Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | ||||||
| PE99073 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 12/03/1999 | 05/02/2000 | BATTERY LEAKS ACID | ||
| Odi has received 16 complaints where the owners allege that the standard gm factory supplied ac delco battery case failed, resulting in leakage of the sulfuric acid.of the 16 complaint vehicles, five suburban and three tahoes owners complainted about a loss of brake fluid resulting from deterioration of the right front brake line.the remaining eight complaints pertained to sulfuric acid leakage from the battery case.at least one complaintant stated that the replacement battery also failed. several of the complainants note that the leaking acid had come in contact with a wire harness at the frame in the vicinity of the steel bake line.a faield inspection by odi indicates that the described harness is the abs connection to the right front wheelspeed sensor.a preliminary evaluation is being opened for the following reasons: - to gather appropriate information on this matter in order to accurately assess the technical causes and resulting impacts on the vehicle's safety system(s); - to identify any defect trends and causality or correlation with other factors; and - to address any resulting public safety concerns and consequences. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 03/04/2011 | 167000 | ||
| 95 gmc surburban | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | |||
| 04/06/1998 | 01/01/1995 | ||
| Windshield wiper motor, hvac controls, door window motors (2), alternator, and radio failed between 50,000 and 75,000. battery died while truck undergoing hvac controls replacement. windshield motor failure occurred during storm--nearly catastrophic consequences. despite our repeated attempts, neither gm nor dealer has made good on any repair/replacement costs. | |||
| 1 | 01/01/1995 | ||
| No summary | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||
| 5 | |||
| Battery leaked due to a terminal connector bolt being too large, cracking the lead terminal on the battery, the battery leaked acid and led to electrical failure and corroded the wire connection in the battery, the battery eventually failed. *slc | |||
| 12/10/1999 | 30 | 05/01/1995 | |
| The abs system has always been a problem. one morning backing out of the garage after it had rained the night before, i gently braked and the car made a grinding noise and jerked abrubtly scaring all of us. it skidded ! up and down the driveway i did this and it jerked and skidded! we decided it was not safe. the store checked tires and brakes. this has happened again and again! the electrical problem has been ongoing. the dealer cannot figure it out, we're ok for a while - 6 mos. with a new battery and then were stranded somewhere cause its died. we just had the radio replaced because they said it had a short,well it was out of the car and it died again. they replaced the alternator it died yesterday! please help! | |||
| 12/10/1998 | 1 | ||
| While vehicle was at dealer for service dealer noticed a battery leak, causing loss of power. *ak transmission makes grinding noise. *yh | |||
| 05/14/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1995 | |
| Vehicle failed to start. upon further inspection the battery was bulging and acid was leaking within the rf side of the engine compartment. attempting to remove the battery for replacement the positive side mount terminal detached internally from the battery. further inspection revealed battery acid leakage had corroded the battery tray, rf internal wheel well, electrial connections, a/c hoses, rf steering parts and the rf brake line / hose. *ak | |||
| 01/01/1999 | 1 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Wtnh news reported 6/20/00 many instances of battery failure on 1995-1999 suburbans/tahoes. mine failed when only 4 years old after leaking acid in the engine compartment. the air conditioning lines were hit with the acid and may fail prematurely. cost to replace battery was $69. replacement of a/c lines will be $100-200 est. i have not replaced the a/c lines. | |||
| 03/06/1998 | 1 | 11/01/1994 | |
| The electric connector for the low pressure/ loss of fluid was not connected at the factory to the abs valve. the original battery leaked at the + post. the oem replacement battery did the same. after that i switched to an after market gel battery,optima brand and never had a problem with it. the factory installed trailer hitch platform started to faill when i was towing a 9000lbs trailer,showing a 3 to 4 inch crack in the right side bolted to the frame. all those failled parts were replaced at no charge by the dealer under either gmc warrenty or good will policy. *ak | |||
| 03/07/1996 | 2 | 12/30/1994 | |
| Pe99013, delco battery leaked, and caused acid to spray into the engine compartment. dealer replaced battery. *ak *ml | |||
| 03/01/1998 | 02/01/1997 | ||
| Original fitment battery leaked causing failure of positive terminal screw (vehicle would not start). extensive surface corrosion in battery area. at owner expense (battery out of warranty) acid neutraliser & sealant applied to affected areas, terminal replaced, battery replaced with aftermaket (exide) unit. after another 22 months (at 65000 miles), second battery failed with minor leakage, suspected due to overcharge. charge circuit checked ok by dealer. no report of corrosion or other brake system problem reported from dealer (ref. nhtsa action # pe99073). | |||
| 04/06/1998 | 01/01/1995 | ||
| Windshield wiper motor, hvac controls, door window motors (2), alternator, and radio failed between 50,000 and 75,000. battery died while truck undergoing hvac controls replacement. windshield motor failure occurred during storm--nearly catastrophic consequences. despite our repeated attempts, neither gm nor dealer has made good on any repair/replacement costs. | |||
| 1 | 01/01/1995 | ||
| No summary | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY - CABLES | |||
| 10/03/1998 | 1 | 02/01/1997 | |
| Positive terminal fell out of battery. acid leaked on battery tray. *ak | |||
| 09/18/1997 | 10/01/1995 | ||
| Consumer was traveling, cut vehicle off for a brief period, restarted the vehicle, the vehicle did not restart due to the battery cable which short out, causing a fire within the cable. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 01/22/2002 | 2 | 01/01/1995 | |
| Ignition system failed twice. when this happens the transmission does not shift properly, and remains in 2nd gear. the speedomoter doesn't work and the brakes lock up. the shift indicator light also goes out. i contacted two local gm dealers. both machanics knew exactly what was wrong, as they have many come in larely with this same problem. they knew the exact price and time it takes to put the part in because they have done so many of them lately. in fact, one of the mechanics replied that he is surprised they haven't recalled this part yet. he's replaced so many of them.*ak | |||
| 09/20/1995 | 3 | 12/01/1995 | |
| While going down the road at 65mph vehicle will just shut off, and brakes/ steering locked up, took to dealer and they replaced the injection pump five times, and now the problem was reoccurring again. *ak check the engine light came on, followed by loss of power and the dealer replaced injection pump, module on the pump, waste gate module but all were just bad guess. *yh | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 04/04/1997 | |||
| While driving the vehicle the engine shuts down for no reason. the computer module and the fuel pump were replaced in 4/97 because of problem . the compelte computer system was replaced last week. the problem is still exists. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 10/01/1997 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| Every week in this month a transmission had to be replaced because the transmission will not accelerate over 35 mph. *ak consumer also stated that starter was replaced as well as the torque converter.*jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 04/06/1996 | |||
| There was an eletrical fire which started from the electrical harness from under the seat. please describe. *ak | |||