Buick Rainier, Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy

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Comments

  • mfullmermfullmer Member Posts: 773
    I've had no luck with salesman even getting back to me with a name for an Oldsmobile Rep. Olds "Customer [no]Service" refused to give me a name. Does anyone have any suggestions before I go to the Sales Manager and/or Service Manager?

    Thanks,
  • blrmkrblrmkr Member Posts: 40
    I haven't seen the problems you have described, but I have had the radio in my TBLT replaced for 2 reasons.

    1. Multiple times while driving, I would look down and notice that the station tuned on the display was different than that which was coming out of the speakers. I had a witness to one of the events. (BTW, the new radio has already had the same problem happen once, but I'm not going to spend another day at the dealer.) Has anyone else out there noticed anything similar?

    2. The audio dropped out while playing a CD and when I looked down, the radio was turning back on. Obviously, the radio had become susceptible to conducted immunity or something less obvious in software, so I took it to the dealer to get that resolved. (Yes, I did verify that the CD was okay by replaying the song w/o any problems.)

    In an unrelated issue, I got my first malfunction of the rear wiper. It didn't turn on in setting 1 so I immediately turned it to 0 and then back to 1 and it came to life. That's a classic "unable to duplicate."
  • cmack4cmack4 Member Posts: 302
    Someone else encountered the same problem a long ways back. IIRC it was in the 3xxx's somewhere. Maybe the all new improved *gratutious pimpage* search engine can find it? Anyway, the symptoms were that the stereo forgets it's a bose and acts like the regular stereo with the 6 disk changer. It may have even been tlauro? Either way, I think it was resolved for the other person by a restart as well.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    I had that happen once in my Civic with the Alpine radio I put in. I think it was just a static buildup setting something off. It gave controls to functions I didn't have (CD changer, ...).
  • d2000one1d2000one1 Member Posts: 47
    Update: My service department called me and stated that after replacing the PCM they got another code for the ignition module, so they are replacing that also. Now I feel better because this seems like it would resolve my issues. Just thought I'd keep you guys posted.

    They've had my Envoy since Monday afternoon (10/7) and I told them that I didn't want it back until the issue was resolved. Hopefully this will resolve it!!
    Dee
  • tbltexttbltext Member Posts: 21
    Same thing happened to me, and never appeared again, must be some sort of glitch. I would like to have the EQ 1, etc, back again but I doubt they will return ..say la vee..
  • tbltexttbltext Member Posts: 21
    Very happy with my purchase, except some front end noise when turning tight and braking at the same time.
  • jwinkyjwinky Member Posts: 59
    I had it once, shortly after I took delivery, only to fade into the sunset. I have not had it happen since. Chalked it up to gremlins.

    Actually, there were a lot of weird things that were one time shots just after I took delivery that have never reoccured. Maybe that is part of the break-in. ;)

    JAW

    Oh, yeah, another happy triplet owner here as well.
  • lurker01lurker01 Member Posts: 103
    I had a strange thing happen with my BOSE as well:
    I had 6 discs on shuffle and noticed that it kept choosing songs off the same disc. I then noticed that the displayed track was wrong. When it changed to another song, the track display did not update. I then pressed the next track button and the the changer moved on to another disc and behaved normally.
    I have seen this happen a few times. Very strange. Looks like their SW QA group needs to do a better job!
  • ross1962ross1962 Member Posts: 229
    I've seen a few posts here about wind noise and I have the problem myself. It may make some of you feel a little better to know that while researching I found the the BMW X5 is prone to this as well.
    I'd like to point out to the GM bashers that ALL vehicles have quirks and problems. My brother had a Toyota 4 Runner that seemed to always be in the shop.
  • hambone7hambone7 Member Posts: 130
    On the 2002 TB the LS door mouldings were painted the body color and the LT door mouldings were black. This was backwards from the way trim has been done at Chevy and all other manufacturers (the painted trim costs more to manufacture, looks better and should be on the more expensive model, the LT). For 2003 the LS door mouldings are black, while the LT is the body color. GM never fails to amaze me with their incompetence. So, now us 2002 LT owners have a vehicle that looks like a 2003 LS.
  • tblazer503tblazer503 Member Posts: 620
    Us '02 LS owners have an '03 LT looking TB...
    I think the only thing I'm missing that the LT comes with is the Onstar, which probably won't help much in resale anyway. =oP Got the rear air(which isn't even std on the LT for '03) and all the other nice addons(CC, Keyless, Tint, etc)

    Kinda ironic, but good for me...
  • hambone7hambone7 Member Posts: 130
    ...it's moronic rather than ironic.

