NHTSA Complaint #10079169 — 2003 CHEVROLET S10

2003 S-10 PICKUP, VIN [XXX] . WHEN I TOOK THIS VEHICLE TO FLETCHER CHEVROLET FOR AN OIL CHANGE ON OCT 28, 2003, AT 1,866 MILES, I MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS A SQUEAK COMING FROM THE FRONT RIGHT SUSPENSION. THEY CHECKED AND HEARD THE SQUEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS SCHEDULED FOR REPAIR ON NOV 17, 2003. ON DEC 3, 2003, 2 WEEKS LATER, I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE COIL SPRING INSULATORS WERE REPLACED. ON DEC 11, 2003, I WENT TO FLETCHER CHEVROLET FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND AGAIN MENTIONED HAVING A SQUEAK IN THE FRONT. THE FRONT END WAS LUBRICATED. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM BUT I PROCRASTINATED UNTIL JUNE 7, 2004 BEFORE TAKING THE VEHICLE BACK FOR SERVICE. FLETCHER CHEVROLET CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND SAID THAT THEY NEEDED TO ORDER UPPER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS SCHEDULED FOR REPAIR ON JUNE 17, 2004. ON JULY 1, 2004, 2 WEEKS LATER, I WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS READY. THIS TIME THEY LUBED JOINTS AND BUSHINGS, REMOVED THE STABILIZER BAR TO GREASE BUSHINGS AND REPLACED THE STABILIZER LINK BUSHINGS AND UPPER BUSHINGS. THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE NOISE STILL EXISTED. THE NICE FOLKS AT THE FLETCHER CHEVROLETS SERVICE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINED THAT THEY HAD DONE ALL THEY COULD BUT SINCE GM TOLD THEM THAT MY DEFECT WAS NOT A PROBLEM STEMMING FROM DRIVABILITY PART OF NORMAL OPERATION, ADDITIONAL WORK WOULD NOT BE PERFORMED UNDER WARRANTY TO FIX THIS DEFECT. I CALLED THIS NUMBER AND SPOKE WITH SARA HARTMANN. AFTER CHECKING SHE INFORMED ME THAT CHEVROLET KNEW THAT SOME S-10S WERE EXPERIENCING A SUSPENSION NOISE PROBLEM BUT IT WAS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS NO KNOWN FIX. IN ESSENCE SHE IS SAYING, TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER, THAT I AM NOT ALONE. I TOLD HER THAT THIS WAS MY 4TH S-10 AND I DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THE OTHERS. SHE DID OFFER ME A SMART CARE PACKAGE CONSISTING OF FREE OIL CHANGES FOR 12 MONTHS OR 12,000 MILES. I WOULD RATHER HAVE THE DEFECT FIXED. *AK UPDATED 07/25/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.