NHTSA Complaint #10075109 — 2000 GMC SONOMA

2000 GMC SONOMA, THIRD DOOR AND HANDLE. SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE (USED) AND WARRANTY EXPIRED I'VE NOTICED THAT THE THIRD DOOR HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFICULT TO OPEN, NOT BEING FAMILIAR WITH IT I ASSUMED IT WAS NORMAL UNTIL THE HANDLE BROKE AND YOU COULD NOT OPEN THE DOOR SINCE THERE IS ONLY ONE HANDLE FOR IT. I WENT TO A LOCAL GMC DEALERSHIP AND PURCHASED ANOTHER HANDLE ASSEMBLY, ASKED ABOUT ANY RECALLS, OR BULLETINS AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING IN THEIR SYSTEM, OR GMC'S, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT I WAS NOT THE FIRST TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM, I ALSO FOUND A BULLETIN IN A SONOMA WEBSITE/GROUP ONLINE, CONTACTED GMC AND FINALLY GOT THEM TO RESEARCH THE BULLETIN # AND WAS TOLD "YES" THERE IS A BULLETIN, IT MUST HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE SYSTEM, THEN I WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE TO ANALYZE WHAT CAUSED THE HANDLE TO BREAK AT MY EXPENSE, AS FRUSTRATED AS I WAS I WENT HOME AND FIXED IT THE BEST I COULD BY FOLLOWING THE BULLETIN, BOTTOM LINE THE BULLETIN STATES THAT THE LOCK RODS ARE IMPROPERLY ADJUSTED CAUSING TO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE HANDLE, WHICH IN TURN BREAKS THE HANDLE AT ANY GIVEN TIME WHEN TRYING TO OPEN IT. WHAT I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IS IF THERE IS A BULLETIN OUT THAN THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A REOCCURING PROBLEM WITH THE SAME OUTCOME, YET THEY FEEL THEY STILL HAVE TO ANALYZE WHAT CAUSES EACH HANDLE TO BREAK?*AK