NHTSA Complaint #10008516 — 1996 PONTIAC GRAND AM

IN THE PAST 4 MONTHS, I HAVE REPLACED MY HEATER CORE, BECAUSE IT IS PLASTIC, AND THEN THE RADIATOR, NOW THE HEAD GASKET. PROBLEMS OF THIS NATURE FIRST SURFACED WITH HEATER CORE FAILURE, WHICH IS MADE OF PLASTIC AND THEN PROCEEDS THROUGH THE COOLING TO SYSTEM, TO MY CURRENT PROBLEM, HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT. THE WATER PUMP AND TRANSMISSION HAVE BOTH BEEN REPLACED, WHILE UNDER THE NEW CAR WARRANTY. I TOOK MY CAR TO HARDIN PONTIAC IN ANAHEIM, CA AT 3 PM ON MARCH 4TH. THEY HAVE NOW HAD MY CAR 2 DAYS AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME ANOTHER $80 TO FURTHER DIAGNOSE MY COOLANT LEAK. I HAVE OPENED A FILE W/PONTIAC, REF # 1-78-69-0865. PONTIAC DETERMINED THAT, AS I AM THE SECOND OWNER, THE AGE OF THE CAR (1996) AND NUMBER OF MILES (82,622) THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY. I EXPLAINED TO HER, THAT WHILE I AM THE 2ND OWNER, I PURCHASED THE CAR WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER THEIR 3 YEAR/36,000 MILE WARRANTY. AND WHILE UNDER WARRANTY, MY TRANSMISSION & WATER PUMP HAD BEEN REPLACED. THE COOLING SYSTEM PROBLEMS BEGAN WHILE UNDER THE NEW CAR WARRANTY. ALSO GM'S N' CAR SERIES HAS NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THEIR COOLING SYSTEMS, I AM BEING PENALIZED, PRIMARILY, BECAUSE I AM THE SECOND OWNER, RATHER THAN THE ORIGINAL OWNER. MY CAR HAS BEEN MAINTAINED AND SERVICED AS SPECIFIED IN THEIR OWNER??S MANUAL. WHILE SPEAKING W/PONTIAC, I WAS TOLD THERE IS AN OPEN RECALL ON THE IGNITION SYSTEM, APPARENTLY IT IS KNOW TO OVERHEAT AND MELT, RENDERING THE CAR UNDRIVABLE. IT APPEARS GM'S OVERHEATING ISSUES ARE NOT LIMITED TO THEIR COOLING SYSTEM AND CHEAP PLASTIC PARTS. I REQUESTED THAT THE SERVICE REP, MR. ROMERO, EXPLAIN WHY HE FELT THEY NEEDED TO FURTHER DIAGNOSE MY COOLANT LEAK, IS THE HEAD GASKET LEAKING, OR NOT? MR. ROMERO, DID INDEED DIAGNOSE WHAT HE TERMED AN "EXTERNAL COOLANT LEAK' IN OTHER WORDS A LEAK AT THE HEAD GASKET. AT THIS POINT, I HAVE INSTRUCTED ERNIE TO HANDLE THE RECALL PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION ONLY. PONTIAC HAS MINIMIZED THE PROBLEM AND CONVEYED THAT IT DOES NOT WARRANT IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.*JB