    I had to get the LT in order to get a sunroof on my 2002. So, I had to buy OnStar as part of the LT package. That's moronic too. I did not renew my OnStar as it's way too expensive for what you get. I used it once to troubleshoot a "Check Engine" light which they couldn't do. OnStar should instead charge a low per year fee and a per use charge each time you need them. $199 a year is ridiculous for what you get - except for a little piece of mind.
  • anonymous02anonymous02 Member Posts: 1,538
    CC?

    rear air? (AC or OBA?)
  • tblazer503tblazer503 Member Posts: 620
    CC- Cruise control... I don't believe its std on the LS
    rear air- I have powered rear AC ducts. =o)

    I thought you could get the sunroof w/ the LS? Just had to get the onstar w/ it... thats what irritated me the most... something to do with the cost of the wiring or ... yeah...
  • racoonlodgeracoonlodge Member Posts: 34
    My LTZ (build date 9/01) just passed 20,000, 3 days short of 1 year. Had some of the problems discussed on this board, license moulding, bad 4wd switch, drivers side mirror, But nothing earth shattering. Don't kid yourself, every manufacture has problems, no one is perfect, Plus this is a forum where some people just have to get something off their chests. The only pain-in-the-neck issue is the occasional wind noise, which to me it's more of a design flaw (rubber moulding should be on BOTH the door frame and the door). I wouldn't hesitate a micro second, I get the TB again...Maybe even more of it, as in the EXT....
  • tblazedtblazed Member Posts: 945
    Fog lights.. don't forget the fog lights!

    I wasn't about to shell out $1200 for Onstar just to get fog lights.

    I thought Onstar was about $10 a month and at that price still isn't worth it to me. It is totally dependant on 1) cellular reception 2) ability to receive a GPS signal 3) the vehicles electrical system working. Give me a self-powered cell phone any time for emergencys.

    Very happy with my '02 LS with rear A/C, under hood and glove box lights, body color painted side moldings, and standard side air bags.

    BTW ron_m, TrailBlazer running boards will not fit on a Lexus! (just kidding!!)
  • ron_mron_m Member Posts: 186
    Yeah, I know what you mean there tblazed. Could
    require a lot of modifications. ;-)

    On to another topic of discussion. My LTZ had
    black bumper guards, and no slots in the front
    bumper fascia. Do the 03' LTZs have the color-
    matched bumper guards and the slots in the front
    bumper fascia like some of the 02' LS models had?
    I've always thought that the slots in the front
    bumper fascia looked extremely cool. Also, my LTZ's
    grill had the color-matched piece across the middle
    that contained the bowtie logo. I think the front
    end of a TrailBlazer would look sharp with the
    color-matched bumper guards, slots in the front
    bumper fascia, and color-matched grill piece that
    contains the bowtie logo. Maybe some of them already
    have this exact color/trim scheme and I just haven't
    noticed them.

