On several occasions over the past few months, the ABS light on my van has been coming on and when I apply the brakes, the van jerks around on the road and pulls to the left. I have almost hit other cars on many of these occasions. I had my mechanic look at it recently and he said he checked out the braking system and can see no visible reason for this happening.
Chevrolet Astro pulling problems
34 of the 2,617 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Astro describe pulls to one side, most of them for the 1997 model year.
- owner complaints
- 34
- worst model year
- 1997
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
ABS 5Jerking 3Harsh shifting 3Brake failure 2Tire blowout 1Grinding brakes 1Ball joint 1
What owners say
Vehicle involved 1997 chevrolet astro 1. Seat recliner was being used when the handle broke off. The seat remained in the position established when the handle broke. Started driving the van and suddenly the seat back went completely flat. The driver was able to hang on to the steering wheel and maintain control of the vehicle although the vehicle did wander into the left lane during the incident. 2. I investigated the failure and found the plastic handle was intact, however the metal pivot piece that engages the serrated locking plate failed. This pivot piece also contains the torsion spring that locks the plate when the handle is not being actuated. The design is not intrinsicly safe in that the locking plate is pushed upward by the spring to secure the seat. As long as there is pressure on the seat the mechanism will stay engaged. Without a load on the seat, the locking plate can drop free due to gravity and the seat will recline backward to the full flat position. Examination of the pivot piece appears to show a crack started where the spring is secured and the crack propogated through the piece due to fatique and vibration until failure occurred. 3. The seat was locked into a permanent position using high strength fasteners and existing holes in the seat frame. Additionally, the locking plate was engaged and also pinned into place to further secure the seat. The reclining feature of the seat is no longer functional. I retained the broken adjustment handle with pivot piece.
Vehicle tire blew out while driving.*mr while driving the vehicle began to pull to the right. A short time later the passenger side front tire blewout through the sidewall. The consumer saw no nail or other indication of a puncture.
Consumer is having trouble with his braking system. His left front brake pulls to the left when he brakes. He has had new brakes put on and that has not helped. The dealer has now refused to service his vehicle because he has taken it back so many times. Ph
While driving vehicle suddenly pulled to the left, causing driver to lose control of vehicle. Dealer has inspected vehicle. Please provide additional information.
Brakes pull when applied sometimes pulls right,other times pulls left. Brakes were significantly rebuilt by previous owner. Now having same problem. Is gm aware of this defect and what is remedy? Wife was also involved in major accident august of 2001 in a 1993 chevrolet astro with similar problem, yet dealerships report no bullitens or recalls. I have found one on your site and another bulliten through anohter source. Is this another "ford/firestone" style cover up????
The ABS brake system is unpredictable. If one side or the other is in loose gravel, rough surface, or slick surface and brakes are applied hard (like a child running out in front of you), the opposite side will lock up and cause the vehicle to slide in that direction. This problem is intermittent and only happens part of the time. Likewise, when slowing down (as in approaching a stop sign) the brakes will pull the vehicle across a crowned centerline if firm grip is not maintained on the steering wheel. Again, this only occurs intermittently and only after the vehicle has been driven a distance and is "warmed-up". Also, the vehicle will lock-up one front wheel (usually the left front) during a panic stop on dry, smooth pavement and either pull the steering wheel out of your hands or slide the vehicle sideways. This also happens intermittently. The dealer has replaced the left side caliper, replaced the right side caliper, and replaced the ABS module on the kelsey hayes ABS system. Gm now says that the vehicle is operating at manufacturer's spec's. I feel the van is unsafe because you don't know what is going to happen when you hit the brake pedal--will it stop straight, or pull left, or pull right, or (in fast "panic" stop) lock up one side and slide in that direction.
Vehicle would wander across road while driving at 45 or more MPH. Left side suspension was replaced with lower control arm by dealer, and problem still reoccurring.*ak side sliding door rattles, consumer states this is annoying.
Vehicle was pulling left and right. Vehicle has had many alignments. Problem still there. Dealership mechanic rotated tires. General tires p215/75r15. Dealership from big o tires a mechanic told her that 1 out 1000 will experience a problem.
When coming to a complete stop right front wheels make a very loud noise. Also, vehicle severely pulls to the right. Cause unknown.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Chevrolet Astro pulling
Which Chevrolet Astro years have pulls to one side problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1997 (10 complaints), 1998 (6 complaints) and 1995 (4 complaints).
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