GMC Safari/Chevy Astro

rkpatt

Does anyone know of any near future (when ?)
production changes for the Astro / Safari. Someone
(hearsay) told me that they are near the end. Where
can I find any reliable information on this.

Thanks- A potential Astro /Safari owner

taxmanjeff

Late last or early this year POPULAR SCIENCE magazine ran a 5 year automotive preview. It indicated that a redesign for the Astro / Safari is due for the 2002 or 2003 model year. Since the vans are based largely on the mechanicals of the Chevy S-10 pickup, it seems likely that you'll see a new S-10 before a new Astro / Safari.

biknmike

I have a '97 GMC Safari van that has had the
windshield wipers quit randomly. I also know of
several people that have had the same problem on
other model Chevy/GMC trucks, vans, and cars. The
cause of the problem is apparently a defective
circuit board in the wiper motor itself. Of
course
GM wants to charge for this repair even though
they have recalled other vehicles for this exact
problem.
I am trying to get everyone that has had this
problem to file a report with the NHTSA so the
feds
will look into this safety problem which GM knows
about but will not take responsibility for.
If you have had this problem or have had it fixed,
please go to nhtsa.dot.gov and fill out a report.
Hopefully, we can get GM to pay for these fixes.
If you have questions, e-mail me at
[email protected]

maxima

the dealer told me sarfari dunnno abt astro is ending either 1999 or 2000 I think gmc is trying to go upscale maybe teh full size van will be gone too soon

laramie

Your dealer not very informed to say safari/ astro end 1999 or 2000. GM make lots of money on these vans with no competition. Keep making as long as sales remain high. Some friend not like FWD vans and need rear wheel drive to tow with powerful engine of safari/astro. Less HP than Ody but much more torque on regular unleaded.

jlflemmons

Greetings from Texas.

If you are having problems with the wipers starting and stopping, find someone with a soldering iron and have them re-solder the connections between the power connector and the circuit board. This should fix the problem. The ones I have seen had stress on the solder joints from the wiring harness and this will eventually crack the joint, causing the notorious "intermittent" problem. If this fixes your problem, no charge. If it doesn't, well, you get what you pay for. ;-)

Jim

themaybs

Thinking about buying a 2000 chev. astro van and wondering if there's anything we should be aware of? We want a vehicle that will tow a tent trailer. Also how is it driving around town?

looram

I bought a 1997 GMC Safari new in Dec 1996. It was in the shop 42 times in the first 11 mouths I had it. I got so fed up, I was going to start Lemon Law proceedings (in Califrnia). Then GM gave me a free 100,000 mile extended bumper to bumper warranty. Alot of the problems had to do with the fuel injectors(they were replaced four times!). I have not had any problems since the extended warrenty kicked in! (of course) I now live in Nebraska and am thinking of trading my van in for a 2000 AWD model. Any advice I would give is get the rear air conditioning and an extended warranty!

buckaroo1

I have an 86 Astro with 175000 mi. on it with half of that towing a 25ft HiLo travel trailer,mostly out west over the Rockies. Milage solo is 19 mpg avg. and towing is 13mpg.avg.. Has better climbing ability than most bigger rigs. Towing package a must; with approp. rear end gear and locking differential. You should also manually shift rather than let the trans do it. And you can tow quite well in overdrive. Do all maint. when called for and change oil and filter every 3000 miles. I'am getting ready to buy a new one. My current engine and trans. has never been touched internally. Good luck.

t2muchjam

I'm the owner of a 98 Astro Van which I will be turning back in to the manufacture. I just won an
arbritration hearing with the BBB due to repeated fuel injection problems. Chevy put out a letter confirming a problem in California with the poppet valves sticking due to a fuel additive that California fuel makers use. So now we're looking for another vehicle. We test drove an Ford Expedition this weekend but we really like the space that the Astro Van provides. Even with the rear seat, there was room in the back for an ice chest and other stuff. But in the Expedition, I had to remove the rear seat, just to fit a regular size ice chest. The Expedition sucked gas like crazy also.
The Astro van pulled our tent trailer pretty good and other than for the fuel injector problems (and the front leg room, like everyone says) the Astro Van fit our functional needs. And, after driving the Expedition (not as much room, $10,000 more,) I may look closer at the GMC Safari. I'm nervous about buying another Astro, with the fuel problems they have documented, but also know that the Safari's may be subject to the same problems. Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about a fix for the 2000 Safari's? please let me know.
For the size, price and towing, it's kind of hard to beat the Astro/Safari. I'll need to make a decision soon. I'd appreciate any feedback.

