1997 Chevrolet Tahoe: complete transmission failure

Filed Jan 10, 2015 · MI

I bought this vehicle at tax time in 2014. I absolutely love my truck. It's a lifted, automatic 4wd with front and back towing pkg, and perfect for the mountain roads and snow where I live. Less than a month after I bought it I had to travel 300 miles to tucson and the transmission went out, didn't have the money to get it fixed so I transferred my job and started over in tucson. After much deliberation with the dealer, they finally had the transmission rebuilt. They gave me a 300 mi warranty (all I needed to get back to tucson) and less than a week after I got home, the fuel pump went out. So I let the truck sit for 2 months before I got it fixed. I came across enough money to get me and my children out of dv situation and proceeded to drive them to michigan. Made it to ok and it was completely burned out again. I always have routine maintenance done, I do understand how to use an automatic 4wd, I don't push my vehicle too hard. I made it to michigan but here it is winter and I have a truck in ok that I love and am still paying for and can't use, and do not understand why the transmission keeps going out and in the mean time I have 2 kids and one on the way and can't afford to fix my truck or get a new one. I was told there was a recall on my transmission, but cannot find one. Please let me know if there is anything I need to know or can do.

Filed Jan 28, 2007 · Transmission · 125,000 miles · CA

Automatic transmission failure. Extremely common to my 97 chevy tahoe. Required complete rebuild and lots of money. I called probably a dozen transmission repair facilities and almost all said I was lucky I made it to so many miles before this happened as it is very common in this transmission. All say it comes from a structurally flawed in design piece in the trans that breaks and of course completely contaminates the trans with metal and destroys the majority of the remaining parts.

Filed Sep 27, 2004 · Transmission · 95,000 miles · NC

My 1997 chevrolet tahoe transmission just failed. Have no 2nd, 4th or reverse gears, always worked perfect until now. After a web search found out this problem is happening very much. Sun gear shell breaking on 4l60e transmissions. There is a big defect and gm has done nothing to fix the problems to all the gm owners. Seems they cut back a little much on quality control this time and don't seem to care about it from what I have seen. You probably heard about it before. Please help us get this problem recalled. I have not had any repairs done yet. Keep hearing $2000 to $2500 t0 fix this $40 part. Dealers want to replace transmission with new one just of this porblem. Does it seem right to you?

Filed Apr 29, 2004 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · NY

The failures initiated back in june (27th) 2001. An hour on the nys thruway from buffalo going towards penn stateline. The transmission blew, throwing fluids everywhere. Towed to continental transmission. Paid for the transmission to be replaced. Within the end of the 1 year warranty, the transission began slipping and bumping after 2nd gear before going into 3rd. This would occur after the truck was warmed up and following thruway driving. Once you exited the thruway, came to a stop; it started immediatelyand consistently. Seeing as I drove the thruway everyday, the problem occurred everyday. Took tahoe back to continental transmission. They initally didn't see anything wrong and asked that we advise in the future if it got worse. We took it back and forth, losing use of the vehical for weeks at a time. Finally, in jan 2004, the tranny just stopped altogether and we had to tow to continental. The truck supposedly had another tranny replacememt, as well as replacement of the computer. Once again, we were without the truck for 4+ weeks. We picked it up and the the next day, fluid all over the garage floor (of a newly built home!). Took it back, another week went by. Picked it up, within another month, tranny was not kicking into 3rd...again. Took the tahoe back to continental, supposedly all new parts were put into the tahoe. Yesterday, same problem, tranny not kicking into 3rd, when it tries, the RPM skyrocket to 6000 and you don't accelerate. Brought it back to continental this morning. They called to tell me that they don't know what to do. They can't get us a new tranny, maybe a remanufactured tranny, but they will let me know after they contact the dealer. Am I the only owner of a 1997 chevy tahoe that has experienced these extensive defects with a gm automatic transmission? This is a travesty! Please followup with continental transmission, their number is 716‑828‑1121, ask for pat, the owner. He is just as frustrated over this as I am!

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Transmission · 65,900 miles · NM

Transmission: I believe the part is called the reverse drum in the transmission. The car would not reverse and had a difficult time shifting from 1rst to 2nd. The first transmission went out at 32,700 miles and replaced by gm (under warranty) with rebuilt transmission from factory per gm, for same problem, shifting and reverse. Since car manufactured in 1997 this is it's third transmission and it has less than 66k miles on it and is used 99% of the time for open road trips only. When I had this problem again I was driving on an open highway (road trip). Per repair shop mechanic: reverse drum was defective, cheaply built and constructed to fail. Also, my vehicle transmission was the mechanic's 16th chevrolet transmission repair for the same problem on chevrolet vehicles in the last couple of years. He knew what the problem was when I explained what had happened re: noises, and how it drove, reverse etc... And he verified same by the transmission check and work performed. He saved the part for me, which I have in my possession. Gm would not participate in any of the cost of repairs since I decided not to let them tear the transmission down @ $300.00 cost to me to determine the problem, and , if I decided I wanted someone else to do the work, they would have to come pick the broken down transmission and haul it away to work on it. In the event I would have the dealer do the work, then it would have cost me approx. $3,000.00 worst case scenario, and maybe gm would assist but not sure if they would help or not or at what level. Since they repaired the first transmission and it went out at approx. 32k miles after that, I did not have a comfort level that they would do a good job or that it would be repaired. I was stuck on a road in the early evening with my elderly mother and my sister in the vehicle with me upon our return from a day and evening trip to ruidoso nm, located approx. 2.5 hours from my residence when the transmission went out.

Filed Aug 27, 2003 · Transmission · 32,000 miles · NM

While driving at highway speed consumer heard a grinding noise. The oil and RPM needles started fluctuating back and front . Also, when this occurred consumer pulled over to investigate. When vehicle was put into reverse it failed to go backwards, hesitated, then jerked into first gear. Prior this incident,transmission was replaced for this same issue.

Filed Apr 11, 2003 · Transmission · VA

The automatic transmission failed.

Filed Jul 22, 2002 · Transmission · NJ

Vehicle will not go in reverse, it jerks and changes over slowly and grinds. Transmission has failed for the fourth time . Dealer has been putting in new transmissions. Transmission seems to fail every 15,000 miles. Dealer was notified. *ak

Filed May 15, 2001 · Transmission · FL

Consumer experienced premature transmission failure.

Filed Mar 27, 2001 · Transmission · TX

Consumer slowed down at a light, and when trying to go vehicle started to jolt/ and made a loud noise. Contacted dealer, and dealer wanted to replace transmission.

Filed Jan 17, 2001 · Transmission · NY

Suddendly and without warning driver heard a loud "bang, after driving a few hundred more feet the vehicle would not shift into second gear or into reverse, vehicle towed to dealership for transmission failure.