    By the way, just because I traded for another make
    doesn't mean I'm not a fan of GM's products still. I
    like a WHOLE LOT of the vehicles that they make. Love
    their styling and performance with lots of their cars
    and trucks throughout the company's history. I was just
    unlucky with my particular triplet--but I still think
    they're awesome rides with loads and loads of potential.
    Actually, I think the mistake that I made was buying one
    right when they first hit the local dealerships. If I
    could have been more patient and waited until they'd
    worked out some of the early build bugs, I really and
    truly believe that I could have gotten one of the really
    good ones like a lot of folks on here have. That would
    have been great. Again, I still think the triplets are
    cool. I've had three GM products now, and two out of
    three of them were virtually flawless!!! Rock solid as you
    could ever expect a vehicle to be for you. Just because
    I had one bad experience doesn't mean I wouldn't buy another
    GM ride. All manufacturers have their share of problems.
    It's an inherent characteristic of mass production. :-)

    Ron M.
  • m2icemanm2iceman Member Posts: 27
    Can an amp be added to the Bose without having to change anything? I would like to add an amp for a sub box. I'm not sure if I have to change the entire headunit or can keep it stock and add the amp. I want to keep things stock. Any help would be appreciated.
  • tjcishere1tjcishere1 Member Posts: 42
    5/02 build date. 1sk pkt that is with the Dvd and air suspension. 3.73 rear tows my 4500 lb boat great. 6,500 miles on it now . been to the dealer for lose front bumper, they put the new brackets on its much better. Front end squeak is still there , during stop and go traffic or very slow speed from a stop sign i know its not the hood its int he front suspention some where, had them check bushings on the sway bar they look ok in fact they took the collar off and put grease between the bar and the bushing and still there one thing i have notice thou after u drive it in the rain the noise is gone, so its a dry spot some where,, but as of right now that is the only problem im having t5he truck is running well and gas mileage is improving.. oh yea on last thing just started using synthic oil at 6,oo0 mile oil change, i think i wil probably go 7,000 miles between oil changes unless im doing alot of towing.
  • 2k_impala_ls2k_impala_ls Member Posts: 311
    the boards that come on the LT & LTZ are different than the GM accesories add-on boards. The only way to get the LT boards is to but every part seperately, which would be very expensive. That is why I opted for the GM accesories add-on boards. you can see them on my page http://www.trailblazer.homestead.com/ or at GM's site, they have 3 different models

    <a http://www.gmgoodwrench.com/accessories/modellistTra.html
  • jurassic3kjurassic3k Member Posts: 13
    Has anyone seen this grill guard? I love it!! Now if only I could find it!! Any help would be great.

    http://64.14.193.106/p111651_image_large.jpg

    http://64.14.193.106/p112474_image_large.jpg
  • gcleftongclefton Member Posts: 8
    Here is a Bull-Bar that is close, by Westin:

    http://store.yahoo.com/trucktoys4less/bulbar19sier.html
  • mwp99mwp99 Member Posts: 1
    Is OnStar a part of the Driver Convenience Package on the TrailBlazer LT or it's own separate option? I'd like to get the DCP with no OnStar, if possible.
  • flyguy7flyguy7 Member Posts: 22
    I have gotten rid of my 02 TB LS with 22K miles on it. Traded for a 02 GMC ext 4x4 Seirra Z71. After dealing with way too many major problems (10) and many other small ones, it was time to get rid of it. Had it about 14 months. Traded it in and got about $22K for it. Got 0% and paid about $29.5K for the Seirra - MSRP $33.6. They were dealing!

    Here is a list of issues:
    1. Right frt hub replaced.
    2. Control Module replaced (2x). This was for no gauge readings.
    3. Rear differential replace
    4. Window moldings replaced.
    5. Fan pully replaced (2x) First replacement was out of balance.
    6. Door handle would not open, Fell apart inside.
    7. Power steering system (entire system) replaced due to noise.
    8. Drivers door adjusted twice for wind noise.
    9. Gasket on tailgate replaced.
    10. Computer module reprogrammed for tranny I think.

    Went to an arbitration with the BBB and was basically told that if the vehicle was not unsafe then the warranty would fix the items. SO IF YOU DO A BBB hearing tell them you feel the vehicle is UNSAFE. After the hearing I complained to GM and they gave me a 5 year 60K warranty with Zero deduct. Hats off to GM for that. They should have taken the vehicle back due to the number of times it had gone in but they didn't.

    Engine has a lot of noise until it warms up in the morning.... Anyway its gone and we'll see how the Seirra holds up.

