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It seemed like the front tires were making a whining noise, and at first I thought I had a problem with the Firestone tires, so I took it to a local tire dealer who carries Firestone tires for in case the tires could be replaced under warranty. He took the car for a test drive and could tell that it was the wheel bearings. He also noted that there seems to be a lot of problems with GM wheel bearings lately.
So beware if you hear your tires whinig and singing--its the front wheel bearings !
Anyone else have this problem and know how it was fixed ?
The problem is intermittent--does not happen all the time, and never happens when the car is in for maintenance! I suspect that the problem will occur when a police officer or state patrol is behind your vehicle !
The problem (when it happens): Left tail light brake light does not come on, and when right turn signal is on, both rear tail lights flash on and off. These two problems always happen together.
First the dealer replaced some sort of multi-switch, then later replaced the left tail light bulb (said it had a short). But neither solutions have fixed the problem.
And of course you have to be following the car for some time to see the problem occur.
"Left tail light brake light does not come on, and when right turn signal is on, both rear tail lights flash on and off. These two problems always happen together"
How did you discover this was happening?
~Ken
I went through that on my 2000 Blazer. changed the front bearings at 20,000 km and again at 50,000 km. I find that so crazy! I've never changed the bearings on any car and here it happened twice under 60,000 km.
I pray my RDV doesn't suffer this fate.
kenym... Someone has to follow you for sometime to verify what's happening, but it does not malfunction all the time. I wish it would, then it would be much easier to fix. Way too many fancy electronics!
A few months back, someone told my wife that one of her brake lights was out. So I get home and go to the garage to check it out (kind of hard to do yourself!), and everything was working fine.
Several days later, I'm following my wife and son home from a doctor's visit where we both drove separately, and I noticed the intermittent problem.
And after it was supposedly fixed (replacement of multi-switch), I again followed my wife home and noticed the problem again. Took it back to the dealer, and they replaced the left tail-light bulb.
And while following my wife again to get my new 2003 Dodge Dakota Rhino bedliner installed, I noticed the problem still existed.
Very frustrating, especially having to describe the same exact problem to the service department over and over again, and he's looking at you like you're nuts.
To protect my wife and myself, I am going to write a letter for the dealer's service manager to sign and date each time it was supposedly fixed (and state that they have really no idea how to fix the problem), so I can present it to the police officer or trooper who pulls me over for inoperable tail-lights.
I've owned a 1974 Dodge maxivan, 1976 Horizon TC3, 1984 Dodge Daytona, 1987 Dodge Dakota 4x4, 1996 Dodge Dakota club cab 4x4, and now a 2003 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4x4 (man I'm getting old!).
Never had a wheel bearing problem. I wonder who makes the wheel bearings for GM ?
Since delivery, we drove just over 2k miles without a single problem other than some brake squeal.
Am I alone or anyone out there has the same problem?
I'm gonna live with it for a few thousand km, and then ask about it next time something more serious comes up.
1) When the vents are selected for heating, the air flow is very light. More air flows when set to defrost mode.
2) The ventilation system is generally a bit noisy. I find myself having to use the higher settings first thing in the morning because of the low airflow, and the high settings are very loud. My Blazer was so quite you would forget the heat was on.
3) My windshield fluid kinda dribbles out. I think there is something in the line blocking the flow because it takes about 8 or 10 seconds for fluid to even come out and then it dribbles, not sprays. How does your fluid come out?
Other than the above I am surprised by the maneuverability of such a large vehicle. The turning radius seems very good. With my Blazer I always had to turn, backup, and turn again to make u-turns in narrow roads.
I continue to be impressed with its smooooth ride. My brother took it for a spin today and aimed for every pothole. In northern Canada this time of year the potholes are huge and pletyfull. While I was in the passenger seat I barely noticed the rough road and never experienced the side to side whiplash effect on bumpy rods my jeep and blazer use to give me.
I had a tube break off at the charcoal canister that gave a solid light (no flashing). I didn't realize it was a fuel system check causing it. I could have found the broken tube myself before I took it to the dealer for $44.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I took it into the dealer a week ago and he said my pads were cupped and chipped and that they needed to be replaced. Only problem was he didn't have the pads in stock (surprised by that!). Anyhow, he ordered them. Had them installed this past Friday. Was done by 9 am and had the same break squeal at about 9:10 am 5 miles down the road from the dealership. I'm planning on going back a third time now to see what else could be wrong.
Anyone have any suggestions???
Thanks!
The brakes too may be due to the make of the brake pads. I've had brake pads never make a noise and others squeaked from installation. Depending on the composition and the quality of the brake pads will result in varying noise levels. Of course the better pads make no noise.
All and all, every vehicle has something that doesn't sit just the way you would like it. If we could only find the perfect vehicle
My fix for the vents is to use the defrost and floor outlets. They make less noise, have the most airflow, and I don't get air blasted right in my face. If you switch to just floor the noise level is very low.
$3k discount and a Golf discount made it worthwhile. Captains chairs solved the cup holder problem.
While I was looking at the engine, I noticed how hard it was to get to the rear plugs. I asked the service manager how they are changed, and he said they have to tilt the engine to do it. When I inquired about the cost, he said $69. He said they eat the cost on this.
Anyone change their plugs yet? I'd do the wires at the same time.
