NHTSA Complaint #10357467 — 2002 GMC YUKON XL 1500

I PURCHASED A 2002 GMC YUKON XL 2 DAYS AGO, SOLD "AS IS" WITH NO WARRANTY. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SPEEDOMETER ARE THE LIGHTS THAT INDICATE THE POSITION OF THE SHIFTER (PARK, REVERSE, NEUTRAL, OVERDRIVE, AND GEARS 3,2 AND 1) AND ALSO THE ODOMETER READING. THESE INDICATOR LIGHTS WORKED FINE DURING THE TEST DRIVE BUT BECAME INTERMITTENT ON THE DRIVE HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE SINCE THEN. YOU LOSE ALL INDICATION OF WHAT GEAR YOU ARE IN AND OF THE ODOMETER READING. THIS PROBLEM COULD LEAD TO A DRIVER SHIFTING GEARS IMPROPERLY AND UNSAFELY, SUCH AS SHIFTING INTO A FORWARD GEAR IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THE REVERSE GEAR IS INTENDED OR SHIFTING INTO REVERSE WHILE DRIVING AND SEEKING OVERDRIVE AFTER BEING IN A LOWER GEAR. I HAVE NOW BEEN TOLD BY A FEW DEALERS THAT INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURES ARE SOMEWHAT COMMON IN YUKON XLS AND ARE COSTING AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT $700 TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WHEN ONLY A SINGLE GAUGE IS HAVING AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. SINCE THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE COMMON AND CAN EFFECT SAFETY, AS IN THE EXAMPLES I GAVE ABOVE, PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM AND SEE IF A RECALL/MANUFACTURER FIX IS WARRANTED. I JUST INVESTIGATED DRIVER COMPLAINTS AROUND THE INTERNET AND FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ABOUT YUKON XL SPEEDOMETER FAILURE/INTERMITTENT, FOR INSTANCE. IF A DRIVER DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SPEED HE IS TRAVELING AT HE IS A LESS SAFE DRIVER AND A POTENTIAL HAZARD TO OTHERS. EXCESSIVELY SLOW DRIVERS AND EXCESSIVELY FAST DRIVERS CAN BOTH CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN TRAFFIC, AND IN RURAL AREAS THERE MAY BE FEWER, IF ANY, DRIVERS ALONGSIDE TO HELP GAUGE THE NORMAL SPEED THAT IS APPROPRIATE. ALSO A VEHICLE COULD UNEXPECTEDLY FAIL OR STALL IN TRAFFIC, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT, IF A DRIVER IS UNAWARE OF AN EXTREMELY LOW BATTERY OR LOW FUEL, ETC. INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT FOR SAFETY IN MANY WAYS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE PROBLEMS WITH INTERMITTENT AND FAILURES IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS USED IN 2002 GMC YUKON XLS. (MINE IS A 1500). *TR