One problem related to automatic transmission column shift has been reported for the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Our 4 year old child was able to put our 2001 chevy Suburban in gear without starting the car or pressing his foot on the brake. The car starting rolling down the hill. Fortunately my wife was able to jump in the window and press the brake to stop the car. We were very lucky that none of the children in the area were hurt and that no property was damaged other than a small piece of fence. Apparently with the key in the ignition and in the first "accessory" position you are able to take the car out of park without depressing the brake pedal. I tried this on several other chevy models that have the gear shift on the column and you are able to do the same thing. I called chevy and the dealer and they both said that this should not happen and to bring it in for repair. The dealer even went to the lot and did what I described on a 2006 Suburban and agreed that it did happen when he did it. If this in fact the way the car is manufactured it would be nice if they acknowledged that fact and put it in the owners manual. Updated 12/12/2007 the consumer stated the manufacturer is being phased out, however would like to be notified if the older owners would be notified. Updated 12/12/07.