I JUST LEARNED THAT A GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLE SECURITY SYSTEM (SPECIFICALLY MODEL VSC 3000) WHICH WAS SOLD TO BUYERS OF NEW GM CARS DURING THE 2004 MODEL YEAR, AND WHICH WAS WARRANTED AND REPRESENTED AS A FACTORY GM SYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDED A GM LOGO-ED OWNERS MANUAL AND GM PART #, IS NO LONGER MANUFACTURED, AND THAT PARTS FOR SAME ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE NATIONALLY. IF THIS SECURITY SYSTEM FAILS, AND/OR IF THE REMOTE TRANSMITTER FAILS, THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO THE CONSUMER IS A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AT OWNER EXPENSE FOR PARTS AND LABOR. AS WELL IF THE SYSTEM FAILS, OWNERS COULD FIND THEMSELVES LOCKED OUT OF THEIR OWN AUTOMOBILES AT A CRITICAL TIME. GM HAS FAILED TO IMPLEMENT A RECALL ON THIS SYSTEM AND HAS NOT ATTEMPTED TO NOTIFY THE OWNERS OF AFFECTED VEHICLES THAT THEY ARE DRIVING GM CARS WITH UNREPAIRABLE, OBSOLETE SECURITY SYSTEMS. I BELIEVE THAT GM SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND REPLACEMENT OF THESE SECURITY SYSTEMS WHICH WERE SOLD TO CONSUMERS ON GOOD FAITH AS RELIABLE, WARRANTEED, GENUINE GM PARTS. I SPOKE TO GM TODAY AND THEY ARE TAKING A HANDS-OFF APPROACH. THEY TOLD ME IF ENOUGH OWNERS COMPLAINED THEY MIGHT CONSIDER A RECALL BUT THERE IS NO LOGICAL REASON FOR AFFECTED OWNERS TO BE AWARE OF THIS OBSOLESENCE UNTIL THEY EXPERIENCE A PROBLEM WITH THEIR SECURITY SYSTEM AT WHICH TIME IT WOULD BE TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. IT IS ALREADY TOO LATE. I FIND GM'S POSITION OUTRAGEOUS AND IRRESPONSIBLE. I OWN A 2004 MONTE CARLO PURCHASED NEW WITH SAID SYSTEM IN
1995 GMC S Series complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1995 record →
HORN STOPPED WORK. WENT TO TAKE DAUGHTER TO GET LICENSE AND IT DIDN'T WORK. CHECKED FUSES AND STILL DID NOT WORK. I TOOK TO THE DEAL AND THEY SAID I HAD TO GET THE HORN MODULE AND AIR BAG REPLACED. I HAVEN'T HAD THE CAR THREE YEARS YET. *NM
PURCHASED CAR NEW AT END OF 97 MODEL YEAR. WITHIN FIRST SIX MONTHS RETURNED CAR SIX TIMES DUE TO DEFECTIVE SWAY BAR BUSHINGS. PROBLEM HAS NEVER BEEN CORRECTED. CAR CLUNKS AS IT IS EITHER TURNED TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT OR TRAVELS (SLOWLY) OVER SPEED BUMPS. ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCED PAINT PEELING FROM OUTSIDE MIRRORS, RADIO VOLUME CONTROL PROBLEMS, RADIO/CLOCK DISPLAY WORKS ONLY PART OF THE TIME, RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MOUNTING BROKE AND SLID PASSENGER INTO DASHBOARD, 2 DOOR SPORT COUPE-BOTH POWER WINDOWS MOTORS HAVE BROKEN AND BEEN REPLACED. THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW JUST BROKE FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO YEARS. PASSENGER WINDOW HAS ALSO STARTED TO ACT SLUGGISH. DISCOVERED LEAKY INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET. ANOTHER EXPENSIVE REPAIR. RAIN LEAKS INTO CAR AROUND WINDOW GASKETS WHICH ALSO MAKE A HISSING SOUND AT SPEEDS OVER 45 MPH. CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN WITH CARE FOR NINE YEARS(ODOMETER=80,000 MILES) AND HAS HAD OIL CHANGES, TIRE ROTATIONS, ETC. COMPLETED ACCORDING TO SCHEDULE. OWNER CANNOT AFFORD ADDITIONAL COSTLY REPAIRS ESPECIALLY SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE GOING DOWNHILL FROM HERE. DISGUSTED WITH PROBLEMS AS WELL AS WITH LACK OF SERVICE FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT PONTIAC DEALERS. OWNER CANNOT AFFORD TO BUY A [DECENT] NEW CAR AND WILL HAVE TO PURCHASE SOMETHING USED. MAKE NO MISTAKE- IT WON'T BE A GM PRODUCT! *NM
ABOUT A WEEK AFTER BUYING THE CAR, MY BREAK LIGHT COMES ON AND MY BRAKES STARTED GRINDING AND THE CAR STARTED TO SHAKE, I TOOK THE CAR IN AND HAD THE BRAKES REPLACED AND WAS ALSO TOLD I PROBABLY HAD AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM BUT THEY COULDN'T FIND OUT FROM THE DIAGNOSTICS TEST. ABOUT TWO WEEKS LATER I HAD TO GO BACK WITH SAME PROBLEM. NOW, AS IN TODAY, 6 MONTHS LATER, THE SAME THING IS GOING ON. NOW I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY I SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR HAVING TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM AGAIN. *NM
THE WIPERS DO NOT ALWAYS WORK. THERE SEEMS TO BE A SHORT OF SOME KIND IN THE SYSTEM. I CAN GET THEM TO WORK BY MANUALLY MOVING THEM SOMETIMES. ALSO I'M HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORKING. I HAVE REPLACED THE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY TWICE. AGAIN IT SEEMS TO BE A SHORT IN THE SYSTEM, THEY WORK ON AND OFF, ITS VERY DANGEROUS. *NM
