Uplander Complaints

Some minor complaints about the 2005 Uplander now that I've driven it for a while. The high beam switch on the turn signal lever really sucks. The old system whereby you pulled the lever forward (and could hear and feel the clicks) was much better. The new high beam system is that the lever is pushed forward to switch to high beams, and there is very little physical resistance required to engage this switch (and it does not click). As a result, I unintentionally turn on the high beams every time I use the turn signal. I thought I would get used to this after a few thousand miles, but I haven't. And I'm pretty good with these kind of details. It is so annoying that it makes me think the engineers who thought of this little gem never actually drove the prototypes during development. Second, the yellow engine warning light (formerly the "service engine soon" light) which is now just a small faint yellow picture of an engine is actually invisible in daylight. Mine was on after I picked up the car from the body shop (after it was hit while parked) but I did not realize it until I happened to drive under the EL tracks in Philly (where it is dark). It's not just hard to see in bright daylight -- it is actually impossible to see. Another case of me wondering what idiots could design and approve such a system without happening to notice that in the real world it doesn't work. The radio controls also are poorly designed and counter-intuitive, but I can live with that. Other than these minor complaints, the rest of the vehicle is top notch.

funny you say about the radio controls..we just picked up a 2006, i like to flip the stations at redlights; but if i rest my hand so I can push he preset buttons with my fingers; the rest of my hand blocks the display so I have no idea what station i selected unless i remember #1 is 102.5 etc..kinda petty but these are things engineers should think of.

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I've got a '09 Montana (sister vehicle to the Uplander) since March 2009. For a list of my my review with pros/cons, surf:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=1009845

If wondering, our vehicle is still running great today. However... There are a few DIY upgrades I'd recommend to both Uplander/Montana SV6 models. re: Brighter headlight bulbs, sealing a water hole in the windshield's support rails, installing aux ATF cooler (even if NOT towing), installing Timbrens SES (for better rear suspension) instead of using factory "air based" system, bending the manual door release spring (to hold manual sliding doors open while backed on a low slope hill), etc. etc.

Hope this helps in your research....

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I agree with the first poster about the high beam switch. I noted that shortly after I bought the vehicle and was wondering also why they changed it after so many years of having it the other way. Other than that this has been a great vehicle since I bought it in Oct. 2006. It has been far better than the 2 Ventures I owned previously. I recently had to replace the front sway bar links which were noted in the annual state safety inspection,( still passed but they recommended I replace soon.) The road conditions here are horrible due to potholes and such and every vehicle I have owned has gone through sway bar links, tie rod ends and other suspension parts, just a way of living here in the Northeast. I purchased a set of 4 snow tires and rims a couple of years ago and found the van handled much better in the inclement weather ( we received nearly 200" of snow this past winter.) I am getting ready to buy a set of all seasons this weekend because I discovered a tear in one tire's sidewall. It kind of sucks that we have to replace the tires in a set of 4 due to the stability and other systems on the vehicle which rely on tires that are matched in tread size. It can get expensive buying 4 tires instead of 2 . But those were the days back then when you could get by replacing just one tire if one had an issue.
Some 'minor' complaints I have are the cost of some replacement parts and availability. I lost a hubcap last year and cannot find one in a local parts yard. Those used ones online start at about $50 or more for one in decent shape. Also I have not found a way to keep the radio on while I am out of the van working or playing nearby and want some music. Once you open the door it kills the radio . I have resorted to keeping the windows open and reach in to turn it on but the radio stops playing after 10 minutes, a safety item they use to keep the battery from draining. I wish there was an override for that so we could listen to radio longer than 10 minutes at a time. One other issue I noticed which cropped up this past winter was that if I locked the doors with the key fob and then when I was ready to unlock, the sliding door on the driver's side would stay locked. I would have to manually reach in and unlock it and the locking mechanism was rather stiff. That issue seems to have dissipated with the warmer weather.
Other than that I'm very satisfied.

I have never had any issues with the hi-lo dimmer set up. It is the same as what the new Fords have.

Ref the radio, just turn the key one spot forward. It'll play til the battery dies.

I have never had any issues with the hi-lo dimmer set up. It is the same as what the new Fords have.

Ref the radio, just turn the key one spot forward. It'll play til the battery dies.
Well most of us probably haven't driven a new Ford so we wouldn't have known :lol: I guess it boils down to what we are used to and expect from our vehicles.

Thanks for that info about the radio, I didn't see it in the owners manual ( unless that info is there and I just happened to miss it.)
Did end up buying 4 new B F Goodrich Touring TA tires last weekend as the tire guy said the remaining "good" tires had 4/32 tread left. Big difference (better) in ride over the O.E Goodyear Integrity that were on it since new.