10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 102,039 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
Twice now while lightly applying brakes to come to a stop at an intersection the antilock brake system engaged. Since it was unexpected I almost didn't come to a stop in time before rolling into the intersection into traffic. The ABS warning indicator was illuminated intermittently before this with recorded DTC C0268 (Pump motor circuit shorted). Also the transfer case input shaft seal failed which caused transmission fluid to leak into the transfer case, completely filling it. That caused the transfer case vacuum switch to fail and transmission fluid was sucked into the vacuum lines and eat through them causing a vacuum leak. Because of the vacuum leak, whenever I would accelerate to highway speeds and the engine would use what vacuum it could, the 4WD actuator would lose its vacuum then regain it when the RPM's dropped and try to lock the front axle while at highway speeds which would cause the truck to jerk and the gears to grind. And lastly the Airbag warning indicator is always illuminated for reasons I do not know.
- Pittsburg, KS, USA
Truck was purchased 7/7/20. Seemed to work fine, but started noticing engine trouble on 9/10/20. Had only driven it ~150 miles since purchase, never any strenuous driving. Took it in to get serviced on 9/21/20, where several problems were spotted, one of which is traceable to the dealer: 1) the distributor cap was being held on only by two zipties. This is why it seemed to run fine on the date of purchase, but caused engine misfires within a few months of light use. The dealership notified me the day before I purchased it that the distributor was being fixed, but they failed to notify me that it wasn't fixed properly. Truck now misfires, has an arcing wire, and is unsafe to drive. 2)truck was sold with no parking brake, and no warning that it was not installed. This information has omitted when I asked about safety issues before purchasing. Never noticed because phx is so flat. Had I needed to use the parking brake, not having one installed is a significant safety issue. 3) an impact sensor was left hanging from the rear of the vehicle. A large enough bump or a rock could set off airbags while driving, putting my passengers, myself, and other drivers and pedestrians at serious risk. This truck is very unsafe to drive, and I was not responsible for any of the issues that made it unsafe. The first issue was caused by a bad repair made by the dealership, and the other two noted issues were not noted in the carfax or by the salesperson when I asked about safety issues.
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet S10. While driving approximately 45 mph, the contact reached down to access an item and crashed into the preceding vehicle. None of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The officers also wondered why the air bags had not deployed due to the extensive damage to the front end of the vehicle. The contact sustained whiplash and minor bruising, which required medical attention. The seat belt managed to restrain the driver securely. The insurance company towed the vehicle to a yard. It was unknown if the vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer had not issued any air bag recalls for the year, make, and model vehicle; however, there was one air bag technical service bulletin. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The dealer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 100,048.
- Fresno, CA, USA
Light for air bags reads the air bags are not working. Mechanic says he has to go into the computer to see what the problems is. It is a lot of work involved to see what the problems is. The light constantly on while vehicle running.
- Wappingers Falls, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet S10. The contact stated that the driver side air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (hometown Chevrolet Buick GMC Inc, 2009 barnes St, reidsville, nc, 27320) where it was diagnosed that it could be one out of two failures: An air bag warning sensor or something behind the steering wheel. The diagnosis was incomplete until the vehicle could be serviced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer confirmed that there was no recall on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
- Reidsville, NC, USA
I was going through a green light at an intersection, when another vehicle ran the red light at a high speed. The vehicle hit the front center of my bumper and the airbags did not deploy and the seat belts did not hold. I was headed South, and the other vehicle was headed West, when it hit me. It turned me into the westward direction. When I came to, my head was hanging out the window and my son(who was in the passengers seat )was on top of me. He was thrown across the console, our seat belts did not hold. I was transported to the er by ambulance. If need be I have photos of the accident scene...updated 09-03-14 updated 09/10/2014
- Ashland, AL, USA
At 37000 miles my S-10 pickup started displaying a airbag warning light on the dash. The light is not constant and appears more on warm days. Being concerned I researched this problem om the internet. I found that this is a very common problem with this model of GM vehicle. I contacted GM to see if this was a warranty or recall issue and they stated no. With the air bag light on it is my understanding that the airbags will not deploy as long as the warning light is being displayed. This is a safety issue that needs to be corrected. Another problem GM just ignores.
- Kettering, OH, USA
- Kershaw, SC, USA