NHTSA Complaint #10147378 — 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN

OUR 1999 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN HAD AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THAT BEGAN SLIPPING FROM 800 MILES. EVERY TIME MY WIFE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT, NOR COULD THEY DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE SLIPPING ONLY HAPPENED PERIODICALLY AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY COULD HAVE DUPLICATED IT. SHE WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THIS MAY BE SOMETHING THAT IS NORMAL WITH A COMPUTERIZED TRANSMISSION. MAYBE IT WAS JUST A DELAY. WELL, ON DEC 27, 2004 OUR TRANSMISSION DECIDED TO ACT VERY STRANGE AND WOULD NOT SHIFT BEYOND 3RD GEAR. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND IT WAS LOCKED UP IN 3RD GEAR. AT THIS POINT THE CAR WAS A YEAR AND A HALF AND APPROX 33,000 MILES PAST WARRANTY. THE DEALER NEEDED TO SPEAK TO GM ABOUT ANY WARRANTY COVERAGE SINCE IT WAS BEYOND THE WARRANTY. GM SAID THEY WOULD ONLY COVER HALF OF IT SINCE IT HAD NOT BEEN BROUGHT IN REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION IN APPROX 26,000 MILES. IT HAD CONTINUED TO SLIP BUT THE INFO GIVEN TO MY WIFE WAS THAT MAYBE THIS WAS NORMAL, SO SHE HAD NOT ADDRESSED IT FURTHER. THEN WE ENDED UP NEEDING A NEW TRANSMISSION AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT COMPLETELY. NOW HERE WE ARE A YEAR AFTER THAT AND I FIND BUNCH OF SERVICE BULLETINS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM, NOR WILL I BE THE LAST. I BELIEVE THAT THIS INFO SHOULD BE RESEARCHED AND LOOKED INTO. IT JUST DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT. TO TOP THIS OFF MY BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION IS ALSO DOING THE SAME SLIPPING AND I CAN GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL TAKE IT IN EVERY TIME IT SLIPS, NO MATTER WHO SAYS IT MAY BE NORMAL. *JB