Problems with 2002 GMC Sierra 1500 POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 gmc sierra 1500. the contact stated that while parked, the gear could not be moved into drive or reverse. the failure recurred five times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the sun gear and planetary gear needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired by the independent mechanic. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000. the vin was not available.

Gm technical bulletin 00-07-30-022c (automatic transmission) failure of reaction sun gear with only 36,xxx miles (2002 gmc sierra 1500 4.8l). this appears to have been a problem for at least a decade with continual failures until gm upgraded the defective components in 2003. repair estimates could be over $2,000. cash available = $200. gm should take responsibility for known defective parts. *tr

At 68,994 miles my truck lost 2nd gear, drive, overdrive and reverse. a new reaction shell was installed. at 90,027 miles and 360 days later the same problem occurred and a beast heavy duty reaction shell was available and installed. *jb

On dec 8, 2003 i was driving at approx. 45 miles per hour when my transmission shifted out of gear and then after a few secounds it shifted into low gear, all on its own. there was a car traveling behind that almost hit me from behind. i pulled over and put my truck in park. i looked under my truck to see if any thing had come apart. i did not see any fluid leak or any loose parts. i drove my truck to the dealership in low gear. they took my truck in for repairs (38,127 miles). i was 2,127 miles out of warranty. the transmission was repaired and it cost $1,057.19. today 3/30/05 on my way home from work the transmission does the same thing. i only have low gear and no reverse. this time i was lucky that no one was behind me when it happened. *ak

The 2002 was in need of front hubs since they were not replaced when they should have been at the time the front differential was rebuilt. this caused the truck to have excessive front wheel friction, and compromised the braking characteristics of the truck. it was difficult to drive, especially in snow, and the front wheel friction would vary based on changes in speed, road contour, temperature, steering input, throttle input, and brake input. while braking the truck would often pitch severely to one side or the other, the abs would activate on dry pavement. on one occasion the abs activated when my foot was off the brake. the truck would also sway from side to side at highway speed as the friction varied from side to side. when the truck was returned to me once from culligan gmc, the power steering effort had increased greatly. the characteristics of the rear locking differential had been changed. the truck was back to the dealer, david cadillac, many times for the same concern with the front differential. on one occasion the truck was returned to me gushing gear lube from the front axle, on another it was returned to me with the front differential empty. i was charged for a 4 wheel alignment when only 2 wheels can be aligned on this truck. the wrong oil filter was installed, the truck was driven abusively by a dealer employee (it was run beyond mechanical limits while cold as i stood in the parking lot), and when i called the service adviser after the truck had been in his shop for over a week without my hearing what it's status was, the service person screamed at me on the phone "when it is finished i will call you!!!", and he slammed the phone down. *nm