    I appreciate the info on this board and reading about the pros and cons. From the more recent posts it seems like the quality may be getting better. GOOD LUCK.
  • cpufixer1cpufixer1 Member Posts: 5
    Like most of you, my Envoy suffered from the same problems posted many times on this board. Squeaks, litigate strap, headliner sagging and poor gas mileage.
    I fixed the squeaks by adjusting the bumper height on the hood stops, thanks to a previous post on this board, but when I recieve my recall notice, I looked at it like a opportunity to get everything repaired. So when I dropped the truck off at GMC, I explained to the service manger about the strap and the headliner, but when I got to the poor gas mileage, he just looked at me. I went on to explain that I was unhappy about the poor milage and that I call GM to complain and that I was inform by them that a new PCM code was available to fix the shift points on the transmission that would improve the mileage. None of this being true, I just read it up on this board. He said he would look into it. We I got the truck back, I found out that they did upgrade the code and did what they call a "calibration". All ready I see an improvement in the milage. I just want to say thanks to everyone who did the investigation into this and posted them here.

    Those of you looking for advice on a new Envoy, here's my two cents

    Engine: Great
    Ride Quality: Great
    Stereo: Must get the Bose, the other one sucks
    Seats: Zero lumber support, these things are out of a 69 Chevelle.
    Fit and finish: Okay, typical GM, not world class
    Overall rating: 7.5
  • houstonken4houstonken4 Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2002 LT that has the vibration problem at 59-62 mph mentioned in numerous posts (3694, 3738, 3803, etc). I have watched for a fix, but none has been mentioned, my dealer and GM assistance do not have a clue. I just spent two miserable days on the road putting up with it again and I'm done.
    If you are the kind of person who will not like feeling like you are driving on rain groves every few seconds - do not risk getting this vehicle you will hate it.
  • tblazedtblazed Member Posts: 945
    'vibration problem at 59-62 mph" I would not condemn them all for this "vibration". My TB-LS does not do that. Would highly recommend taking a test drive if interested in one of these vehicles.

    "Stereo: Must get the Bose" I think my Non-Bose CD-Cassette unit sounds pretty good with use of the manual bass and treble controls. Too much bass pre-programmed in the pre-sets, the rear speakers could use some improvement and the AM radio has a frequency response about equal to a telephone, (I really miss my old Delco with AM Stereo capability that had wide-bandwidth, even on mono AM stations). Lots of power for a stock stereo. It sounds pretty good for a stock system.

    " Seats: Zero lumber support, these things are out of a 69 Chevelle." The cloth seats in my TB are very comfortable, and the lumbar support is adjustable to my liking. No particular complaints except the seat bottoms seemed too "convex" at first like I was sitting on top of a pillow but are settling down with use.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Sounds like you need a Hunter 9700 tire balancing. The '98 rodeos had this problem where they vibrated horribly @ 70mph, turned out that they need a good balancing to not vibrate.

    -mike
  • tblazer503tblazer503 Member Posts: 620
    took mine into schwabbies the other day for that exact problem... right at 70 I got some shuddering response back from the steering... got the tires balanced... poof its gone =o) Many co's will do it for free on oe tires.... (I already replaced mine @ 6k though)
  • sportbikenutsportbikenut Member Posts: 15
    Paisan,

    Your name sure looks familiar. Used to see you over at the Isuzu boards. I previously had a '99 Amigo.
    While I wish what you say were true about a simple fix such as "Hunter 9700 Wheel Balance", I don't believe that to be the root of the problem. The symptom only occurs in "D" at specific speeds. It does not occur at those exact same speeds when in "3". It also does not occur at that exact RPM in other gears.
    Any thoughts?
    Charlie
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Then that is most definitely not a balancing. A lot of times people on here instantly think it's not something simple (myself included). That sounds like a bad 4th gear IMHO.