r_graft

I had a 95' Chevrolet Astro CL and it was one of the best vehicles I have ever owned. When I traded it in for a 00' Oldsmobile Bravada it had 68,000 mi. on it and I have had no trouble what so ever with this van. The only thing that was replaced on it was an alternator that went out at about 34,000 mi. That was under warranty. Except for that there were no problems. I was very pleased by the way it drove and especially how much power it had. It has a lot of passing power and torgue. It gets moderate gas milage. It is a great value especially for a family of 5 or more or if you are going to go on vacation. That is what I am going to miss most about my Astro Van. I needed 4 wheel drive and I have one less person in the family now so I don't need a van anymore. My Astro came with cruise,tilt,power everything,cassette,rear air and dutch doors all for under $23,000 dollars. That is an exceptional value for me. I would strongly reccomend the Astro to anyone who has a family or needs to haul or tow things. Just ask yourself,"Do I really want one of those underpowered front drive minivans?" I also like that you can get the Astro LT (Luxury Touring)AWD and get AWD,Leather,Buckets,CD,Tape,Electronic Compass,Dutch doors,Rear Heat and Air and alot more for around $30,000!

ontheroad

I have a 96 GMC Safari, that's been nothing but TROUBLE! I had a new engine put in December 98. GM decided to cover most of it since the dealer had done all the maintenance on the car. I've spent about $5,000 in the last year to continue the repairs---new axle, new idler arms, front differential, new wiper motor and lock mechanism for drivers side. I would NEVER own another safari!!!!

guffrey

I have a 1991 Safari with 207500+ miles racked up on it.Service other than the normal includes four o2 sensors,water pump, alt., t.p.s,and worst of all (!) 2 heater fan switches, the most annoying of any problems but not a real serious one. We love the room and seating for 8. As others have noted the 4.3 coupled to the rear drive has provided everything I could ask for even in 15" of snow and the great blizzard of '96. If and when this one gives up on life I look forward to the next one w/dutch doors and not having the rear view blocked with the center door posts. Rear ac is definitely a big plus. This is definitely the best vehicle I've invested in. Every manufacturer is subject to a bad unit so I can't use that as a reason not to buy again. I,m obviously sold on the Safari

engraphic

Have had same problem as t2muchjam with injectors in California. Am concerned about declining resale value due to known problem. I also have stalling problems when restarting within 5-10 minutes of turning engine off. Am happy with the features of the van, but very concerned about the reliability. Have been in 4 times in under 20,000 miles for the injectors only. Would be curious to know how t2muchjam got to the arbitration point. I wrote a complaint letter to GM last fall and received a form letter extending the warranty on the injectors only to 100,000 miles. Haven't followed up again, and now this past Thursday, it happened again. Would appreciate a reply from t2muchjam (or anyone with similar experience).

noway4

I purchased a new 99 astro in May of 99 from my
local chevy dealer. It was the worst purchase that I have ever made. The rear axle made a clunking noise from the first day that I had it. After only 750 miles, it was in the shop with a leaky windshield and a water leak on the drivers door. Before the odometer could reach 2000 miles, the rear cargo doors and the rear 1/4 glasses began to leak. After several repair attempts at the selling dealer, I had enough. The van was more in the shop than on the road. After a few feuds with the selling dealer, chevrolet agreed to buy the van back in November for the purchase price. I am now driving a 2000 Toyota Sienna, what a difference. It may be smaller, but the quality is by far, greater.
Good-bye to the American Built vehicles.

billgee

I'm about to purchase a 2000 Chevy Astro. Does anyone know if you get any kind of suspenion upgrade when you opt for the trailer tow package? The Astro brochure states:
Trailering special equipment, heavy-duty: includes weight-distributing hitch platform and 8-lead wiring harness. The $318 price for this option dosen't seem worth it if it's only the hitch since the wiring is already there, tucked in under the jack, without the connector.
Plans are for the SL Pkg, Rear Air, 7 seating, power driver & pass seat, Alum wheels, and Dutch Doors (maybe).
Any other info or suggestions would be appreciated.