AT SOME POINT, I TRIGGERED MY ALARM SYSTEM BY NOT USING THE REMOTE KEY AND MANUALLY UNLOCKED MY CAR DOOR. RIGHT AFTER, I TRIED TO RESTART MY CAR, AT WHICH TIME IT CRANKED, BUT DID NOT START. SINCE THIS INCIDENT OF TRIGGERING MY ALARM, I HAVE BEEN DAILY REMINDED OF THIS.. WITH THE CRANK, NO START. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT I NEED A PCM (POWER CONTROL MODULE) WHICH THEY REPLACED BUT TO NO AVAIL. TWO DAYS LATER, THE CAR WAS CRANK/NO START AGAIN AND AGAIN. *JB
FOR THE SECOND TIME MY 1999 CHEVY S-10 PICKUP HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE TRANSMISSION SHOP BECAUSE I HAVE LOST SECOND GEAR AND REVERSE. THIS IS A COSTLY REPAIR, THE FIRST TIME IT COST ME $1,600.00 TO REPLACE A $44.00 PART BECAUSE THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE OVERHAULED. THE TRANSMISSION IN THE CHEVY IS MADE WITH INFERIOR PARTS AND SHOULD BE RECALLED TO HAVE ALL THE GEARS REPLACED. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT WHEEL HUBS AND A MOTOR. THE S1-S OF THIS ERA NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED AND THE CONSUMER SHOULD BE PROTECTED!! *NM
2002 GMC SIERRA 1500 P/U W/4.3 LT. V-6, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE A/C CONDENSATION LINE COVERED THREE TIMES WITH THE FOAM INSULATION FROM MY DEALER. THEY ALSO HAVE TO CLEAN THE CORROSION FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR, REMOVE THE SCREEN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE DISTRIBUTOR, CLEAN THE SPARK PLUGS AND REPLACE THE CAP AND ROTOR ON EACH OCCASION. MY TRUCK IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP AGAIN TO HAVE THE DISTRIBUTOR REPLACED. THIS IS AT A COST OF AROUND $680.00 TO REPLACE THE DISTRIBUTOR , NEW PLUGS DUE TO FOULING AND WIRES. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH GENERAL MOTORS AND TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES REGARDING THE TEMPORARY FIX (BAND-AID). THE AIR CONDITION CONDENSATION LINE IS LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE DISTRIBUTOR AND THEY REFUSE TO MOVE IT. IT HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY APPARENT THEIR REPAIR IS NOT A FIX BUT A TEMPORARY SOLUTION TO GET YOU OUT OF WARRANTY. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL SENT TO ME BUT DOES NOT SHOW IN YOUR LISTINGS FOR THE SUBJECT VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY DANGEROUS, YOUR VEHICLE USUALLY GIVES NO SIGNS BEFORE LEAVING YOU STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. MY QUESTION IS WHY THE DEALER GETS AWAY WITH A TEMPORARY FIX AND NOT A RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM ? I BELIEVE THE AIR CONDITION CONDENSER LINE SHOULD BE RELOCATED AWAY FROM THE DISTRIBUTOR ALTOGETHER. GMC IS WELL AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND RECTIFIED THE RE-ENGINEERING OF THE A/C LINE ROUTE IN THE 2003 MODELS. *NM
BRAND NEW TRUCK, HAVE OWNED ALMOST 1 YEAR. HAD TO TAKE TRUCK IN FOR SLOW ACCELERATION PROBLEM AS WELL AS HARD TO CRANK. COULD NOT PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC, HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THERE WAS NO ONE ON THE ROAD BECAUSE I WOULD TRY TO ACCELERATE THEN IT WOULD STOP/PAUSE FOR A SECOND THEN START TO GO AGAIN. TOOK MY TRUCK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHICH THEY FOUND ONE OF THE HEADS IN THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. (WHICH AT FIRST THEY TOLD ME I HAD A SLOW MISFIRE ON PISTON #2 AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE A SPRING AND A COIL) A MONTH LATER I FINALLY GOT MY TRUCK BACK. ONE WEEK LATER I HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE SO I TOOK MY TRUCK BACK TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD MY OIL WAS LOW SO THEY TOPPED IT OFF (DIDN'T WORK BY THE WAY). STILL HAVING HARD TIME CRANKING PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY. TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY KEPT MY TRUCK FOR 4 DAYS AND SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT EXCEPT A LOOSE STARTER BOLT THAT THEY TIGHTENED. TRUCK STILL CRANKING FUNNY BUT WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING FURTHER THEY COULD DO FOR ME. *JB
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1995 GMC S Series → · Every S Series year → · How the figures are calculated →