New rear shocks were required at 73,000 km.
The air conditioning compressor failed at 82,000 km. It failed again the next year, but was replaced free of charge by the dealer (I had to remind them that I paid $1,000 for the repair one year earlier).
The hatchback shocks have been replaced several times. I finally bought the lifetime warranty ones from Canadian Tire and have had no further problems.
The fuel pump failed at 108,00 km and again at 161,000 km. The dealer tells me that you have to keep the tank over half full to provide adequate cooling for the fuel pump. Now that's real convenient for long travel.
The universal joints failed on the drive-shaft at 120,000 km.
The oil line from the radiator to the oil filter leaked at 122,000 km and had to be replaced.
The starter failed at 138,000 km.
The rear hatch release rods came out of their housings at 145,000 km.
The rear hatch electric release wouldn't function at 150,000 km. I drove it for over a year with the interior trim off as the release just wouldn't work with the trim in place. I finally traced the problem to a worn wire. Once I replaced the wire, the electric release worked fine.
The rear pinion seal failed at 152,000 km.
The front pinion seal failed at 158,000 km.
If I didn't perform most of the maintenance by myself on this vehicle, I would have sold it years ago.
The van has great traction in snow and ice (all wheel drive) but lacks good clearance for mud.
The van is great for hauling 8 passengers. We have taken it on a few ski trips.
The door seals are poor. You can see daylight through them when the wind blows. There isn't much one can do since the hinges are flimsy.
The van stranded me once, which is once too often. Away it goes.
This Review is pretty well true. The Safari SLX is a great van! But like all cars it has SOME flaws. But then again it would pretty well be impossible to create a PERFECT car/truck/van. I would personally rate this review 8/10 and as for the van, 9 out of 10.
I have the same problem with the rear hatch release - can you advise which molding you removed and general location of wiring - my guess is that this became a problem for me when parking outdoors through the winter.
I bought my 1996 Safari SLX new. It has 95K km, it has been running good except for some minor problems. (1) the dutch door shocks only last for 18 months. I had them changed twice, finally, I give up and use a stick to hold the door since the shocks cost C$120.00 a pair. (2) when the car accelerates, the air condition changes automatically change to come out from the bottom instead of the vent when the warranty was expired. After I release the gas a little bit, it blows out from the vent again. I took it back to the dealer and I was told that is the design not defect. I was not happy with this explanation since this did not happen when it was new. (3) the windshield wiper switch did not work about a year ago. I paid to a new one and I received a letter from GM Canada later that the windshield wiper switch was under warranty (defective) eventhough it was 6 years old. I got my money back. (4) recently, there is rattling sound under the car after the engine reaches the normal temperature. The dealer told me that it may be the converter. I decided to fix it after winter to prove if this is really the converter since I have been running with this rattling sound for 9K km. (5) the door seal is poor that I can see the sunlight at the bottom of the sliding door. Other than the above minor problem, I am happy with my Safari, especial the battery, it is the original one since 1996 and the highway gas mileage is terrific.
I have a 98 GMC Sub with what I believe is a defective rear wiper switch. It blows fuses repeatedly. I took it out and checked connections and reinstalled and it appeared to work after repeated testing by me.
However, the next day the fuse blew. Is this item under recall? All info that I have indicates that only the front PCB for these sub's is recalled.
If anyone can provide any advice I would greatly appreciate the same.
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