palisade

I don't know the answer to your question but it's interesting that you ask cause I ran into a guy yesterday that said he had put an extra leef spring in his 1996 Safari. I had just bought a used 1997 Safari 5 minuites before from a dealer
for 18,900 with 20,000 miles on it and they gave it to me on empty so I stopped for gas and here was this guy with a 2000 Safari he had purchaced
2 weeks prior. I asked if he liked his van and thats when he told me about the `96. He did not have any problems with it and traded it in after 85,000 miles. I don't believe he had done the leef spring to the new van
but did'nt say anything about an upgrade.
I've had my `97 for 1 day now and love it. I got a
5 year 100,000 mile warrenty with the unit cause I
read some of these things here on Town Hall and got nervous but I believe you should get an extended warrenty on an new vehicle now days if you should plan on keeping it for any time.
I'll up date on my `97 in a few weeks.

chevysucs

my 2000 astro has 500 mi on it. The front end shimmies as did the front end on two other new ones on the lot. 3 tries & GM can't fix it.I left it at the dealers for 10 days so the zone manager could check it. He never showed up.Dealer offered a trade on all wheel drive model. I read at this site that that model had big problems in 1999. I called GM 4 times and asked the dealer if the problems had been fixed in the 2000 model.NOBODY KNOWS!!My van also used a pint of oil in 400mi. Will run,not walk, to my nearest Japanese van dealer.My 30 years of GM trucks is history.Good luck.

chevysucs

I ordered a trailer package on my 2ooo Astro(see above message) as well as 3.23 rearend.I got neither. You can get an aftermarket package cheaper anyway. 3 of my last 4 Chev trucks did NOT arrive as I had ordered them.Those same 3 had Uniroyal tires , which also caused problems. Good luck,you'll need it.

chevysucs

oh yeah. I was traveling at night and pushed the 'dome override' button & the headlights went out.So much for GM's needlessly cumbersome full time headlight system. You void the warranty if you shut off the daylight headlights, or so GM told me AFTER i bought the thing(2000 astro).

cliff210

Naively, I bought my brand new 93 Astro in May 93, preferring to listen to Astro owners who told me they never had problems and ignoring the sea of solid black circles listed for the van in "Consumer Reports". My van represents a number of trademark GM qualities: Poor engineering, slipshod design, inferior quality components, and poor assembly quality. After only 58,000 ultra pampered, garage kept, highway- only miles, there isn't one major system that hasn't given me trouble. The only reason I'm hanging on to this dog is it's only worth about 9 grand tops and I can't afford a new vehicle right now. My Astro van ownership experience concludes my relationship with General Motors.

ashewitt

I have a 95 astro with the dutch doors and it has started to accumulate water in the bottom section of the hatch. It accumulates in the bottom and when you open the hatch up the water runs out from the corners. There doesn't appear to be any leaks on the inside and no water runs down the inside of the glass. The seals appear to be good and there are no rusted areas to indicate leakage. Any ideas???

gillwa

I bought my first AWD Astro in 94 and kept it 3.5 years. During that time the only problem I had was a worn tie rod end that came from me not greasing it regularly. I traded it in on a 97 when it had 50k miles on it and now have 48 on the 97. The only problem we have had with the 97 was a broken heater control knob it just developed a small, and I emphasize small, leak at the front right axle seal. This was replaced for $130.00. Thats the only repair bill I've paid since '94. I have paid for services but this is the only repair. In my opinion, the Astro has been a great van and I just came from the dealer lining up my 3rd.

looram

Hey! Chevy Sucs........you should read your owners manual. The auto headlights are supposed to go out when you hit the dome override button five times.........or maybe its just that you cant read. Get a clue and stop wasting computer memory space.

kderrick1

I am currently looking at a 1987 Astro with 124k miles on it. Original owner is selling for $5500/obo. Oil and filter changed every 3000 miles and has papers to prove. Had transmission checked every 5000 miles. Test drove and it drove great. He has put new brakes, cat. converter, starter, water pump, alt., belts, wheels (17" Konig), tires, shocks, flowmaster dual exhaust system, carpet, headliner, and paint. I think it's a steal, considering new paint, wheels, and parts are worth about $4000... blue book value is $4000 as well. Looks good, but want to know what fellow owners think of these vans. I drove Astro's for a couple years in 1994-95 for my work, and thought they were fairly reliable good trucks... but not too knowledgable about '87 model.

