Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 010863004 | 12/01/2004 | 010863004A | 10017439 | Creaking or popping type sound from front end or suspension when driving over bumps or in tight turns. *tt | 11/08/2005 |
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||||
| 06186 | 10/01/2007 | 10023633 | Special coverage adjustment - front suspension crossmember corrosion. *nj | 01/17/2008 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | ||||||
| EA06018 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 10/30/2006 | 12/03/2007 | FRONT SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER CORROSION | ||
| In october 2007, gm initiated a special coverage program for all my 1999 through 2004 chevrolet tracker vehicles sold or currently registered in salt-belt states.the program extends the warranty coverage for front suspension crossmember corrosion to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever occurs first.gm is administering the program in phases due to part availability.the first phase started in october 2007 and covers the my 1999 and 2000 vehicles.owners of my 2001 through 2004 vehicles will receive letters at a future date, but are eligible to receive free repairs from the program if the crossmember requires replacement.gm's program provides free inspections for consumers every 12 months through the terms of the policy adjustment.copies of the dealer bulletin and owner letter for gm's special coverage program are attached to the closing report for this investigation. the rate of confirmed lca separations at 5 years in service is less than 10 per 100,000 vehicles, which is low relative to other investigations of front suspension issues previously investigated by odi. accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted. see document file for additional information regarding this resume. | ||||||
| PE06021 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 06/12/2006 | 10/30/2006 | CROSSMEMBER CORROSION FAILURE | ||
| On september 15th, 2006 general motors (gm) submitted information regarding approximately 128,000 model year (my) 1999 -2001 chevrolet tracker vehicles.according to gm, these vehicles were manufactured with front crossmembers designed and made by suzuki that can rust from the inside out because of insufficient corrosion protection.the design of the crossmember limited the coverage of paint on the interior surfaces during the painting process.in march 2006 suzuki made design changes to the crossmember to enhance the coverage of paint to the inside of the part. gm indicated that when operated in areas of the country that use road salt for de-icing, over time water and salt/mud can accumulate inside the crossmember and cause crevice corrosionthat can lead to perforation.these perforations at the front control arm brackets can cause the front suspension to become partially detached from the vehicle. gm provided vehicle test data showing that crossmembers that fail in this manner do not cause a loss of vehicle control and, therefore, do not represent an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea06-018) to further assess the safety consequences associated with the alleged defect condition. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 11/06/2012 | 143000 | 1 | |
| Front suspension crossmember rusted through , with out worning all most causing me to lose control of the vehicle. thank goodness i wasn't going 60 mph , this is a very dangerous defect !! *tr | |||
| 11/06/2012 | 143000 | ||
| Front suspension crossmember rusted through , with out worning all most causing me to lose control of the vehicle. thank goodness i wasn't going 60 mph , this is a very dangerous defect !! | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 85000 | ||
| Front suspension cross-member of my 2000 chevrolet tracker has corroded through the heavy gauge metal adjacent to a support bolt and risks affecting the structural integrity of the vehicle. this is a heavy gauge structural member that should not have rusted through. severe rust-through is the result of improper metal surface treatment by the manufacturer and needs to be recalled. please force the manufacturer to address this safety-of-life issue on these vehicles as a catastrophic collapse of this component, if it occurs during driving, results in wheel collapse because this member supports the wheels a-frame. i estimate this rusting has been ongoing since 2009 even though i just saw it in 2012. i base this on the fact that in 2012 there was a hole rusted through the cross member that i could fit my thumb through however, holes of this size usually take a few years to develop and i never noticed it previously. this means that sub-surface rusting was occurring for a few years with surface rust obscuring this, which explains why the hole was not visible until just recently (when the surface rust collapsed, it exposed the hole beneath it). | |||
