NHTSA Complaint #10124662 — 2002 GMC ENVOY

WHILE CRUISING AT HIGHWAY SPEED (65 MPH) MY 2002 GMC ENVOY SUDDENLY MADE A LOUD CRUNCHING NOISE AND LOST FORWARD MOTION. THE ENGINE REVVED UP, THEN DOWN, THEN TURNED OFF (WHILE MULTIPLE DASH WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY). I MANAGED TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD WITHOUT THE HELP OF POWER STEERING OR BRAKES, AND AFTER A FEW MINUTES I STARTED IT BACK UP AND FOUND I COULD DRIVE OFF ONLY AT LOW SPEED ON THE SHOULDER, THOUGH THERE WAS CONTINUED NOISE FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR AND IT WAS ERRATICALLY PERFORMING. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE CAR TO A MECHANIC WHO DISCOVERED THAT INTERNAL PARTS IN THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED. THE MECHANIC ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THERE IS A GMC TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ABOUT THIS AND IT IS A COMMON/FREQUENT PROBLEM. THE TSB RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PARTS. THE MECHANIC SAYS THAT REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION IS THE ONLY SAFE THING TO DO. THE LOCAL GMC DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAYS THAT DESPITE THIS BEING A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS, IF YOU ARE OUT OF WARRANTY (I AM) GMC WILL NOT ADDRESS THE ISSUE. CATASTROPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE IS BAD ANYWHERE, BUT ON THE INTERSTATE CAN BE DEADLY. IF ANYONE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING ME MORE CLOSELY WE WOULD HAVE CERTAINLY CAUSED A PILE-UP.