sadastroowner

I have owned this gashog for a year, mostly intown driving. Bought in Concord, NH where the dealership has always been polite, willing to work to correct problems-transmission,brakes-Butthe Chevy dealership in Nashua,NH wanted to charge us for all the work we had done on warranty at the place where we bought it. This is inconsistent with what the info in the warranty book states about "any gm dealer" will fix warranty problems. I'm returning to Dodge manual shift 4WD PU Quad. Been there-good truck.

kmix

I am currently in the market for a minivan. Found
an Astro at a local dealer.This van is a 2000 and
despite the fact that it is in the used dept i suspect that it had not been titled(searched by carfax).my question is gm is giving a rebate on astros and i would like to know if the rebate would apply to this van. Any ideas any one????

Karen_S

This sounds like a good question for Car_Man, host of Smart Shopper. Check over there to see if there are any current topics that might fit your question.

Good luck!

KarenS
Vans host

ivanware

I bought this in March of 1999 for $1200. It is a 92 and at the time had 264,000 miles on the original engine. The van had been used as a flower delivery truck. The only engine problem I have encountered is that it does need a ring job because it does smoke. My mechanic recommended 20w50 weight oil and "no smoke" as a much cheaper remedy which has worked great. I have had the same problem with the door handles but these are cheap to fix(less than $40). I have been very pleased with its performance. It now has 290,500 miles and is running great I highly recommend this van.

smulvey

I have a 1999 with 33K miles on it. I get about 20 MPG in warm weather. I get 15-16 in cold weather. I use a block h eater and i also use synthetic 15-50W motor oil. I have very happy with the van. It has a good comfort level for me and my kids when they ride with me. I ordered this van with the positraction rear axle which is only about $ 300 vs $ 795 for AWD. Also this rides better and it pulls very well and gets better MPG than AWD.

I have had the van for some time now. LAst winter i found the stock "tiger paw " tires to be useless on a mild ice coating so i replaced with four cooper snow tires . Fabulous improvement. I left them on until last week.

With snow tires, my sample cases in the back and the positraction , plus the great ground clearance the vans has been great in all types of driving. Also you get a good view of the road in the bad weather and you are a little bit higher than some of the road spray. The wind does not seem to bother it very much either. I think I had more wind effect from my Chevy Caprice than the van!

Highly reccomend this van to anyone needed a good all around unit that can carry people , "Stuff" ( like a Sear Lawn Tractor maybe?) and be economical to drive and SAFE in bad weather. Anti Skid brakes well nice too!

One note: You will sit higher in this van than most pickups and all other " mini-vans" on the road. Do not get too snobby. OK? We Safari people don't want to get a reputation. Can we help it if others have bought the wrong vehicle ?

chris173

we love our 95 LT 2wd it does all well but snow,we can tow up to 5000 lbs with it. Ours has the limited slip rear also (more useful for mud and towing then snow). All our friends try to tow with minivans without tow packages and worry that they will make it up hills whale we just turn of the overdrive and fly up hills with 3000lbs in tow. this van is great we would recomended it to any one.

dgregg

Bought a new 2000 Safari and like it overall, but
it feels like it floats and doesn't seem to track
smoothly in wind, curves, etc. This is during
ordinary driving. This week I towed my 2000#
pop-up camper and had to be on constant alert due
to periodic fishtailing when changing lanes, being
passed, crosswind, etc. I have pulled this same
camper thousands of miles with two different
Mercury Villagers and never had a sway problem.
Has anyone had similar experience with handling on
the Astro/Safari?

looram

I traded my 97 Safari in for a 2000 Astro AWD this past January. My 97 use to do the same as your 2000 does,sort of floating when being passed etc. I found that if I loosened up on the sway bars it corrected the problem. Of course if your not using sway bars then ignore this. In addition, I was way over weight, I was towing about 6000 lbs. I know thats alot but my Safari never overheated, nor did I have any other problems while towing. I bought my 2000 Astro because we moved to Nebraska from California. So far it has worked great in the little snow we got this past winter. The AWD though really sucks when it comes to miles to the gallon. I drove back to California this past summer and the best millage I got was 18 MPG, that was flat freeway,65mph cruise control, not towing anything. Not very good considering its a V-6.

