Table 1 shows one common unknown or other related problems of the 2003 GMC Envoy.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
After unlocking and using the rear window glass multiple times daily, and twice earlier today, it exploded on the way up. This occured within the first 1 inch of travel swinging up and rearward from being closed with very minimal manual force applied. The temperature today is 27deg. F , which is not the coldest use this vehicle has seen. There has not been any previous damage to the rear glass or gate, or anything in the rear of the vehicle. I write this at the advice of many online forum posts and complaints that I read through. I am hoping there is some time devoted by general motors to finding a solution to this. I just had to ride home with wife and 4 kids shivering because of this. There seem to be hundreds of these spontaneous occurances happening in all types of climates and conditions, which is what convinced me I need to share my incident to fuel the cause. Thank god everyone is ok. It was cold and my kids had their hoods up and were looking down when this happened. This could have been much worse.
The cataytic converter broke into pieces and the car would not go above 25 mph.
While driving, several indicator lights came on in the instrument panel. (abs, seatbeat, battery primarily) these lights stay on for a while and then go off, one by one. After putting the car in park, the battery life meter dropped to zero. I turned the car off and the car would not re-start. After having it towed to a repair shop, the battery itself tested that it was good. I replaced the battery, anyway, hoping it solved the issues, but the lights on the instrument panel continue to turn on while driving. After a day or so, they turn off and then days later will come on again. I have had this car checked multiple times by two different repair shops and neither could find a solution outside of replacing the instrument panel. After searching the internet, this seems to be a known problem with this car and other GMC models have been recalled for the same problem. Why hasn't the Envoy been included? it's obviously a problem with this model as well. (although, other than the airbag recall, I have never received notices about any other recalls regarding my vehicle even though it appears there have been other issues).
This is in addition to a previous complaint (tcn: dbn20-8138 refers. Yesterday my wife was driving my '03 GMC Envoy when it stopped at one of the busiest intersections in town. Gas gauge registered 1/4 fuel. After pushing it to a parking lot and attempting to start the engine, it started to flutter and stop, then nothing. Thinking it was the battery, had it recharged and reinstalled, same symptoms. Thought of other owners of '03 Envoys having probs with fuel gauge, decided to put more fuel which I was able to start the engine and drive it to my residence. The fuel gauge is a problem in addition to the rpm gauge as previously submitted. There are many Envoy owners experiencing these same problems with additional ones as see on edmunds Envoy forum. This could pose as a safety hazard, especially if my wife was turning into traffic and it suddenly died on her, rear-end collision would have been possible.
While driving down a busy michigan highway I heard some rattling noise and looked in my rear view mirror as the entire panel above the rear hatch that holds the third brake light flew off my car. I wasnt able to retrieve it since it landed in the middle of the highway. I hope no one ran over the part causing damage to their car or worse yet swerving to miss it and causing injury or death. I have since seen 4 other Envoy xl's missing the same part! that's 4 other vehicles in my little town causing 4 potential accidents or deaths. After doing some research, it will cost approximately $520 for parts to replace and impossible to find in a junk yard. I would love to know how to proceed from here.
My vehicle was making a jet like sound on start up and while driving and eventually the check engine light came on. It also was making a clicking sound from the electronic heating unit. I took it in to a certified GMC dealer and they said the clutch fan needed to be replaced (expensive repair). Could not tell where the clicking was coming from at the time (1/6/11 clicking will not stop - ended up being a door actuator). I did some research on these problem and they are very common in these vehicle. I called GMC customer service to make a complaint because at a little over 59000 miles these parts should not have gone bad. I wish GMC would consider a recall on this problem as well as other major things.
I purchased my 2003 GMC Envoy xl in 2008 from a NY dealer with 60,000 miles on it, the car didn't register any accidents with carfax. The day after I purchased the car my battery went dead and I was stranded at 7am with my kids. The dealer paid for the tow and replaced the battery. A year later while driving to my sons basketball game at night, the headlights completely shut off. I pulled over and used my hazards, my son inspected the lights and could smell something was burning. . The driver side headlight wire was burnt badly. We replaced the light and the wiring. The next day not only did the lights shut off again while driving at night, but I couldn't put my window up! the driver side window panel did not work, but the other windows worked fine. I paid $400 to have the panel replaced. (now the seat adjustment panel is not working on the driver side) the battery has been replaced 3 times in 3 years! when ever I would use the window, or the heat vent, or the charger inlets in my car the headlights would flicker dim. My mechanic did a amps check while my phone was plugged in,car was running,radio on, and heater on and stated the amps were fine, until I hit the window button, then the amps went way down. Cost to replace alternator $350. 00, that was in 2010, so far in 2011 I have awoken 3 mornings in a row to a dead car. I sat in the car with car off, doors locked one night to see what goes on over night. . Well the alarm sensor button didnt stop blinking red, the seat adjustments kept moving every 4 mins, the rearview mirrors were moving non stop, and the horrible beeping sound inside the car was non stop! the radio dash didnt shut off either, it was piping hot after a half hour of sitting.
I had a flat tire and went to use the GMC provided jack and spare tire. The jack was held in by a large rubber band that broke as soon as I started to remove it. When I went to lower the spare tire down I heard a "crunch" come from the gear end of the spare tire pulley. The spare tire pulley, which was made of plastic, broke into pieces and wouldn't allow the tire to be lowered anymore or raised. GMC should be ashamed of themselves for providing such a lousy system on something that is obviously used in an emergency situation. Nice way to save a few dollars.
My mother proceeded to enter the vehicle on the passenger side using the assistance handle in 2003 GMC Envoy. The assistance handle broke off injuring (slight ligament tear) to my mother (76 years old). Surgery probable. Taken to dealer and assistance handle replaced. Called philip lancaster at gm to file complaint on Thursday, June 16, 2005--was told that someone would contact me regarding this complaint--haven't heard a thing. Philip's number is 866-952-4368 x58879.
2003 GMC Envoy with a list of problems ** the consumer began to hear a knocking and pinging in the engine on cold starts and felt a hesitation when the automatic transmission shifted into gear. After many complaints, it was finally discovered the engine knock was due to shorter pistons in the re-designed engine and the hesitation in the transmission shifting required reprogramming. The consumer was told he would have to live with the engine knock, because it could be more trouble taking the engine apart. On a separate occasion, the engine stalled due to the battery dying. From April 2004 to October 2004 the battery failed several times and had to be re-charged. During that same time the engine light illuminated and each time it happened, the dealer would have to reprogram the engine computer. The radio was not functioning properly which primarily consisted of static. The driver information center control knobs as well as the radio knobs wore out. The front center console was loose. It was discovered that the engine light was coming on because the third stop light that's on the top of the liftgate malfunctioned. There was a short circuit in the stop light. The cooling fan broke, the brakes and the left front head lamp had to be replaced. The rear tail lights, directional and signal lights have been replaced several times. The lug nut broke while a replacement tire was being mounted on the vehicle. The front stabilizer linkage was replaced. The gas tank had to be replaced along with the fuel lines and a seal on the tank due to a leak. The seat belt was designed poorly and the belt cuts into the consumers neck. The drivers side door didn't close properly, the windshield wipers were replaced within the first 2 years.