1997 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN Suspensionfront Problems

I OWN A1997 CHEVY SUBURBAN LT. WE ASKED A LOCAL CHEVY DEALER TO FIX THE DOORS TO CLOSE PROPERLY, WHICH THEY CLAIMED TO DO. I NOTICED THAT THE DOOR DID NOT LINE UP AND THEY SAID THEY ADJUSTED THE STRIKE PLATE. EVIDENTLY THAT MEANS THEY USED A SLEDGE HAMMER. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND ONE OF THE LOCKED DOORS OPENED UP AS SHE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. LUCKILY MY 4 YEAR OLD SON WAS IN HIS CARSEAT. IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE. SHE COULD NOT RECLOSE THE DOOR AND SO SHE TIED IT SHUT. I FOUND THAT THE DOOR LATCH WAS STILL SHUT. I HELD THE HANDLE UP AND MANUALLY LIFTED THE LATCH AFTER WHICH THE DOOR WOULD CLOSE. ANOTHER SAFTEY ISSUE; WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE STEERING WHEEL JERKS SUDDENLY TO THE RIGHT. I LIVE IN A MOUNTAINOUS AND OCCASIONAL SNOW AREA. I WORRY THAT...

THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTED VERY HARD AND MAKE A LOUD "CLUNKING" NOISE WHEN SHIFTING INTO FORWARD GEARS AFTER ABOUT THE FIRST 100 MILES. IT WAS TAKEN IN TWICE WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. THE THIRD TIME I TOOK IT IN IT WAS GETTING EXTREMELY BAD, IT WAS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY, AND I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE FRONT END HAS BEEN ALIGNED TWICE WITHIN 15,000 MILES AND STILL PULLS HARD TO THE RIGHT. THE ABS SYSTEM HAS FAILED PERIODICALLY OVER A SIX MONTH PERIOD OF TIME - IT WAS REPORTED THREE TIMES. THE THIRD TIME THEY FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT THE SENSOR MODULE ON THE FRONT HUB WAS DEFECTIVE.*AK

POWER STEERING IS UNRELIABLE, SURGE/INCREASE IN STEERING POWER IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO DEALER 5 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM. FIRST TIME THE DEALER SAID ALIGNMENT WAS PROBLEM, NOT SO. SECOND TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING GEAR BOX, THIS FIXED PROBLEM FOR 4 MONTHS. THIRD TIME THE DEALER REPLACED POWER STEERING GEAR BOX, POWER STEERING PUMP AND FLUSHED LINES, THIS FIXED PROBLEM FOR 5 MONTHS. FOURTH TIME THE DEALER REPLACED THE EVO SENSOR ON STEERING COLUMN, THIS FIX LASTED 15 MONTHS. FIFTH TIME THE DEALER STATED THAT THE EVO SENSOR MUST BE BAD AND WILL NOT REPLACE UNDER EXTENDED WARRENTY. AFTER MUCH INVESTIGATION, I FIND THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM SPECIFIC TO THE 1997 SUBURBAN WITH THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL ON THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM. THERE HAVE BEEN IN EXCESS OF 75 REPORTS OF THIS OR SIMILAR STEERING RELATED PROBLEMS. NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE THIS PRIOR TO...

THE FIRST TIME I HAD A PROBLEM WAS RIGHT AFTER I BOUGHT THE SUBURBAN, IT PULLED TO THE RIGHT. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS, BUT THEY EVENTUALLY ALIGNED THE TIRES ( WHICH THEY SAID IT WAS VERY UNUSUAL TO HAVE TO DO THAT FOR A BRAND NEW VEHICLE). OVER THE MONTHS AFTER THE ALIGNMENT, I DID NOT NOTICE ANY PROBLEMS. I CAN NOT TELL YOU EXACTLY WHEN MY CAR STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS. MY VEHICLE WOULD ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE A VERY LOOSE FEELING IN THE CONTROL OF THE STEERING. THINKING IT WAS JUST ME, I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT FOR AWHILE. I HAD TIRES PUT ON MY CAR AND THE STEERING FELT DIFFERENT (GOOD), I THOUGHT MAYBE IT HAD SOMETHING TO WITH TIRES AND IT WAS FIXED. EVENTUALLY THE STEERING STARTED DOING THE SAME THING, THE SUDDEN LOOSE STEERING. WE LIVE IN A RURAL AREA 40...

SUBJECT VEHICLE HAS PULLED, SEVERELY, TO THE RIGHT SINCE PURCHASE. THE SALEMAN SAID AN ALIGNMENT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REALIGNED THREE OR FOUR TIMES, THE STEERING WHEEL SENSOR HAS BEEN REPLACED AND THE CASTOR ADJUSTED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. THE VEHICLE STEERING CONTINUES TO PULL DANGEROUSLY TO THE RIGHT, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING ON A ROAD (INTERSTATE OR LOCAL) WHICH HAS BEEN SLOPED IN THAT DIRECTION. THE STEERING WHEEL CONSTANTLY PULLS IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION. WHEN DRIVING IN TOWN OR ON THE INTERSTATE, IF THE STEERING WHEEL WERE TO SLIP OUT OF YOUR HAND OR YOU WERE TO LET GO OF THE STEERING WHEEL FOR A SECOND, THE VEHICLE WOULD RUN OFF THE ROAD. THE STEERING ALSO FEELS UNSTABLE AND VAGUE WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. *AK

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED STEERING WHEEL PULLS TO THE LEFT, AND VEHICLEJERKS SEVERELY. *AK

WHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN AT SLOWDOWN TO MODERATE SPEEDS, STEERING WHEEL SEVERLY PULLS TO THE RIGHT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK

VEHICLE IS PULLING TO THE RIGHT WHILE MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN AT 35 TO 40 MPH. *AK