digger9

Own a 93 Astro CL. 4.3 engine seems bullit proof,
now has 155k on it and is using a little oil, approx 1 qt every 1-1.5 months. Keep oil and other fluids changed regularly but the body is going south quickley. New York winters are tough!

jackm4

We purchased a '98 Astro LT May 1998. I had to replace the transmission at 41k, no dealer/manufacturer help at all. Buy it new and you get 36k mile warranty. Buy a new trans to put in it and get a 50k mile warranty. Explain that one to me. Also, our gas pedal sticks, tensioner arm for the s-belt broke off, fuel pump hums like crazy, squeaks and rattles everywhere. Has anyone else had similar problems? Chevrolet is totally unwilling to accept any responsibility for either a bad design or bad quality. Help!

medinamalibu

Just turned over 90k on our 1996 Chevy Astro van this morning on the way back from a long drive. The ride is forgivable when you need to help move a family member halfway across the country. Acceleration is slow but strong. Going full-speed up the hills on Missouri's I-70 was a simple matter of natural selection.

Between 70 and 75 MPH the wind noise coming through the driver's side pillar was really annoying, so to kill some boredom I stuck my fingers into the weather-stripping around the door. The wind noise varied greatly when I did this, so at our next rest stop I messed around with the weather-stripping, pulling and twisting and folding it. Back at highway speed, the wind noise level was actually lower, so my guess is that with the thousands of times that door has been opened and closed it has compressed the rubber seal to the point where it no longer makes full contact. All we need to do now (besides get the oil changed again) is head down to the local Chevy dealership and have them install a new seal.

I said last week that this old truck has probably only traveled half the miles it's gonna see in its lifetime.

trdolley

Question:

I am looking at 1995 and 1996 Chevy Astro vans. All are listed as 4.3l V-6 engines, but some are listed as "Vortec" 4.3l V-6, or "high output" 4.3l V-6.

Did Chevy introduce the Vortec V-6 in 1995 or 1996 (I heard it was 1995) and did all Astro vans of that year come with Vortec V-6 or was this an upgrade from an ordinary V-6?

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

TOM

henkel

Hello. I am a big fan of Safari/Astro vans. Mine is up to 236000. I have had a few friends get over 200k as well. From reading town hall I get the feeling the newer vans are not as tough. I am considering replacing mine with another Safari/Astro. 1995 looks like a good year any suggestions? I have 2wd now and am looking at AWD. It is the best Van around if you don't mind putting new brakes and tires on constantly... I have had to replace the usual fuel pump and alternator by now, but drive train seems unbeatable. Just look around they are everywhere.. Max

TDambrosia

Recently, our 1997 GMC Safari AWD completely shut-off in the middle of a 4-lane highway at about 60 mph. Luckily, my wife was able to maneuver to the berm of the road, without accident or injury, but it was a pretty scary situation for her and our three children. Since it was Saturday, our GMC dealer was closed for the weekend, so we had it towed to a M-Wards service center, where it was determined that both the alternator and battery needed replacement after only 41k miles.

As many of you know, when power is interrupted to the radio, the Theft-Loc system kicks in and must be re-set using existing codes when power is restored. Some of you may already know where this story is going...the Theft-Loc feature was already active when we picked up the new van, the codes were never recorded anywhere, and our ever-so-generous dealer wants $33 to re-set a code, even though the warranty book says to contact the dealer if the code is lost or forgotten. I followed the procedures in the manual, but can only get the LCD display to show "inop" If anyone has the codes, or knows a way out of this, I would be grateful for the solution. Kind Regards to All.

khummel

In spring 1997 we purchased a new Safari van (97 model). Problems that followed: Power driver window would not go up. We fixed that ourselves after the dealer had it twice. Sticking accelerator. Wipers work whenever they want. Leaking on driver side on upper part of windshield when it rains. New transmission at 55k miles. Transmission went out at 12midnight on a family vacation on interstate 75--not fun!! Alternator and battery replaced at 60k. That went out at a stop sign at a busy intersection. My only warning was about 15 seconds of the battery light being illuminated and then no power in my vehicle. We are so fortunate that we were not injured during these equipment failures. We are ready to trade in for another vehicle.

