1997 GMC Safari SLT review from North America

Accelerator pedal stuck bad, but was finally fixed when the problem, a faulty throttle-body was found. At only 58000 miles? We've owned a Volkswagen for 13 years and 158000 miles. Its throttle body has never given up.

Odd thumping noise that the dealer service department hasn't been able to fix for 4 years.

Alternator went bad at 58000 miles. Car wouldn't start.

The transmission started shifting very hard from first to second gear at about 40000 miles. The first time we took it to the dealer, they said that there was probably something in the transmission, but made no move to fix it. They weren't going to even change the transmission fluid. The second time we took it in they "fixed it". It did shift right for about a week but then went back to the hard shifting. The dealer also forgot to reassemble the car correctly and it made a wooshing noise in the interior.

The air conditioning has gone out three times, always at the beginning of summer. It went out after we had the car for only one year. We called the dealer to have it fixed but they wanted us to wait two weeks before we brought it in. It was the middle of the Texas summer, and an hour-long commute with no air conditioning in 100 degree weather was out of the question. We told them that we had paid $24000 for that car a year ago with air conditioning and they can't make us drive it without A/C. They eventually gave in and fixed it in a week and a half. And there were two more episodes after that.

Those GM dealers put on an excellent facade to sell those $25000 junkers, but crap on you when you need them fixed.

Even when this heap is working, it is a slow, wallowing barge. As a person who likes real driving, this car is hell. It busts a gut getting on the freeway even with the more powerful engine. The steering is among the worst ever.

It has the second row captains chairs which cannot be removed, thus defeating the utilitarian value of the vehicle.

It gets a hideous 15 mpg, about the same as our V8 powered 1965 Buick. This is GM Astro/Safari quality at its finest. Junk.