| 03/21/2012 | 88500 | ||
| Front suspension cross member rusted completely through on passenger side. suspension a arm completely disconnected from cross member. handling severely degraded. | |||
| 12/20/2011 | 90000 | ||
| Front suspension crossmember corrosion service bulletin #06186 10/17/2007 not being honored by gm. states out of age parameters. purchased new still owned by original owner. barnes chevrolet where purchased, went out of business in 2007 - owner never notified of crossbar issue. garage kept since new. now being used by 19 year old college student working her way through college. gm case number 71-1021471764. oscar at gm states this vehicle was not one of the vin numbers included in the special bulletin (not a recall). escallated to cathleen, his supervisor. she stated not included but offered a $1000. voucher to buy a new car (duh - a college student cannot afford a new car if she cannot afford the $2000. repair bill - mom & dad cannot help) tried to go above cathleen but her district manager does not speak to regular customers. (???). all i want of got gm to pay the repair bill and for new brakes that were replaced 1 year ago but ruined by this fault. good mechanic found the issue before she was injured in an accident! | |||
| 02/12/2010 | 135800 | 1 | |
| There is no incident so far. but according to my mechanic, one hit on a pothole could cause it to break/crack. from service campaign bulletin given to me by my mechanic-front suspension crossover corrosion on 2000 chevy tracker. i am less than 2 months past the coverage, 10 yrs or 150,000 miles. my truck was from 12.15.99 chevy will not honor recall, says it's not a recall even though there are several complaints of damage & serious accidents occurring because of this defect. *tr | |||
| 01/19/2010 | 86000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet tracker. while driving 45 mph the contact heard a noise and the vehicle pulled to the right. the contact was able to continue driving the vehicle; however, the driver found rust on the front cross member and it was broken. the a-arm has began to separate from the cross members. the dealer confirmed that the vin was not included in the recall. the contact stated that he was responsible for ordering the bolts needed to repair the vehicle. the failure mileage was 86,000. updated 02/17/10. *lj the consumer stated it was discovered that his vehicle was included in the recall and the dealer repaired the vehicle free of charge. updated 02/18/10 | |||
| 03/21/2007 | 149739 | 1 | |
| 2000 chevy tracker rusted right front control arm bracket. consumer states that there is a hole totally through the crossmember. she also states that the front end assembly was loosened due to this rusting. *kb the consumer was denied reimbursment, because according to cheverolet, the oart that was included in the special coverage was not replaced and also the repair was not made by an authorized chevrolet dealer. | |||
| 09/11/2007 | 1 | 03/18/2001 | |
| On wednesday 9-5-07 i was driving on the interstate when my tracker started making a cluncking sound and started veering to the left. when i would stop and begin to accelerate again it would grab and then drive normally. today 9-11-07 while driving at a rate of 45mph my car began to shake all over. i lowered my dring speed to 35 and when i stopped at a light the vehicle now vibrating and grabbing to the right. as if my brakes were going out. i had to drive no faster than 20 mph to the auto mechanics shop. he looked under my vehicle and at that point my front cross member fell off. he said he was shocked and never saw anything like this. the entire cross member was completely rusted and i was in serious danger driving this car. now that i have had this problem i am without a vehicle for 3days due to the time frame needed for ordering this part. it will cost $350 for the part only not to mention whatever labor will be so my question who is responsible for this -wouldn't it be gm. i drive my granddaughter in this vehicle everyday. so nothing will be done to recall this car part until a serious accident occurs and results in death. is that what i'm understanding? how many of us have to be effected by this problem-can we ban together for help? my car is garaged, not driven alot of miles per year and taken very good car of and my front cross member rusts and just falls off. i would like this looked into by someone. does anyone else want to discuss this with me? please respond as soon as possible. thank you *tr | |||
| 12/03/2005 | 100000 | 1 | 02/01/2002 |
