NHTSA Complaint #10104497 — 2000 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

I WAS DRIVING TO WORKING ON NOVEMBER 19 2004 AT APPROXIMATELY 8:30AM WHEN MY CAR STALLED AT A STOP LIGHT ON A MAJOR STREET. I TRIED TO GIVE IT GAS BUT IT WOULD NOT ACCERATE. I TRIED TO START IT A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT IT WOULD NOT START. THE CAR WAS ON A 1/4 OF GAS WHEN THIS HAPPENED SO I THOUGHT IT WASN'T THE FUEL. I HAD TO CALL MY BOSS, WHO CAME OUT TO TRY TO HELP BUT HAD NO LUCK IN GETTING IT TO START OR FIGURING OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS SO WE HAD TO CALL AAA AND HAVE THEM TOW MY CAR TO AN AUTOMOTIVE SHOP. AFTER 2 DAYS OF HAVING MY CAR IN THE SHOP, I WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT MY FUEL PUMP WAS COMPLETELY SHOT DUE TO MY FUEL GUAGE READINGS NOT READING CORRECTLY. WHEN MY FUEL READING WAS AT 1/4 IT WAS ACTUALLY OF EMPTY. MY MECHANIC THEN INFORMED ME THAT THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN DEFECT FOR MY YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL CAR. I WAS THEN INFORMED BY MY MECHANIC THAT IT WOULD COST $675.00 WHICH INCLUDED PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. AT THAT TIME, I CALLED THE GM DEALER BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT SINCE THIS WAS A KNOWN DEFECT THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE IT COVERED UNDER SOME KIND OF WARRANTY. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER OF THE SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA DEALER, WHO INFORMED ME THAT IT HAS BEEN A KNOWN PROBLEM, BUT THAT ITS NOT UNDER ANY KIND OF EXTENDED WARRANTY. WHEN I HEARD THAT, I WAS VERY ANGRY BECAUSE I FELT THAT IF THIS IS A KNOWN COMPLAINT/DEFECT THAT THESE CERTAIN CARS MAY HAVE, WHY SHOULD I, THE CUSTOMER OF CHEVROLET, HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE PARTS? SINCE I AM IN NEED OF MY "RELIABLE" TRANSPORTATION, I PAID FOR A NEW FUEL PUMP (ALL $675.00 WORTH OF IT).*AK