| Components - Details | |
|---|---|
| NHTSA Complaint Number: 000067390 | Incident Date: Oct, 31 2000 |
| Consumer's City: PETERSBURG | Consumer's State: IN |
| Vehicle Transmission Type: | Manufacturers Name: General Motors, LLC |
| Model Name: SIERRA | Model Year: 1998 |
| Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No | Component's Description: Engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control |
| Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No | Persons Injured: 0 |
| Vehicle's VIN#: 1GTGK24R7WZ | Date added to File: May, 25 2021 |
| Date Complaint Received: Mar, 16 2001 | Complaint Type: IVOQ |
| Incident Reported To Police: No | Purchase Date: Dec, 31 1997 |
| Was Original Owner: Yes | Anti-lock Brakes: Yes |
| Number of Cylinders: 0 | Date of Manufacturer: - |
| Was Vehicle Towed: - | Description of the Complaints: Problem with fuel system evac canister. the canister, located in left front of engine compartment has a fresh air vent opening for partial venting of vacum directed towards fuel vapor control. it is covered by a loose fitting cap. this un-protected opening allows dirt to enter the top of the canister and eventually clog the opening. when this occurs the entire vacum force is apparently directed to the fuel tank causing fuel tank to collapse. an older model truck (i believe it was a 1997) was examined and a similar canister fresh air vent was stamped with the words "air cleaner" though it too was not connected to the air cleaner but was only covered by a loose fitting cap. this problem is probably not evident in vehicles operated on highway only. a local service station, john melhiser's amoco, petersburg indiana, related to me that he knew of 3 other area pickups (farm use) that experienced this problem. symptoms of emminent fuel tank collapse based on my own experience are: 1-increased vacum in fuel tank as noticed when removing the fuel cap; 2 fuel gage begins to malfunction (caused by bottom of tank being pushed upward on the sending unit). i suspect that the effect is more pronounced at lower fuel levels. i contacted gm's customer service # jan 26 this year. i contacted them again march 16. they indicated that the problem had been noted but that no firther action was planned. gm indicated that a "product allegation report" could be filed if the problem caused significant property damage or bodily harm. i suggested that they should at least produce a maintenance insert for the owners manual and service bulletins since dealers i checked with were not aware of the potential for plugging of the vent and collapse of the fuel tank. a more secure fix would be to vent the suction to the air cleaner (as was apparently intended on the earlier model) to ensure that foreign matter does not clog the vent. |