davids9

We have toughed it out with our '93 Safari AWD (bought used few years ago). We've had mixed success, but overall we've been pleased. Now at 116k miles. Love the size, acceleration/power, towing capacity, high profile on the road. Get fairly good gas mileage (20mpg hwy). Big problems with electrical circuits to windows, rear Dutch door. Annoying problem with paint... lots of peeling. Anyone else have that issue? I've heard it was a poor GMC paint selection. I wonder if they'd correct it or try some other remedy (cash?) and how to go about prodding them to help out. It seems like a real quality blunder. We've got the only '93 van on the road with skin cancer!!!

Now looking around for a replacement. Leaning heavily towards the Odyssey, but I will be sad to give up all that space and height.

sglass1

We just purchased a 2000 Safari (not AWD). It was 'new', but the dealer had manage to put 2000 miles on it. Hmmm. Anyway, the sliding door rattles...and rattles...and rattles! Have not had this problem with any other van.

We were suspicious that maybe the dealer had managed to get it into a fender bender and had fixed it themself. Anyway, we brought it back to get it fixed, and their "fixing" did not do much good.

My husband did talk to a guy with an identical model sitting at a stop light, and his doors rattle, too. But needless to say, the conversation was brief!

I can't find any "recall" information, so thought I would post this.

Any comments?

apm

We currently have a '99 Safari which is our 3rd safari/astro over the past 10 yrs. Both of our previous vans had the inside door panels loosen and would cause some racket. Inner door panels are attached securely at top and with crummy little plastic pop clips at the bottom. Maybe you have a flopping door panel. Or, maybe your spare or jack has loosened that'll make noises that seem to come from everywhere. Good luck and I hope you like your Safari as well as we like ours.

crary

Have had both Astro and Safari Vans ABS computer go bad. 1st thing when its wet they grab and put you through the windshield than later the computer goes out all together, I saw a recall bulletin once in a car magazine but now can not find it.
HELP any one know what the Service Bulletin Number is for this problem my dealer is playing dumb...if any one knows e-mail the number of it to me.will help me a bunch..
[email protected]

tjones7

Does anyone have information of problems with the 1998 Astro van's gas pedal sticking? Is this a documented problem? Have there been any recalls? [email protected]

gregl1

HI, I'm a 1991 Chevy Astro owner with 300,000km
on my engine My car consumes no oil ,but the engine
doesn't run smooth no more. I replaced the plugs in it and the problem persisted. I would like to know whether it could be the plug wires? And how often should I replace them?
THANK YOU

clinthed

I have a '99 Safari scheduled for an arbitration hearing soon. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this experience. How did you present your case,etc.?

rpfeller

I had a 90 and 97. Both ate tires and brakes. The trick to the brake problem is that the calipers need to be greased. I got this as a smart#[email protected] answer from my dealer after I changed my pads twice on my 97 before 30K. They said if I had them do the maintence on the Van, they would have included this as part of thier normal checks. (ya right)

To my disbelief, the shop manual does state that the slides between the movable and stationary
haves of the calipers do need a coating of silicone grease. This should be done at every tire rotation.

Even though I think these are great Vans, I traded mine off for a full size Ford Van and a Jeep.
The Astro is good at everything but not the best at any.

mrilling

My new 2000 safari had a very annoying rattle.
I found several un-installed screws in the roof rack track. They were black and very hard to see!

jplo

I currently own an '87 astro w/ 227K mi. (refuses to die-knock on wood) and am considering buying a late model astro w/ AWD.
Has anyone had experience driving an AWD astro in a snow storm, maybe on mountain roads? I frequently drive to the Sierra Nevada mountains in Calif. and I have no idea how they would handle.
I cannot take another winter installing chains!
Thank you for your info, Jeff

ryoy1

I have a 99 2WD with a sticking gas pedal. I was told by a dealer service rep that it wouldn't be covered by warranty because it's a maintenance item. According to him, it's normal to have carbon built up and needs to be cleaned at dealer for 52 bucks. I have owned many vehicles up to 200k miles but never had to deal with this kind of problem. It seems to me like a design problem. Anyone had a similar problem and had GM pay for repair?