    -mike
  • houstonken4houstonken4 Member Posts: 4
    If it was the tires then downshifting and driving in 3'rd would not make it go away (which it does). In Houston we have the lousy 55 EPA mandated speed limit so a lot of traveling is done at around 60.
    I have driven it in 3rd for a while and it sucks the fuel but the problem goes away. The previous posts on this problem have described the condition much better than I did - more of a resonance that travels throughout the vehicle along with a hum. It is what one feels when driving on some roads with rain-groves. It is not the frequency one would expect from an out of balance tire.
    -Ken
  • dshepherd3dshepherd3 Member Posts: 194
    Is this a growl or slight resonance felt more than heard at 58-62, with 3.42 gears in OD only, if so my inside sources tell me this is most likely engine or exhaust harmonics being transmitted into the chassis under a given load/speed. No fix is near, mine has done this since new. As a former GM Sevice MGR I dealt with a similar condition way back in the 70"s with those year Cadillacs, it was corrected by hanging a weighted damper on the exhaust, seems like a similar condition.
  • tblazer503tblazer503 Member Posts: 620
    Mine doesn't do that.... (Then again that 3" magnaflow is a bit louder than stock... On that note, going about 55 on the free way, I can hear a distinct resonance change in my exhaust, so it may very well be what dshepherd mentions. The resonance hits around 50 or so, and goes away at 55+...) Maybe I jsut need a S/C for it.. hehehe
  • houstonken4houstonken4 Member Posts: 4
    Growl is a good description of the sound though it is felt as much as heard. It is on a 3.42, but I have seen postings here from 4x4 owners also. My hat is off to anyone who has chosen to tolerate it.
  • richardcoulsonrichardcoulson Member Posts: 88
    My vibration/growl kicks in at 55mph with a 3.73 rear end.
  • cebtebcebteb Member Posts: 138
    Anyone get one of those "stick-on" clear plastic bras for their triplet? How well do they work? How well do they hold up? Worth the cost?

    I've noticed that some dealers slap them on every triplet on their lot then jack up the MSRP by $350.

    Since I'm shopping for a 2003 Bravada and I haven't seen any deflectors on any of them, I'm trying to explore my options.
  • kgbkahnkkgbkahnk Member Posts: 89
    If you have a choice between buying a Bravada with a clear bra or without and saving $350, get the one with the clear bra. I've shopped around for this in the KC area, and installers want $400-500-ish, and I just cannot bring myself to pay it. Look for a Posting(s) by Tim Lauro (tlauro) on this site. He's got a clear bra on his TB. Looks good from what I can tell from his pics.

    I've purchased a GM bra for my TB (should be delivered today). Not my first choice, and I'm not wild about the looks, but I've got to do something before the Kansas winter sets in and the road crews start dumping salt and sand on the roads at the first sign of a flurry. I figure I can always take it back off in the spring/summer, after they've swept away all of the leftover gravel.

    Good luck shopping.
  • tblazer503tblazer503 Member Posts: 620
    to put some on the bottom half of the rear doors... mine are peppered w/ chips...
  • paulpropaulpro Member Posts: 56
    I put a clear bra on the front of my White Envoy. After having a half dozen vehicles ruined by Illinois road gravel, I hated to see this front end peppered.

    It is amazing how well it works. The only disadvantage, if you call it that is due to a white vehicle. The 3M film is 99.5% clear. That.5% allows it to show up on a white background, ever so slightly. On any other color, it is virtually invisible. You already have the same thing on your vehicle, look at the clear film on the tailgate under the wiper arm.

    It is not an easy thing to install. Kits are expensive and pretty easy to screw up. Know the adage, "You get what you pay for" If your installer will guarantee his installation to be acceptable to you, your options are the installed kit for around 4-500 dollars or $1200 patch job when you get ready to sell the vehicle (or that much depreciation)

    You be the judge, I think it is well worth the money

    Paul P
  • tlaurotlauro Member Posts: 504
    Well worth the investment. I plan on updating my pics of how mine has held up shortly. Gives me a reason to use my latest camera :)


    Hopefully when the weather clears, I'll have it cleaned up. Works great. Hasn't changed one bit since installation over one year ago.


