Driving a 1994 gmc safari awd and at a stop had the 41" torsion bar snapped. Searched for replacement from salvage yards but they have stopped selling them due to liability reasons, need to install adjustment equipment sold by gm with a cost of $800.
1994 GMC Safari suspension problems
15 complaints (13% of all complaints for this car). 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 15
- of this car's complaints
- 13%
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Front: springs: torsion bar13
- Front2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
GMC Safari suspension problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 1994 GMC Safari owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The van was going down the i25 north of denver when the left front torsion bar snapped. I have driven many race cars and brining the van to a stop was the hardest I have ever done. By driving skills, luck and the good lord I am here today to write this complaint. Does general motors need to wait for a family to die before they will step up to the plate. I did not know of this problem until I went to get parts and that is when I find that gm knows they have defective torsion bars and supersedes the part numbers to shorter (from 40" to 36" bars) these bars are redesigned and must be replaced in pairs. I have the van torn down now with the failed part and it upsets me enough that I am going to let the van sit until general motors does something about this. Note that the gmc safari awd vans and the chevrolet astro awd vans are the same vehicle with the same problem.
Catasrtophic front suspension failure of the left torsion bar on a 1994 gmc safari awd van. Apparently, the entire front suspension system must now be replaced due to "superseded parts" from gm.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Front torsion bar broke while driving 25 MPH. Manufacturer was notified. Feel free to provide any further information.
While driving right front torsion bar broke, and right front end dropped. Dealer contacted.
Driver's side torsion bar broke in garage.
Was pulling out of parking slot when front torsion bar broke. This caused the vehicle to drop on the wheel and loss of steering control. Problem sounded like an explosion.
Dear representative, please consider the following. On 03/10/01, I noticed the front left side of the pertaining car sagging, car almost touching the tire. My mechanic looked at the problem, and diagnosed that the front left torsion bar was broken. Upon ordering a new one, he was told that since this is a 1994 safari, we have to buy new torsion bars and arms for both side of the front suspension. Reason being that gmc had since then re-designed this torsion bar system. In other words, we had to purchase the entire front torsion bar system, because of it being re-designed , although only the front left bar was broken. We don't have a problem with paying for were the problem lies, but I question the fact that gmc re-designed this piece, as well as that it is our cost. What reason could there be for re-designing such a piece. Cosmetics? Doubtfull! Obviously there was some sort of mistake with the old design. Should the customer therefor pay for this. We have been in touch with gmc about this, but get as much as a phone message back, stating that the car is beyond it's standard 36,000mls-3 yrs. Warrantee. I feel however that this has no relevance to the issue. It is for this reason that I'm bringing this issue to your attention. We hope that you could shed some more light on this, and we do feel that we should be re-imbursed for costs other than the broken torsion bar. Here is some contact info for you to work with: our mechanic, dewey's tire & auto repair llc, 603‑356‑5703; pontiac & gmc customer service, po box 33172, detroit mich., 48232-5172, reference # c-03448370. Please do not hesitate to call me for any further information that I can provide you with. Thank you so much for your time. A. Van coesant.
Front left torsion bar broke in driveway. Dealer had update kit for both sides. This could be very dangerous if the vehicle was moving.
Questions about the 1994 GMC Safari suspension
Does the 1994 GMC Safari have suspension problems?
Owners have filed 15 complaints about the suspension of the 1994 GMC Safari, 13% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1994 GMC Safari suspension problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1994 GMC Safari suspension?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the GMC Safari have bad suspension?
The GMC Safari model years with the most suspension complaints are 1995 (33 complaints), 1996 (29 complaints) and 1994 (15 complaints).
Other 1994 GMC Safari problems
Brakes 39Visibility 30Airbags 8Electrical 8Engine 5Steering 5Fuel system 4Seats 4Transmission 4Acceleration 3Body 3Seat belts 2Wheels 1
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1994 GMC Safari?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history