NHTSA Complaint #10098221 — 2004 BUICK RAINIER

IN OCTOBER, 2003 I PURCHASED A NEW 2004 BUICK RAINIER. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING HOME ONE NIGHT AND THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY DIMMED AND THEN CAME BACK UP. IT HAPPENED AT LEAST TWICE THAT NIGHT. WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. THEY WERE FIXING SEVERAL OTHER PROBLEMS AT THE SAME TIME SO WE ASSUMED IT WAS FIXED. LAST WEEK, OCTOBER 28, 2004, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY OVER A DARK MOUNTAIN PASS WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OFF. THEY STAYED OFF FOR 2 TO 3 SECONDS BEFORE COMING BACK ON. LUCKILY, I DIDN'T CRASH BECAUSE THE LIGHTS OF A NEARBY SEMI KEPT ME FROM CRASHING INTO THE FREEWAY BARRIER. I FOLLOWED THE SEMI AFTER THAT BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THEY WOULD GO OFF AGAIN. A FEW MILES DOWN THE ROAD, IN A NARROW ON-LANE CONSTRUCTION AREA THE HEADLIGHTS DIMMED SEVERAL TIMES BUT NEVER WENT COMPLETELY OUT. HEN I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THE DEALER THE NEXT DAY HE WAS ABSOLUTELY WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND UNDERSTOOD COMPLETELY HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS. BUT, THE GM REPRESENTATIVES AND CORPORATE OFFICE REFUSES TO EVEN RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE IT HASN'T BEEN REPLICATED IN THE SHOP SO WILL NOT AUTHORIZE OUR DEALER TO FIND THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT. THE DEALER HAS CALLED GM SEVERAL TIME AND I HAVE CALLED SEVERAL TIMES. GM BASICALLY TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T CARE IF I DIED AND/OR KILLED OTHER PEOPLE AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. *AK