2002 GMC Sierra 1500 Transmission and drivetrain Problems

“On dec 8, 2003 I was driving at approx. 45 miles per hour when my transmission shifted out of gear and then after a few secounds it shifted into low gear, all on its own. There was a car traveling behind that almost hit me from behind. I pulled over and put my truck in park. I looked under my truck to see if any thing had come apart. I did not see any fluid leak or any loose parts. I drove my truck to the dealership in low gear. They took my truck in for repairs (38,127 miles). I was 2,127 miles out of warranty. The transmission was repaired and it cost $1,057.19. …”

“At 68,994 miles my truck lost 2nd gear, drive, overdrive and reverse. A new reaction shell was installed. At 90,027 miles and 360 days later the same problem occurred and a beast heavy duty reaction shell was available and installed.”

“The contact owns a 2002 Gmc SIERRA 1500. The contact stated that while parked, the gear could not be moved into drive or reverse. The failure recurred five times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the sun gear and planetary gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired by the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000. The VIN was not available.”

“The 2002 was in need of front hubs since they were not replaced when they should have been at the time the front differential was rebuilt. This caused the truck to have excessive front wheel friction, and compromised the braking characteristics of the truck. It was difficult to drive, especially in snow, and the front wheel friction would vary based on changes in speed, road contour, temperature, steering input, throttle input, and brake input. While braking the truck would often pitch severely to one side or the other, the ABS would activate on dry pavement. …”