Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 02115 | 01/01/2004 | 10007457 | Part number 15042486 leaf spring damper mentioned in technical service bulletin (tsb) 00-03-09-001a is not available. *mj | 06/23/2004 | |
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 02097 | 01/01/2004 | 10007458 | Part number 15042486 per bulletin 00-03-09-001a for the rear spring damper kit is currently not available. *mj | 06/23/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 170625 | ||
| On august 13th, 2003, i backed the van out of the garage, which has an about 2 inch drop. while making a left turn, i could feel the tire scraping. by the time i got out of the car,the drivers' side was almost on the ground. i had the vehicle towed to the nearest garage, where we have most of our work done.i thought it was the strut, but it was the torsion bar. we had to replace both torsion bars. the mechanic told me that the replacement bars were different from the originals. i checked around and was told, that both had to be replaced, the prices were about the same. i wrote to gmc, and told them they knew there was a problem with the torsion bars, otherwise the replacements would not have been different. on the 4th of sept. we received a phone call from them. there had been a recall 01036, but our vehicle is too old , so they are no longer responsible. where can i find out when this recall was, since we've owned the safari since 1999, and never received a recall for this problem.in the five years we've had this van, we have spent more than $3000.00 on repairs, not counting regular maintenance. | |||
| 08/15/2003 | 94000 | ||
| Left side torsion bar snapped when driving. the repair shop changed both left and right side torsion bars and arms even though the right side was fully functional. gm's parts department stated that this was a manufacturing design problem and thus i had to change both sides. this has apparently been a problem with other same model cars as well. i feel that if that is the case, then they should recall all cars because it poses a serious safety hazard. | |||
| 03/15/2002 | 66000 | ||
| Windshield wipers do not operate - recalled - dealer claims it was repaired, now wipers operate whenever it feels like it. both torsion rods failed without warning within 1 day apart of each other. mechanic revealed that gm now has a special technique to be done when this happens and it costs an extra $90 to repair. which means they are aware of the problem and will not recall the vehicles and replace at their cost. broken spark plug almost killed my family. fuel pump went out. driver's side window does not roll down, driver's side view mirror does not operate. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 08/17/2004 | 96000 | 1 | 10/18/2000 |
| Torsion bar broken | |||
| 2 | 10/26/1998 | ||
| While turning or backing out of a parking space or making a turn steering wheel would make a loud noise. *ak consumer states he took vehicle to dealership and was advised that both front tie rod ends were loose and the vehicle could not be aligned properly which was causing abnormal tire wear on the front, consumer had the parts replaced and the vehicle was realigned, consumer was advised that idler arms were not buiilt strong enough. *jb | |||
| 07/15/1996 | 7 | ||
| Vehicle pulls hard to right, excessive effort to maintain control, all speeds, dealer has made several attempts to correct problem, still exists. *ak | |||
| 5 | |||
| When driving the car it pulls to the right hand side. *ak | |||
| While driving low to high speeds experienced intermittent front suspension failures, vehicle wanders all over road, right to left, dlr's replaced steering gear box, tires and realigned vehicle six times, dlr can't correct, problem persists. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - UPPER BALL JOINT | |||
| 03/21/2004 | 100000 | 1 | |
| While driving 45 mph front upper ball joints broke. as a result, vehicle swerved out of control. consumer was able to gain control and stop. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - TORSION BAR | |||
| 06/26/2006 | 132890 | 1 | 06/21/1997 |
| Gmc safari van was parked in driveway, next morning it was discovered that the front had collapsed and was just 2 inches off the pavement, inner fenders were touching the tires. discovered that the torsion bars had failed, dealer said repairs will be $1000, part has been redesigned and has a new mounting kit to go along with new torsion bars . vehicle is used as second family car and driven by daughter for school and work, luckily failure occurred while parked. *nm | |||
| 1 | |||
| While driving 25 mph consumer heard a booming noise coming from the front of the vehicle. consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle, and pulled over. consumer noticed that passenger side torsion bar broke. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the torsion bar needed to be replaced.*ak | |||
| 09/13/2003 | 1 | 04/29/2002 | |
| When coming to a complete stop, the vehicle hit a pothole, causing the left side of the torsion bar to break. *ak while driving slowly approaching a stop sign, the left side of the van had dropped down on the left tire and caused the vehicle to stop suddenly. the tire rubbed on the fender and caused the consumer to steer hard, then the torsion bar snapped. *scc *jb | |||
| 08/03/2003 | 103265 | 1 | 05/30/2000 |
| While traveling at 65 mph drivers side torsion bar inexplicably and without warning broke. entire vehicle shuddered and pulled sharply to the left. fortunately for my passengers and myself i was able to quickly regain control and come to a safe stop. this is a serious safety issue. such a failure could easily result in serious injury or death. since the torsion bar failure i have been told by different mechanics they break all the time and it is a design flaw. i understand that general motors is aware of the problem and has redesigned the affected parts. this is a far more serious and dangerous issue than those addressed by other recalls on this vehicle (seatbelt warning buzzer and windshield wiper motor failures). in the interest of safety for all owners, passengers and anyone in the proximity of the affected vehicles i believe a recall is in order.*ak | |||
