Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Uplander ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The check engine light came on and driveability was affected; reduced acceleration and reduced gas mileage, code 0404. our technician found that the electrical contacts in the egr valve had failed. since gm does not produce the replacement parts for this model, a newer egr valve, harness and computer reprogramming was necessary. the gm dealer and chevy customer service refused to help under our warranty coverage since we were out of the emissions time limit. our tech indicated that gm has had serious egr valve failures and refuses to acknowledge this design defect except with an obscure tech bulletin. repairs cost upwards of 800 dollars.

It is difficult to pinpoint the first occurrence. approximately 1 year ago, my wife mentioned that her 2005 uplander would stall at random times while she was driving. she said there seemed to be no pattern to when it would happen except she was always moving and after stopping it would always restart. we took it to a mechanic who found now issues with the car. i started driving it and never had a problem, until the day i realized that all you had to do was tap the key and it would turn off. i put my wife's keys in and slightly touched her key chain and it turned right off. i couldn't believe what i was seeing. then i read about the gm recall on key cylinders for all these cars built around the same time as mine. i contacted gm and they told me our car didn't qualify for the recall. i then read a recent article stating that our uplander has one of the recalled cylinders but they deemed it "safe" in our car. safe is completely inaccurate. any vehicle that is showing this problem should be fixed at gm's expense. *tr

My van will cut off while sitting still in park and also when i try to crank it sometimes it won't crank and then if it does it will cut back off. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet uplander. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly stalled she was driving 35 mph without any warning. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the current and failure mileages were approximately 108,000.

Since purchasing this vehicle in january of 2006 we have been required to make extensive repairs on an on going basis. the vehicle has to be aligned & balanced almost monthly which has resulted in us replacing the tires on 3 different occasions. the brakes have been replaced twice and the rotors have been turned twice in the past year. the most recent incident occurred 3 wks ago when my wife was driving home on a 55 mph 2 lane road when suddenly the check engine & check oil light came on. the vehicle just stopped. upon towing it to a local auto repair shop we were informed the timing belt broke which warped the cam shaft. gm would do nothing until we towed it again, this time to a gm dealership. the vehicle was found to have extensive problems from the engine, to the timing belt, camp shaft, pistons, plugs and much more. *tr

While idling the engine in park with a hot engine, the rpm drops and the vehicle shakes. it is very uncomfortable. we brought the vehicle to the dealer and they said that there was nothing wrong with it. it continued to happen and we brought the vehicle to another dealer who stated that a computer controls the rpm/idling of the engine and that there was nothing that they can do to adjust it. spoke with the service manager and he said that the uplander is a terrible car and that is why chevrolet stopped making them. *tr

Tl* - the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet uplander. the transmission failed at 11,000 miles. the mechanic repaired it instead of replacing, it and it continued to leak. the dealer replaced the transmission, and the new one from the manufacturer was also leaking. the vehicle was in the repair shop for 16 days, and the new transmission had to be resealed. when starting the vehicle the ignition was sticking in the start mode for 2 minutes after releasing the key. the passenger automatic sliding door did not latch shut, no warning indicator light appeared nor did it register with onstar as the door was being un latched. when attempting to open the door it will not open because the latch did not engage. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact was concerned about the safety risk involved. the contact filed a complaint with the bbb, and spoken to gm about all of the failures. the gear shiftws very difficult to move from park to reverse. all of the above listed failures occurred frequently. the most recent was the door and the starter. the starter failure occurred 15 to 20 times. the gear shift failed every time the vehicle was driven. the door failed 20 times. the current and failure mileage was 13,000. *ak the engine would crank, but it wouldn't start, the drivers heated seat was inoperative, there was an oil leak from the crankshaft seal, the power sliding door was inoperative. updated 03/30/07. *jb

Dt*: the contacted stated the vehicle makes noise and vibrates excessively when pressing the accelerator pedal or turning the steering wheel to the left and right. vehicle speed does not affect the sound or vibration. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer several times for inspection. the local dealer never diagnosed the problem. so the contact took the vehicle to an independent repair shop for inspection. the mechanic found the following problems with the vehicle and noted them on a service invoice "rub marks on the left drive axle, the rear motor mount is not holding the engine solid and the engine is moving excessively on the cradle." the independent mechanic suspects the caster or camber may be out causing outer tire wear on both the passenger and driver side tires. the independent repair shop only inspected the vehicle and they never made any repairs, as the vehicle was under warranty. the vehicle was returned to the service dealer who never diagnosed a specific problem. however, the dealer replaced the tires, struts, hubs and some undercarriage parts. the contact finally received a call from the manufacturer offering to provide the contact with a replacement vehicle. the manufacturer determined the vehicle could not be repaired because of damage to the under carriage, however the manufacturer never specified how they came to this conclusion.*ak