Beginning about a year ago, have had intermittent hard pedal when braking. Occurs rarely, without warning. No ABS light seen but suspect possible ABS malfunction. Pedal does not pulsate but a faint growling, grinding, or buzzing noise is heard. May be ABS motor cycling. During failure brakes are barely operative. Usually returns to normal operation after 2-3 pedal presses. Sometimes pulls sharply left, occasionally right, on brake application. There is no loss of power steering. Occurs most often at freeway speed but has also occurred at slower speeds. Has occurred both in sudden, hard braking and in very light use. Have had all power components, all rubber hoses, power steering pump, and both front wheel brake components professionally replaced. Vehicle has front disc/rear drum and hydroboost. Mechanic usually cannot duplicate the problem but has done so once and has no explanation for it. Seeking to learn possible reasons and cure.
Chevrolet Astro loss of power problems
45 of the 2,617 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Astro describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 1997 model year.
- owner complaints
- 45
- worst model year
- 1997
- typical mileage
- 110,000
By model year
Often reported together
Power steering loss 19Stalling 5Fuel pump 5Won't start 2Transmission failure 2Door locks 2ABS 2Wipers 1
What owners say
I was driving and all of a sudden, the dash lights went out and the car died. I lost power steering, and I coasted to the side of the road. Come to find out the fuse box was hot and there was a few fuses that were blown. I replace the blown fuses and drove home. When I got home and turned off the van, I couldn't get it start I looked at the same fuse and they were blown again. The van now sits in the driveway till I figure this out. Because it is too dangerous to drive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet astro. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start until after three attempts. The contact shifted into drive and then the vehicle lost all power. The contact pumped the accelerator pedal, waited ten minutes and the vehicle resumed its normal operation. The failure occurred on a regular basis. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The dealer diagnosed the failure and stated that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The dealer assured the contact that after paying for the repair, the failure would be resolved. The fuel pump, starter, motor mounts, and generator were all replaced; however, the failure recurred. The failure mileage was 133,000. The current mileage was 134,249.
Tl* the contact owns a 1995 chevrolet astro. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a sudden loss of power steering assist. The vehicle failed to decelerate as the brakes were applied. In order to stop the failure, the contact had to power off the engine however, the failure recurred twice once restarted. The vehicle was towed to the contact?s residence where the contact independently replaced the power steering line. In addition, the fuel pump was found to be faulty and was also replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. ...updated 11-12-13 *bf the fuel pump wire connector on top of the fuel pump inside of the gas tank melted and the fuse never blew. The consumer also stated the second time the power steering line broke, he almost crashed into a hospital.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet astro van. While driving at speeds of 30 MPH, the vehicle lost power and stalled. The contact stated the odometer and other unknown lights on the dashboard failed. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and advised the contact there was a computer failure in the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed by two additional mechanics which advised the contact of the same failure. The contact had not informed the dealer or the manufacturer. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileages were not available. Updated 07/26/10. *lj updated 08/06/10
A year and a half ago there as a loss of power and an engine miss. A fuel system cleaning in a shop cleared this up. Then at the end of december the van would no start. We had it towed to our local meineke. It was determined the sequential central port injector had failed. This is a documented problem for a defective part. I wrote a letter to gm to ask for reimbursement. They refused because I did not go to a dealership. And meinke used an after market part.
Tl* - the contact has a 2003 chevrolet astro van which has been in the dealer service shop since december 19, 2006. When driving and turning the vehicle lost power in both the steering system and the brakes. The dealer ran the vehicle trough diagnostic tests, and could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact found recall information for vehicles with similar failures. On december 29 2006 they received a call from the dealer stating that they were checking to see if the problem was covered under the vehicle's warranty if not the cost of the repair will be $552.10.
Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle lost power assist steering & power assist brakes simultaneously while driving 3 MPH. There were no warnings prior to the incident. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer, however, after some research, the contact discovered the power steering pump had failed, causing lack of pressure to the brakes and steering. Updated 10/25/2006 - the shaft in the power steering pump snapped.
The fuel pump went out while driving down the road at 40miles per hour, thereby losing all power steering, brakes etc. Is the 3rd time in 3 years this has happened. First time stopped at red light, stalled and refused to restart, 2nd time waiting for bridge to close, today going down road. Could have been very serious. Has been replaced each time.
I was driving down the interstate at 65 miles per hr. And all of a sudden I saw white smoke coming from the back of my van, it looked like the van was on fire, I lost all power to the van, and had no pick-up or speed. I had to divert the van to the shoulder of the highway. When I looked under the hood I found that the transmission cable had come unattached, and I had transmission fluid all over the ground. There were no warning signs whatsoever. Transmission fluid sprayed all the way to my back windshield of the van.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Chevrolet Astro loss of power
Which Chevrolet Astro years have sudden loss of power problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1997 (12 complaints), 1995 (6 complaints) and 1998 (5 complaints).
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