NHTSA Complaint #10070809 — 1997 CHEVROLET TAHOE

TRANSMISSION: I BELIEVE THE PART IS CALLED THE REVERSE DRUM IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR WOULD NOT REVERSE AND HAD A DIFFICULT TIME SHIFTING FROM 1RST TO 2ND. THE FIRST TRANSMISSION WENT OUT AT 32,700 MILES AND REPLACED BY GM (UNDER WARRANTY) WITH REBUILT TRANSMISSION FROM FACTORY PER GM, FOR SAME PROBLEM, SHIFTING AND REVERSE. SINCE CAR MANUFACTURED IN 1997 THIS IS IT'S THIRD TRANSMISSION AND IT HAS LESS THAN 66K MILES ON IT AND IS USED 99% OF THE TIME FOR OPEN ROAD TRIPS ONLY. WHEN I HAD THIS PROBLEM AGAIN I WAS DRIVING ON AN OPEN HIGHWAY (ROAD TRIP). PER REPAIR SHOP MECHANIC: REVERSE DRUM WAS DEFECTIVE, CHEAPLY BUILT AND CONSTRUCTED TO FAIL. ALSO, MY VEHICLE TRANSMISSION WAS THE MECHANIC'S 16TH CHEVROLET TRANSMISSION REPAIR FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ON CHEVROLET VEHICLES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. HE KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS WHEN I EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED RE: NOISES, AND HOW IT DROVE, REVERSE ETC... AND HE VERIFIED SAME BY THE TRANSMISSION CHECK AND WORK PERFORMED. HE SAVED THE PART FOR ME, WHICH I HAVE IN MY POSSESSION. GM WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THE COST OF REPAIRS SINCE I DECIDED NOT TO LET THEM TEAR THE TRANSMISSION DOWN @ $300.00 COST TO ME TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM, AND , IF I DECIDED I WANTED SOMEONE ELSE TO DO THE WORK, THEY WOULD HAVE TO COME PICK THE BROKEN DOWN TRANSMISSION AND HAUL IT AWAY TO WORK ON IT. IN THE EVENT I WOULD HAVE THE DEALER DO THE WORK, THEN IT WOULD HAVE COST ME APPROX. $3,000.00 WORST CASE SCENARIO, AND MAYBE GM WOULD ASSIST BUT NOT SURE IF THEY WOULD HELP OR NOT OR AT WHAT LEVEL. SINCE THEY REPAIRED THE FIRST TRANSMISSION AND IT WENT OUT AT APPROX. 32K MILES AFTER THAT, I DID NOT HAVE A COMFORT LEVEL THAT THEY WOULD DO A GOOD JOB OR THAT IT WOULD BE REPAIRED. I WAS STUCK ON A ROAD IN THE EARLY EVENING WITH MY ELDERLY MOTHER AND MY SISTER IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME UPON OUR RETURN FROM A DAY AND EVENING TRIP TO RUIDOSO NM, LOCATED APPROX. 2.5 HOURS FROM MY RESIDENCE WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT.