NHTSA Complaint #10138625 — 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS

SAFETY HAZARD: CRACKED FUEL TANK LEAKING GASOLINE/GASOLINE VAPORS ON 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS. THE CAR IS DRIVEN ON CITY/HIGHWAY PAVEMENT AND HAS NOT BEEN IN ANY CRASH OR DRIVEN ON ROUGH OR OFFROAD TERRAIN. NOTE THAT ON NOV. 10, 2003 BUICK ISSUED A RECALL ON 2004 RENDEZVOUS FOR CRACKED FUEL TANKS. SEE NHTSA RECALL ID NUMBER 03V454000. WE NOTICED STRONG GASOLINE ODORS IN OUR GARAGE BEGINNING IN MID-SEPTEMBER. ON SEPTEMBER 30, WE COULD NOT START THE CAR AND HAD A BUICK DEALER TOW THE CAR TO DEALERSHIP TO IDENTIFY THE REASON FOR THE NO START AND CHECK FOR GASOLINE FUMES. THE DEALERSHIP IDENTIFIED A BAD CELL IN THE CAR'S BATTERY, WORN FUEL LEVEL SENSORS AND A CRACKED FUEL TANK. THIS COMPLAINT ONLY DEALS WITH THE CRACKED FUEL TANK UNLESS NHTSA'S INVESTIGATION IDENTIFIES A LINK BETWEEN THE OTHERS. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM DON STEIN BUICK IN OVERLAND PARK, KS AND TOWED TO JOHN BAILEY BUICK IN BUFORD, GA. ON TODAY, OCT 5, 2005, I WILL BE PICKING UP THE VEHICLE FOLLOWING REPLACEMENT OF THE GAS TANK. I HAVE ASKED THE BAILEY DEALERSHIP TO MAKE THE CRACKED GAS TANK AVAILABLE FOR MY REVIEW AND TRANSPORT. I INTEND TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE TANK PRIOR TO ACCEPTING CUSTODY OF IT. THE NHTSA HOTLINE REPRESENTATIVE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE IF NHTSA HAS ANY CHAIN OF CUSTORY PROCEDURES FOR CONVEYING THE CRACKED TANK TO NHTSA CUSTODY. (NOTE: I DO NOT KNOW THE EXACT PURCHASE DATE BUT DO KNOW THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN JULY 2002. I HAVE LISTED JULY 15, 2002 AS AN APPROX. DATE.). *NM