1996 Chevrolet Astro

WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED AT 50 MPH . UPON IMPACT, VEHICLE WAS PUSHED FORWARD, AND REAR ENDED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, AND DRIVER SUSTAINED BACK AND NECK INJURIES.*AK

CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN MARK III CONVERSION - ACCIDENT, ABS FAILED TO CORRECT FISH TAILING, FRONT AIRBAGS DID NOT OPEN ON FRONTAL IMPACT. *JB

THIS VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN 3 ACCIDENTS ALL WITH THE FRONT END. THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED IN ANY OF THE ACCIDENTS. 2 OF THE ACCIDENTS WERE DEAD CENTER HITS. 1 ACCIDENT INVOLVED THE BUMPER. PH *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT OVER TO ARTEMIS**769300

DRIVER REAREND VEHICLE IN FRONT WITH A 35MPH - 40 MPH IMPACT DUE TO BRAKE FAILURE. UPON IMPACT, DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND DRIVER'S SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK UP, CAUSING LOSS OF PROTECTION AND INJURIES. *AK

UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONTAL CRASH, AT APPROX. 50MPH, 9:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, DUAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK

UPON IMPACT, DURING FRONTAL CRASH, AT APPROX. 50MPH, SHOULDER/LAP BELT FAIL TO RETRACT ENOUGH, ALLOWING DRIVER/CHILD PASS. IN CSS TO IMPACT WITH INTERIOR. *AK

I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT WHAT I FEEL IS/WAS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT WITH MY 1996 CHEVROLET ALL WHEEL DRIVE ASTRO VAN [XXX]. RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING THE RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION TORSION BAR SNAPPED, COLLAPSING THE SUSPENSION, DROPPING THE ENTIRE RIGHT SIDE ON TOP OF THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL AND TIRE PULLING DRASTICALLY TO THE RIGHT ACROSS 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC. FORTUNATELY TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT, AND I WAS TRAVELING AT A SLOW SPEED -ABOUT 40 KM/HR IN A POSTED 50KM ZONE AS I HAD JUST ENTERED THE 4-LANE ROADWAY. I MANAGED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VAN AND STEER IT TO THE SIDE OF THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE ROAD. I SHUDDER AT THE THOUGHT IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY OR FREEWAY. THE LICENSED JOURNEYMAN MECHANIC THAT LOOKED AT THE VAN INDICATED THIS WAS QUITE COMMON ON 90-96 ALL WHEEL DRIVE VANS STATING THAT THE TORSION BAR ACTUALLY RUSTS OR CORRODES AT ALMOST THE EXACT SAME SPOT (NEAR THE ADJUSTER ASSEMBLY) AND EVENTUALLY SNAPS COMPLETELY BREAKING THE TORSION BAR INTO 2 PIECES! WHILE HE MENTIONED IT WAS USUALLY THE DRIVER'S SIDE (MINE WAS PASSENGER SIDE) HE INDICATED GM HAD RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM AND ACTUALLY COMPLETELY CHANGED THE DESIGN OF BOTH THE TORSION BAR AND THE ADJUSTER MECHANISM! HOWEVER AFTER CONTACTING A COUPLE OF LOCAL GM DEALERS, THEY ALL TOLD ME WAS THAT THIS WAS NOT A PRODUCT SERVICE BULLETIN RELATED ITEM OR AN OFFICIAL SAFETY RECALL! YET THEY ALL HAD HEARD OF IT AND JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE ALL OF THE PARTS IN STOCK TO THE TUNE OF $1000 (YOU HAVE TO REPLACE BOTH SIDES WITH THE REDESIGNED ITEMS). I FOUND IT SURPRISING THAT THEY JUST HAPPENED TO HAVE 6 TORSION BARS AND 6 ADJUSTERS IN-STOCK; WHEN I RECENTLY HAD TO SPECIAL ORDER THE REAR DOOR HANDLE THAT HAD BROKEN. I WAS TOLD THEY ONLY STOCK COMMONLY REPLACED ITEMS AT THAT TIME. THE FACT THAT IT WAS REDESIGNED TELLS ME SOMETHING. A COMPONENT THAT IS SUBJECT TO WEAR SHOULD HAVE SOME SORT OF PUBLISHED INSPECTION PROCESS, WEAR MEASUREMENT PROCEDURE OR EVEN A REGULARLY SCHEDULED REPLACEMENT INTERVAL. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP LIGHT. THEN, WAS TRAVELING 10MPH, GOING THROUGH A GREEN LIGHT, AND WAS HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT, PASSENGER'S SEAT BELT FAILED TO DEPLOY. *AK

WHEN APPLYING BRAKES ON DRY PAVEMENT PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, AND RESULTING IN A COLLISION. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, AND THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK UP. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