| Dt: the contact stated when lifting the vehicle to perform brake repairs the front suspension frame support that holds on the a arm rusted. he could not drive the vehicle . there have been no repairs made to the vehicle. *ak the consumer has since paid for the repairs. updated 01/11/06. *jb | |||
| 04/14/2001 | 10 | 07/01/2000 | |
| Car veers to rt when brakes hit. does not ride on wet roads at all. notice no trackers on lot gmc is aware of the cars problems but just quite making to prevent paying damages. there are numerous defects with this model. to included seat belt especially the ones in the back. the air bags catch fire when they come out, my rt side of face is still numb a=, also the brakes lock, i've reported this on the survey they sent to no avail. you have to control the car very well if there is any kind of wind blowing. i know they are aware of all the defects, but just got away with this one. *jb ***dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****744626 | |||
| 06/18/2001 | 1 | 03/10/2001 | |
| Wet conditions cause vehicle to wander across the road. dealer notified, and informed consumer to contact nhtsa. seeking help from nhtsa in this matter. *ak consumer states she has not been able to stop at stop signs or stop lights during wet conditions and has almost caused an accident. *slc | |||
| 05/31/2000 | |||
| Stability of vehicle wa uncertain . consumer wasn't aware of this at the time of purchase. vehicle has tipped over beyond its capability, was unable to go over 50 mph without feeling like it was moving all over the road by the wind. manufacturer will buy back vehicle if not repairable. , dealer has confirmed it, but hasn't contacted the consumer. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 08/02/2011 | 177554 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet tracker. while driving at approximately 45 mph and depressing the brake pedal the vehicle began to pull to the left. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the mechanic stated there was corrosion found on the front lower control arm bracket and crossmember. the manufacturer was contacted and stated there was a special coverage extending the warranty for the front suspension and crossmember corrosion but the vin was not included. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 177,554. ds | |||
| 12/16/2010 | 100000 | ||
| I was backing up down a short lane of 25 feet or less. i heard a loud popping sound. i then pulled out onto a major highway (us-41). i traveled aproximately 1 mile, coming upon a stoplight, the light turned red, upon applying my brakes, the vehicle suddenly pulled drastically to the left, at which time the right brakes locked up, the left brakes, did not work at all. i proceeded very cautiously home ( a trip of 15 miles). at which time i took the vehicle to my mechanic, after his evaluation of the vehicle, and a very brief road trip, informed me of something he has never seen in his 25 years of being a mechanic) the crossmember that supports the upper and lower control arm was rusted thru. this caused the irratic steering, and the loss of abilitty to control the vehicle during a braking situation.this vehicle does have a recall (06186) but i was never notified! i have owned this vehicle since it was new, if i was notified, i would have definately had it checked, since it is a vehicle my wife drives during the winter. general motors should notify owners of this vehicle about this problem it is dangerous........no questions | |||
| 02/23/2010 | 109000 | 1 | |
| 2000 chevrolet tracker hard top corroded suspension front cross member, noticed the steering was not right when i would tap the brake-pulled to the left--had it checked and the 2 front cross members were completely rusted out and hanging down! i called gmc and they refused to help saying its not been reported and i had too many miles on my car, 109,000. i researched the internet and gmc has fixed this problem on vehicles over 150,000 miles under special circumstances-safety issue. i also found recalls on same vehicle-but soft top not hard tops. i want them to fix my vehicle because this is a safety issue and this tracker is barely 10 years old. gmc knows about this, i have saw where this has been investigated in 2007 by you, and if not fixed someone could seriously get hurt! *tr | |||
| 02/12/2010 | 135800 | 1 | |
| There is no incident so far. but according to my mechanic, one hit on a pothole could cause it to break/crack. from service campaign bulletin given to me by my mechanic-front suspension crossover corrosion on 2000 chevy tracker. i am less than 2 months past the coverage, 10 yrs or 150,000 miles. my truck was from 12.15.99 chevy will not honor recall, says it's not a recall even though there are several complaints of damage & serious accidents occurring because of this defect. *tr | |||
