List of Suspension Issues in the Chevy Uplander (Expert Guide)

In this brief article we are going to discuss the different 2007 Chevy Uplander Rear Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.

Most common suspension issues in the Chevy Uplander? 

The most common suspension issues seen in the Chevy Uplander are:

• Rear Shock Absorber Failure
• Rear Air-Assist Shock Failure
• Rear Wheel Bearing Failure
• Rear Spring Sagging

What suspension does the Chevy Uplander have?

The Chevy Uplander is a minivan by Chevrolet manufactured from 2005 to 2009. The Uplander was based on Chevrolet minivan predecessors, the Venture and the Astro.

Other rebadged variants of the Uplander are the Saturn Relay, Buick Terraza, and Pontiac Montana SV6.

Rear Suspension

The 2007 Chevy Uplander has a rear independent 3- link suspension along with a MacPherson strut and Anti-roll bar.

The Chevy Uplander had a Trailing Arm Suspension with Coil springs and shock absorbers.

The optional Air-Assist Package had a Air Shock in place of the regular shock with lower rate coil springs.

Rear Shock Absorber Failure

Symptoms:

• Knocking and Popping Noises from the Rear going over bumps
• Harsh Ride
• Rear end feels like a hammer hitting
• Applies to the regular shock absorbers for vehicles without Air assist option 

Troubleshooting Rear Shock Failure

• The Harsh Ride symptom points to the Shock Absorber as a probable cause.
• The noises coming from the rear are partly due to the failed shock absorber allowing the bump stops to contact more often. And also the noises partly come from the worn out shock mounting bushes that allow the shock to move and hit against the mounting brackets.
• If your vehicle has crossed 40-50K miles, then it could be due for a shock replacement. Due to long-term internal wear, the shock starts losing its damping action over time.
• If the rear shock has started leaking oil due to a failed oil-seal, then it means that the shock will no longer be effective.
• One good way to tell if your shock has failed or not is to do a “Bounce Test”. Put all your weight on one of the front corners of the vehicle pushing it downwards. Keep oscillating the corner till you feel that it has reached its maximum height. Once you take your hands off the corner, observe how it settles. If it takes more than 2 oscillations to settle, that means the damper has failed.

• In the Chevy Uplander, the Rear Shock Top mount can only be accessed from inside the vehicle behind the rear seats
• In order to access the bolts, all the side panel trim behind the seat needs to be removed

Pro Tip

• When tightening the Shock bottom bolt, make sure that the vehicle is at its normal ride height.
• If this bush is tightened at any other ride height, the Bush  always rests in a twisted condition at normal ride height and will result in a reduced Bush service life.

Rear Air Assist Shock Failure

Symptoms:

• Rear suspension height dropped
• Harsh Ride
• Bump stops hit hard and often going over bumps

Troubleshooting Rear Air Assist Shock Failure

• The 2007 Chevy Uplander was available with Optional Air Assist, which was a self-levelling Rear shock integrated with Air Strut, in place of the regular shock.
• The Air shock works in parallel with the Regular Coil Spring that is common to all Uplanders. The Air Assist optional pack had softer coil springs since the remaining stiffness would be taken up by the Air Shocks
• The Air shocks wear out and leak over time, eventually unable to hold air pressure
• The absence of the air shocks stiffness means the softer coil springs carry all of the rear suspension and drop in height and hit the bump stops often

Rear Wheel Bearing Failure

Symptoms:

• Droning noise above 30 mph speeds
• Sound is louder with increasing speed
• Sound also tends to change when steering right or left

Troubleshooting Front Wheel Bearing Failure

• Droning noise is generally associated with one of the wheel bearings depending on where the noise is coming from
• Wheel bearings generally have a life of 70K miles, after which, on detecting noise issues, must be replaced
• In the Chevy Uplander, the wheel bearing is housed within the Hub and is available as an assembly.

• During fitment and removal take special care to remove and  reattach the Wheel sensor to the back of the hub

Rear Spring Sagging

Symptoms:

• Rear suspension ride height has reduced compared to standard ride height as per vehicle specification
• Rear Bump Stops hit often

Troubleshooting Rear Spring Sagging

• The rear Coil Spring undergoes fatigue over long-term use and loses its ‘Springiness’
• Spring sagging is a clear indication of the spring’s end-of-life and spring breakage is imminent

Conclusion

In this brief article we have discussed the different 2007 Chevy Uplander Rear Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.

For any questions or comments, please feel free to get in touch with us.