK TO DEALER THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. TOOK TRIP TO FLORIDA RED LIGHT CAME ON TOOK TO AAMCO TRANSMISSION (36,000 MI) FOUND PROBLEM,850$, SAID THIS WAS COMMON WITH THIS VEHICLE. GMC PAID ME HALF, GOING TO COURT WITH DEALER FOR OTHER HALF. MY WARRANTY WAS OVER DUE TO YEARS. *AK