I’ve owned many different brands of vehicles. GM vehicles have been my nemesis when it comes to issues after the warranty ends.
1997 Oldsmobile Intrigue had multiple window regulator issues. Trim coming apart, headliner delaminate, 3.8 motor, had a plastic intake with metal sleeves that would transfer heat and crack the plastic allowing coolant into the heads. All after the warranty and before the 100k mile mark.
2000 Oldsmobile Aurora again window regulators and trim issues. Seems their cable and drum regulator setups weren’t designed for cold weather applications.
2001 Silverado Z71 ABS sensors there was a recall, they removed and cleaned them and put them back in. Couple years later same thing. Replaced them, issue went away. Came back intermittently later on but the front wheel hubs were going out and replacement hubs came with the sensors. Later the ABS actuator went out, at that point pulled the ABS relay and disabled the system.
Drivers and passengers side window regulators replaced 2X ea.
Fuel gauge would bounce from full to empty when truck filled up. Would continue until it reached 3/4 tank then work fine.
Brake pedal always seemed stiff, had it looked at a couple different times and by a few different shops. No one could find an issue. Couple other friends said the same thing. Almost felt like the de booster was going bad. I replaced calipers and it didn’t change the problem. Again, after warranty timeframe but before 100K.
All these issues were common and across multiple model years. A lot of friends saw the same issues with their GM vehicles.
GM seems to not adapt (at least back then) to their design flaws in a timely manner. Other manufacturers seemed more willing to adapt and change or at least try to redesign what ailed them. I saw first hand the crap that all the manufacturers put out all through the 70’s and 80’s and they felt that what ever they put out someone would buy. Regardless of the quality. Pinto, Vega, Aries K car, and the list was long. But then again, crank windows, most cars A/C was an option. Bare bone cars with not a lot of standard opt we have today. So other than drivelines, there weren’t as many issues with interiors.
Drive trains had a lot of known issues that weren’t addressed either. Paper cams, plastic timing gears, plastic radiators, all seemed to have high failure rates and they still pressed on putting them out. They’d last long enough that the warranties were done before they failed.