    It's pricey at first, but priceless one year later.


    tim

    http://www.timlauro.com

  • bravadajonbravadajon Member Posts: 60
    Sold the 2002 Bravada, 17K miles, clean and loaded (everything but sunroof): the trade in dealer graciously gave me $23400. The Kelly Blue Book value was $21K. I paid $35,500 (corrected from earlier postings). A depreciation of over $12K in the first year. I have bought and sold several autos in the one year window and have never experienced such a large depreciation.
    This is a reflection of the confidence the market has in these vehicles.

    I drive a different and wonderful trouble free vehicle now. I ate it big time, but atleast I am happy.

    So you think you are happy with the triplet...wait until
    you trade it in...

    That is the last post for me in this group...I will move on to Subaru land....we are happier here.
  • golden_doggolden_dog Member Posts: 12
    I had a very similar problem with my 2002 Bravada. The cause of the problem was the ECAS air compressor causing a sudden change in voltage in the electrical system when it turned on that the PCM could not handle. The only way I was able to get the vehicle restarted was to pull the PCM fuse and reinsert it.

    I didn't know that the PCM was the cause of the problem at the time. Vehicle was going about 30-35 MPH on level ground, not accelerating, when the engine just stopped. Engine would not restart although it would crank and everything had power. OnStar was useless as they said they couldn't diagnose a vehicle that wasn't running. I started pulling fuses to see if any had blown and after I pulled/reinserted all the fuses that seemed to have any relation to engine functionality in the fuse block in the engine compartment, the vehicle restarted.

    The service people at the dealership passed this information on to the Olds support people who told them that the PCM could act this way in response to the ECAS system turning on. When this occured, the vehicle had been running for about 1 minute and the AC was on high also.

    The dealer replaced the PCM and the problem has not reoccured. I have had one similar electrical problem, this time with the instrument cluster dying and the only way to get it to work again was to pull the fuse and reinsert it.
  • xntrickxntrick Member Posts: 27
    Folks. Took my Envoy (build 5/02) in and had the fan blowing TSB "re-calibration" and now it seems worse in the morning. Starting the vehicle the rpms jump up to 1700 and stay there for 20 seconds then down to 1000 after another 10 seconds. Shifting rpms seem to have moved as well. 1st to 2nd around 2000 then 2 to 3rd 2800 and 3 to fourth 2800 (65 mph at this point). 3.42 ratio. What have others noticed?
  • gnortsgnorts Member Posts: 2
    after one year and seven attempts to correct the vibration that picked up at 60 mph and being told by two different dealerships
    1. they couldn't feel any vibration
    2. my tires were overinflated
    3. my tires needed balancing
    4. roofrack was vibrating in the wind

    i finally convinced the service manager that there was a driveline problem -- they replaced the driveshaft and no more vibration

    i have owned many new cars from ford to cadillac and never had such poor service -- this is at two different dealerships
  • xntrickxntrick Member Posts: 27
    I NOW took the time to read the other posts re: shifting rpms. Upon reflection I see that mine is no different from the others. I was in error about the shift from 1st to 2nd it IS at a higher rpm (more like 2500-2800) and this no doubt impacts gas mileage. For those that have had the PCM re-calibration (e.g. cpufixer) to achieve higher mileage, did this impact the shift points? If so, where are you shifting at now?? My shift points seem to have gone higher now that I have had the fan-blowing TSB addressed. Regards.
  • tblazedtblazed Member Posts: 945
    An '03 TrailBlazer LS ("new" color? Light greenish-silver) with rear A/C controls & air ducts, and an LT right next to it missing the rear A/C. Both were missing glove box and underhood lights.

    An '03 V8 extended Envoy with the rear window diversity antenna system. When I asked about it and had to explain what the diversity antenna system is to the "advisor" person was told that was a non-production vehicle. Inside driver door sticker said not for sale. All the other Envoys had the rod-type antenna.
  • sportbikenutsportbikenut Member Posts: 15
    Pls. explain in more detail what vibration you experienced. Did it start at 60 and get progressively worse? Or start at 60 and stop at a higher speed? How bad was it? Thanks.
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