| 07/12/2008 | 105450 | 1 | |
| The lower control arm rotted away from the subframe on my tracker while i was driving. there was a special coverage issued by gm but they are refusing to honor it as it was not a recall and my title is a salvage title. (the care was deemed road safe at the time ohio title was issued by the ohio state highway patrol) special coverage number is 06186. chevy admits it is due to improper corrosion treatment in that area they will only honor special coverages on salvage vehicles if it is an emission issue not a general safety issue unless of course it is upgraded to a recall. *tr | |||
| 04/24/2008 | 80000 | 1 | |
| I am writing to complain about my 2000 chevrolet tracker. the driver's side front lower arm has rusted through and broke and the left side is also cracked. this vehicle is not that old that the frame should break. it is at a garage to fix the driver's side that has broke. it will cost approximately $400.00 to fix. *tr | |||
| 11/02/2007 | 1 | 10/25/2007 | |
| The front crossmember is horribly rusted. the previous owner(s) looked to have welded extra support to the area that the crossmember attaches to the control arm. i originally thought the previous owner hit something, but upon closer inspection there is no damage as the result of a collision. i just noticed this today, and do not at all feel safe driving anywhere until this is fixed. a 7 year old vehicle should not be rusting frame parts off!! *tr | |||
| 05/27/2007 | 144389 | 1 | 06/29/2002 |
| Front suspension cross member rusted through on my 2000 chevrolet tracker 4x4. causing me to swerve out of my lane when braking at a stop light. right front a-arm attachment point completely detached from cross member. *tr | |||
| 03/10/2007 | 164000 | 24 | |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 2000 chevrolet tracker. the vehicle shakes violently at speeds of 45 mph and above. the vehicle veers to the left. there are no warning indicators. the failure mileage was 164,000. a goodyear dealer replaced the front brake rotors and cylinders, but the shaking continued. another mechanic diagnosed the failure as the crossbar being completely rusted. the contact had not repaired the vehicle. the current and failure mileage were both 164000 miles. left message 10/16/07 . *lj | |||
| 12/28/2006 | 82595 | 1 | 11/22/1999 |
| The car pulled left and started shaking and had trouble stopping. *jb | |||
| 08/23/2006 | 65000 | 1 | 08/05/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 40 mph on a dry city road, the vehicle veered to the right and struck a pole. the driver sustained minor injuries, and the contact was not in the vehicle. there was a police report taken at the scene. the vehicle was towed to the insurance lot. the insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. although, the vehicle was not inspected by a mechanic, the insurance company assumes the front passenger axle fractured. | |||
| 08/22/2005 | 92000 | 1 | 09/01/1999 |
| Dt: the front cross member control arm mount rusted , and it broke loose while the consumer was driving. it did not cause an accident. there had been front end noises, and the consumer took vehicle to the dealer. they replaced the left front stabilizer link. the part that broke loose was on the right side. the vehicle was currently at the dealership being repaired. *ak updated12/27/05. *jb | |||
| 12/15/1999 | 6 | 10/08/1999 | |
| Severe vibration while driving from 32 up to 45 mph. vehicle been in/out of dealer shop on 6-7 occasions, and was unable to correct problem. *ak gas pedal was clicking, dealer replaced throttle valve control. consumer complained of a noise under the hood, dealer replaced the catalytic converter. dome light bulb was replaced. windshield blade was worn, dealer replaced. serpentine belt was causing a squealing sound, dealer replaced. dealer has repaired brakes and muffler thinking these 2 components could be related to vibration, however neither were the cause of the vibration. *slc | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | |||
| 10/17/2007 | 185000 | 1 | 09/11/2003 |
| I was pulling out of driveway and heard a snap pulled it back into driveway called my mechanic i was afraid to drive it found out it was sub frame. wasn't going to get it fixed and just park it until a week later i got a safety notice is what gm is calling it in the mail that said their was not sufficient corrosion protection on the vehicle and this problem could happen if not inspected and that i should have it checked well i already had it checked prior to the notice. and when i went to have it fixed as per the notice told me to do. the local chevy garage and gm told me that i was passed the mileage cut off for this. in frustration i gave away the vehicle to my sister. why is their a cut off for mileage if this is a gm mistake and now they expect me to pay more than $1000.00 to get this repaired. *tr | |||