Regarding the "noises", I drove my RDV for 2200 miles and... I dont know what you are talking about. Have a second opinion from another dealer.
Service engine light - I had my light lit up at around 500 miles on the odometer. I took it in to the dealer and diagnosis was vapor leak due to loose gas cap. It was recommended to tighten the cap until you here 2-3 clicks. Also they tightened something behind the gas cap. I've followed the 3 click rule on every fill up and no problems since.
Vents - My vents are no louder than my older car (Ford) and friends' Camrys, Altimas, Oldsmobile. They all get equally loud as you turn up the fan speed. The flow of air is no different as far as I can tell.
Wind noise - I do notice wind noise more distintly as I approach 65+ mph, but again SUV's not generally not aerodynamic as a car. Also on very windy days the noise is more obvious at lower speeds around 50+ mph.
Breaks - No noticeable squeaking on OEM pads.
My major maintenance complaint is how incredibly DIFFICULT it is to change the engine air filter or to inspect it.
I've been noticing some really odd nosises that seem to be associated with steering on my 2002. There is a realy loud whine that occurs when turning the wheel... also there is a "clank" when turning right or when the wheel is turning back to neutral...
Has anyone else encountered this problem?
~Lance
~Lance
Good luck!
So if your repair were to fail within a few thousand miles, they would cover it, but after two or three years they won't. I would love to hear any contradicting stories, but from my experience, NOTHING is covered for life of vehicle at GM.
The only thing that has broken is the driver lumbar support adjusting wheel (made out of plastic). Other than that, I have no complaints or mechanical problems with this vehicle. I'm very happy with the RDV and would highly recommend it.
It's sad to read others report multiple significant problems, but I'm glad to report that it's not fleet-wide
i read all the msgs on this board so far and dont see where anyone has had probs with leaking. anybody out there who has?
Imagine an loud tuning fork - that's what I mean by ringing. More like a persistent, high-pitched hum, like something is resonating, rather than like a ringing bell.
It happened two or three times in the course of about five miles, lasting maybe 15 seconds each time.
Two incidents in four months is *very* intermittent, so taking it to the dealer may not be useful unless this is something that's well-known.
So, does what I'm describing sound familiar? Thanks for any feedback.
End result, one dealer said it was the brakes were a bit rusted from sitting on the lot too long. But my local dealer right away said the exhaust system was misaligned. They re-aligned the exaust system and presto, no more noise, smooth as silk.
They couldn't really explain why it occurred at just low speeds and why it went away at operating temperature, but the only guess is it had to due with the metal expanding just enough to shift things around not to chatter.
I don't know if this is anything like your problem, but it is a simple thing to quickly check out. It didn't sound like a loose tail pipe, and could be missed. As far as the operating temp of your RDV, mine doesn't go to 3/4 temp, but the temp hadn't been that hot outside yet where I live. As long as it regularly goes to 3/4 temp and stays there without getting hotter I guess you should be ok.
In their eyes the vehicle is fine mechanically, its characteristics are the noises you hear. I have the wind noise too. I'm sure that it is coming from the rear view mirror on the driver side. When I open the window I still hear the noise and when I stick my head close to the mirror it sounds like its there. Again, with a strong cross wind I find the wind noise much louder, but on less windy days I can barely hear it, sometimes not at all.
With the leveling sound, it sounds normal to me. I've had cars with the leveling feature before When you start the car it calculates the weight load and raises the rear appropriately when the ignition is turned on. It it a rather loud noise that the only thing I can think of comparing it to would be a lower toned grocery conveyor belt. It levels and then the noise goes away after it is done, 5 to 10 seconds or so. It shouldn't really go back on unless the weight in your vehicle changes.
The tapping noise may possibly be normal piston slap. I too can not stand the noise. My Blazer drove me crazy as it tick ticked away while I drove. but it is considered normal to a certain extent. Lower octane fuel will make this much worse. Have you tried a higher octane fuel? This simple solution sometimes makes the noise go away all together if not make it less.
Good luck though, it's no fun to drive a vehicle that you don't feel happy with. That is why my 2000 Blazer is now someone elses problem and I'm driving my Rendezvous with a big smile. 3,000km and no problemmo's.
thanks
The manufacturer should be required to show some kind of documentation that indicates that this sound is a characteristic of this engine. I've had cases where the manufacturer actually presented a document showing that tapping sounds were complained about and that the engineering people opened an engine after some number of miles to see if there was any unusual wear. As you would expect, in this case, they claimed no extraordinary wear.
You will have an opportunity to demonstrate the sound to the arbitrator. Some engines do make faint tapping sounds from either the valves or fuel injectors. Sometimes these sounds get quieter when the engine warms up. I haven't heard it on my RDV.
Concerning the overheating, my gauge never reaches the midpoint while I see that some people have written messages here about having the towing package and having gauges go higher. Just because a gauge goes 3/4 doesn't mean that the engine is overheating to the point of boiling over. I don't believe that you'll accomplish anything showing an arbitrator the ill effects of overheating. You should try to prove that it actually did overheat instead of just having the gauge go higher that usual.
You can request the Council of Better Business Bureaus (who you have to go through for a GM arbitration) to have an Independent Technical Inspector check for the two specific problems that you are complaining about and submit a report prior to the hearing.
Good Luck