Problems with 2002 GMC Yukon XL 1500 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I purchased a 2002 gmc yukon xl 2 days ago, sold "as is" with no warranty. at the bottom of the speedometer are the lights that indicate the position of the shifter (park, reverse, neutral, overdrive, and gears 3,2 and 1) and also the odometer reading. these indicator lights worked fine during the test drive but became intermittent on the drive home from the dealership and while driving the vehicle since then. you lose all indication of what gear you are in and of the odometer reading. this problem could lead to a driver shifting gears improperly and unsafely, such as shifting into a forward gear in a parking lot when the reverse gear is intended or shifting into reverse while driving and seeking overdrive after being in a lower gear. i have now been told by a few dealers that instrument cluster failures are somewhat common in yukon xls and are costing an average of about $700 to replace the entire instrument cluster when only a single gauge is having an intermittent problem. since the problem seems to be common and can effect safety, as in the examples i gave above, please investigate this problem and see if a recall/manufacturer fix is warranted. i just investigated driver complaints around the internet and found several complaints about yukon xl speedometer failure/intermittent, for instance. if a driver doesn't know what speed he is traveling at he is a less safe driver and a potential hazard to others. excessively slow drivers and excessively fast drivers can both cause serious problems in traffic, and in rural areas there may be fewer, if any, drivers alongside to help gauge the normal speed that is appropriate. also a vehicle could unexpectedly fail or stall in traffic, causing an accident, if a driver is unaware of an extremely low battery or low fuel, etc. instrument clusters are very important for safety in many ways. please investigate problems with intermittent and failures in the instrument clusters used in 2002 gmc yukon xls. (mine is a 1500). *tr

I am concerned that gmc is neglecting a serious issue that could cause car fires. i called gmc 800)462-8782 and spoke with stacy whaples today. she was not the least concerned that this is a repeat problem that could cause serious injury. the original a/c delco was replaced on this new vehicle around 1 1/2 years and again the same problem with this vehicle 2 3/4 years later. why is it a 6 year warranty if you cannot even get half of that out of it safely. after the first replacement gmc said i am not eligible for any warranty regardless if it is a defect or not. furthermore, at least 5 people i know with the gmc suv's ( yukon's & envoy's) that have the battery manufactured by : a/c delco with the connection on the side leaks batter acid and cause corrosion on the terminal and the cables. the dealer told me that i only needed to replace the battery. i am not satisfied that this is safe and that the cables are going to be safe. several dealers have acknowledged that this is a problem with the design a/c delco battery. this is the 2nd time it has leaked, the property damage marked below is ?- i do not know what else is damaged below or around the spot where the battery resides? *nm