| 12/16/2006 | 78981 | 1 | 12/13/2006 |
| Car began to shake violently @ 35 mph. control arm mounting bracket had separated from front cross-member. front cross-member had progressive corrosion specifically at the control arm bracket location. replaced with a new front cross-member. digital photos available of part with separation while on vehicle. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||
| 09/24/2007 | 72000 | 1 | 07/01/2003 |
| 2000 chevrolet tracker 4 door suv. pass side front cross member rotted out and front control arm dislocated, car would not steer, front wheel on pass. side turned in while left wheel stayed straight. i strongly disagree with chevrolet's findings that it will not lose control, i was fortunately only going 25 mph when it happened. this truck is only 7 years old and only has 72,000 miles on it. the rest of the suv is in mint conditon. this should not have happened. the chevy dealer was unable to help me, as was gm because there is no recall. *tr | |||
| 08/24/2007 | 89000 | 1 | 12/21/1999 |
| The problem rusted subframe member causing total separation of the control arm bracket from the subframe the information posted below actually comes from the nhtsa's defect investigation section, and appears to still be under investigation by nhtsa.. after reading the information below..and experiencing the loss of control while trying to stop when the bracket broke loose..i have two comments..1. does someone have to die before this issue is taken seriously? and 2. if i'm not mistaken..it appears gm has already admitted to the defect and suzuki, the manufacturer of the defective part has already made design changes is this not enough of an admission of the problem to force a recall???? nhtsa action number: pe06021 summary: on september 15th, 2006 general motors (gm) submitted information regarding approximately 128,000 model year (my) 1999 -2001 chevrolet tracker vehicles. according to gm, these vehicles were manufactured with front crossmembers designed and made by suzuki that can rust from the inside out because of insufficient corrosion protection. the design of the crossmember limited the coverage of paint on the interior surfaces during the painting process. in march 2006 suzuki made design changes to the crossmember to enhance the coverage of paint to the inside of the part. gm indicated that when operated in areas of the country that use road salt for de-icing, over time water and salt/mud can accumulate inside the crossmember and cause crevice corrosion that can lead to perforation. these perforations at the front control arm brackets can cause the front suspension to become partially detached from the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 10/06/2004 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Front control arms rusted out. the frame member which they were attached to rusted out. consumer contacted the manufacturer, who would not claim responsibility for this defect. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER ARM | |||
| 10/06/2004 | 65000 | 1 | |
| Front control arms rusted out. the frame member which they were attached to rusted out. consumer contacted the manufacturer, who would not claim responsibility for this defect. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 03/26/2007 | 3 | ||
| This is the 3rd time my abs malfunctioned due to the right rear axle bearing going bad. the axle bearing keeps going bad, causing the abs sensor to read incorrect information. this resulted in either the abs light coming on and therefore shutting off the abs system or the abs kicked in every time i stopped the car even though there were no brake problems. eventually, the bearing will be completely destroyed and need to be changed. then the abs worked fine again until the next time the bearing went bad. what kept causing this bearing to go bad? $500+ each time it needed to get fixed. they did not manufacture new rear ends for this car anymore so thatwas not an option unless i go used.*ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 28700 | 6 | 07/13/2000 | |
| The key did not come out of the ignition. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and the ignition switch was replaced. the consumer noticed a burning smell. the dealer stated that the reservoir for the 4-wheel drive was burning oil. *ak the ignition problem was a common problem with gm vehicles. the drive train developed a noise, metal was found in the rear end, the steering shaft mechanism broken and allowed the key to go back into the lock position, the fuel gauge was intermittent, and the a/c was inoperative. *sc *jb | |||