NHTSA Complaint #739109 — 1997 CHEVROLET PICKUP

THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM STARTED EARLY (@3500MILES), BUT DID NOT SUFFER A COMPLETE FAILURE UNTIL 1/99 AT 53478 MILES AND AGAIN AT 110000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP LIST IT AS A BROKEN SUN GEAR SHELL. THE BATTERY BEGAN LEAKING ACID AT THE POSITIVE CABLE CONNECTION CREATING SOME KIND OF MELT DOWN THAT LOOSEN THE CONNECTOR BEYOND REPAIR AND CAUSED POWER FAILURE. THE DRIVE SHAFT HAS BEEN CLUNKING SINCE @3500 MILES, BUT EVERYTIME I TAKE IT IN THE DEALER JUST LUBES THE DRIVE SHAFT SLIP YOKE, BUT THIS DOES NOT FIX IT. THE FUEL PUMP HAD A COMPLETE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND JUST SHUT DOWN TOTALLY. IT HAD TO BE TOWED. THE THERMOSTAT HAD TO BE REPLACED WHEN THE TRUCK STARTED OVERHEATING WHILE DRIVING. THE STEERING PROBLEM HAS YET TO BE TOTALLY SOLVED. THE TRUCK STEERING SEEMS TO SLIP OR OVERSTEER WITHOUT ANY WARNINGS SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE DRIVER TO RUN OFF TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT DEPENDING ON WHICH DIRECTION YOU TEND TO BE STEERING AT THAT MOMENT.. FIRST IT STARTED OCCASSIONALLY, THEN BECAME MORE FREQUENT. I HAVE REPLACED THE POWER STEERING BELT, WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE DECREASED THE FREQUENCIES, BUT HAS NOT TOTALLY CURED THE PROBLEM. ANY HELP YOU HAVE ON THIS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.