WE WERE DRIVING WEST ON I-80 NEAR GARY, IN AFTER MIDNIGHT. 2 OF OUR 4 CHILDREN ARE BELTED IN THE BACK, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE HAVE NO STEERING - THE WHEEL IS SPINNED FREELY. WE DRIFTED AT 65 MPH AND CRASHED INTO THE GUARDRAIL. THANKFULLY THERE WAS A GUARDRAIL, AS ABOUT 100 YARDS FURTHER WEST, 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC ARE MERGING FROM THE RIGHT, THERE WAS NO GUARDRAIL, AND A VERY STEEP DITCH (AS THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR LATER POINTED OUT TO US.) 100 YARDS PREVIOUS, WE HAD GONE OVER AN OVERPASS WITH LITTLE SHOULDER - WE SURELY WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED, HAD WE CRASHED THERE. THE NEXT DAY, THE MECHANIC SAYS THE BOLT HOLDING THE STEERING COLUMN INTO THE KNUCKLE WAS GONE - IT MUST HAVE WORKED ITSELF LOOSE. HE REPLACESDTHE BOLT, SHOWED US HOW TO CHECK TO SEE IF IT'S TIGHT, AND WE DRIVE HOME TO DAVENPORT, IA. (THERE IS BODY DAMAGE.) I MAY HAVE SOME OF THE DETAILS WRONG; FOR EXAMPLE, MY MILEAGE FIGURES ARE APPROXIMATE. I'M ENTERING THIS FROM WORK, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS REPORT GETS INVESTIGATED. IT SEEMS TO ME THIS SORT OF THING SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN - THERE SHOULD BE SOME WARNING, OR THERE SHOULD BE MORE THAN JUST ONE BOLT, OR SOMETHING. I BELIEVE IT'S ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT WE ARE STILL ALIVE, BUT BECAUSE NO ONE WAS KILLED, OR EVEN INJURED, CHEVROLET WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO CHANGE THEIR DESIGN. WE TOOK IT TO A CHEVY DEALER FOR THE REPAIR ESTIMATES, AND THE REPRESENTATIVE SAID, JOKINGLY, "CHEVY'S PAYING FOR THIS, RIGHT?" PERHAPS THEY WILL - I SUPPOSE THAT'S BETWEEN OUR CAR INSURANCE ADJUSTER AND THEM. BUT I FEEL IT'S YOUR JOB TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM THIS HAPPENING AGAIN, TO US, OR TO ANYONE. *AK

OWNER WAS INVOLVED IN A DIRECT FRONTAL IMPACT TRAVELING AT 35 TO 45 MPH IN WHICH THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS. PROBLEM WITH BRAKES ARE ALSO IN QUESTION. *AK

THERE WAS NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS WHEN VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN INTER-SECTIONAL CRASH, TRAVELING ABOUT 50-55 MPH WITH DAMAGES TO THE CENTER RIGHT FRONT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. *AK

CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A RIGHT SIDE IMPACT COLLISION TOTALING THE VEHICLE IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

VEHICLE WAS IMPACTED AT 12:00 POSITION AT SPEED 25MPH, DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK

DURING FRONTAL IMPACT, THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. SPEED UNKNOWN. *AK

CONSUMER REA ENDED A CAR IN FRONT, BOTH AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. *AK

AFTER DRIVING VEHICLE 45 MINUTES OR MORE, REARENDED/ FISHTAILED, MOVED FROM SIDE TO SIDE, VIBRATED, DRIVER HAD NO CONTROL, TOLD BY SERVICE TECHNICIAN, IF PROBLEM OCCURS DURING WET WEATHER, CAUSED ACCIDENT DUE TO HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.*AK

HEATER AND A/C CONTROL SWITCH CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED THE WIRING HARNESS, CAUSING INJURIES. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF VEHICLE DROPPED, CAUSING DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE BOUNCED ACROSS 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC, CHILD HIT HIS HEAD ON SIDE OF VEHICLE. DEALER DETERMINED THE TIE ROD BROKE ON PASSENGER SIDE.*JB

PIN HOLES IN STEEL BRAKE LINES CAUSING COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. FORTUNATELY VEHICLE WAS SITTING WHEN BRAKE PETAL WAS APPLIED FOR STARTING. WHEN PRESSING BRAKE TO START VEHICLE, PETAL WENT COMPLETELY TO FLOOR. WHEN CHECKING UNDER VEHICLE TO ANALYZE PROBLEM, PIN HOLES LEAKS WERE OBSERVED IN VARIOUS PLACES FROM FRONT TO REAR IN STEEL LINES. I FEAR WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED HAD THE VEHICLE BEEN IN MOTION, AROUND PEDESTRIANS, AND/OR, ON THE ROAD.