| 07/02/2003 | 1 | ||
| The consumer heard a loud bang. front right side was very low to the ground. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on 7/7/2003 who repaired the torsion bar. *ak | |||
| 06/30/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving torsion bar broke on the front left side of the vehicle down on the front tire. the consumer stated that gmc needs to notify the customers about the defects of how bad of a design the torsion bars are. *ak *cb | |||
| 07/11/2002 | 1 | 06/01/2096 | |
| The driver side torsion bar failed, causing left front end to hit the ground, and loss of control. no damage other than failed torsion bar.*aki | |||
| 07/26/2001 | |||
| While driving slowly torsion bar broke and front of vehicle fell on tires. contacted dealer, and dealer had 3 of the same vehicles in for the same problem.*ak | |||
| 08/05/2001 | 1 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Both torsion bars broke at 60 mph causing front of vehicle to drop on tires.vehicle skidded to a stop with no steering.had vehicle towed to nearest dealer.service tech.said this was normal wear and tear.called gmc and they agreed with dealer.i ask dealer for the broken torsion bars and had them anylized by a metal lab tech.his opinion was that the bars had stress cracks from the metal being defective.if this is normal wear and tear after only 5 years gm has a major safety hazard driving on your highways daily.how many traffic accidents,injuries or deaths are required before an investigation is started. | |||
| 08/03/2001 | |||
| While pulling out of the driveway consumer heard loud cracking noise. then, front of vehicle hit the ground. dealership informed consumer that torsion bar had broken, and had to be replaced. parts were ordered, but were incorrectly designed for that particular vehicle. both sides had to be replaced because design has changed. mamufacturer has been contacted. but, refused to repair vehicle under warranty or customer's satisfaction. please provide further details. *ak | |||
| 07/15/2001 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| This part failed without warning while the vehicle was parked. i was told by two different mechanics that both torsion bars must be replaced per the manufacturer because the torsion bar design has been changed since this vehcile was manufactured. it was also pointed out that the original 2 piece design rusted prematurely at the point where both components meet. the area in question was subject to moisture and salt accumulation and was not readily detectable until the untire suspension component failed. the cost for the repair is close to $1,000.00. gmc claims that there are no recall campaigns for this component. after some local research, i found that this problem is fairly common. most technicians that i have spoken with agree that this part is not a wear item and if properly desinged should last the life of the vehicle. general motors should consider recalling these components on all gmc safari and chevrolet astro vans. *ak | |||
| 06/16/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1999 | |
| After returning home we heard a loud bang in the garage. we went out and the van was heading downwards in the front. we thought maybe a tire blew. the driver's side torsion bar broke. after looking on the internet, we realize how many safaris this has happened to. luckily we the four of us (2 kids, ages 3&6) were not in the vehicle when this blew as it could have been fatal.*ak | |||
| 06/17/2001 | 1 | 05/01/1999 | |
| Front end torsion bar fell of vehicle. dealer was contacted. *ak consumer found that dealers have been told to grease the cup that the torsion bar knuckle goes into, this would stop the build up of road grime and help stop rust from forming on the knuckle, consumer is angry that he was never told this, he does all his maintenance at his residence, this could have caused a serious accident. *slc | |||
| 01/24/2001 | |||
| Front torsion bar broke while backing out of driveway. manufacturer was notified. please feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak | |||
| 07/01/2000 | 1 | ||
| While parked right torsion bar snapped in half which could have caused a loss of vehicle control. dealer could not determine the cause. dealer had to replace 2 torsion bars at consumer expense. common problem. *ak | |||
| 07/11/2000 | |||
| While vehicle was standing with the engine running front of the van fell to the ground. van was towed to the dealership. dealership found two torison bars broke in half. dealer stated that this is a common problem. please provide any further informaton.*ak | |||
| 06/10/2000 | 0 | ||
| Consumer was traveling about 15mph and heard a knocking and booming noise, torsion bar broke. vehicle's front end just dropped down to the ground. no prior warning. *ak | |||
| 06/04/2000 | |||
| While van was parked in the driveway torision bar on the right side collapsed. van was in the driveway for about 1/2 when this happened. van was towed to dealership for repairs. please provide any furhter information. *ak | |||
| 03/10/2000 | 3 | 11/01/1996 | |
| While driving at highway speed, the front end torsion bar broke, causing the front end to collapse. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||
| 08/01/2001 | |||
| Vehicle collasped to the ground without warning. took vehicle to dealer, and they stated that stablizer bar had broken. fatigue and stress will cause stabilizer bar to break. also,, idle arms have been replaced 4 times. driver felt this was very unsafe when traveling a lot. *ak | |||