NHTSA Complaint #10160422 — 1994 CHEVROLET S10 PICKUP

PURCHASED USED 1994 CHEVY S10 TRUCK WITH 102,000 MILES ON 4/10/06. BRAKES FAILED (WOULD MAKE NOISE LIKE ABS AND WOULDN'T STOP -- THEN WOULD WORK AGAIN-- VERY SPORADIC) AND IT WAS DETERMINED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC THAT IT WAS THE ABS SYSTEM. THE MECHANIC CALLED A GM TECHNICIAN WHO FAXED DOCUMENT #724859 ON A RECALL COVERING HIGH/LOW/HIGH ABS BRAKE ANOMALY #99046B - 5/16/2000 AND I WAS TOLD TO CONTACT THE FACTORY DIRECT ON THE SAFETY ISSUE TO HAVE RESOLVED. THE DOCUMENT STATED HOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE ABS WAS ORIGINAL TO THE CAR OR HAD BEEN REPLACED IN THE RECALL. IT WAS DETERMINED BY LOCAL MECHANIC TO BE THE ORIGINAL. I CALLED THE FACTORY AND GAVE THEM ALL THE ABOVE INFORMATION AND WAS IMMEDIATELY TOLD THE RECALL ENDED 12/1/2002 AND I COULD NOT BE HELPED. AFTER ASKING TO HAVE THIS RECONSIDERED BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVED I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD, AND THEN A DAY OR SO LATER WAS TOLD I WOULD NEED TO TAKE THE TRUCK TO A LOCAL CHEVY DEALER TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CONFIRMED AND THE ABS SYSTEM CHECKED TO SEE IF IT HAD ALREADY BEEN REPLACED IN THE RECALL. I DID THAT AND THE LOCAL DEALER SENT THE INFORMATION TO THE FACTORY STATING THE ABS PROBLEM WAS THAT OF THE RECALL AND THE ABS SYSTEM WAS ORIGINAL AND HAD NOT BEEN REPLACED. AT THIS TIME GM TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR UP FRONT, WHICH I DID, WITH THE LOCAL DEALER AND SEND CERTAIN PAPERWORK FOR REIMBURSEMENT WHICH WOULD TAKE 60 DAYS. AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THE PAPERWORK HAD BEEN SUBMITTED I WAS INFORMED BY PHONE THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR DUE TO 1)EXPIRATION OF RECALL 2)AGE AND MILEAGE OF TRUCK. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM EXTREMELY UPSET. MY SON WAS WITH A FRIEND WHEN THE BRAKES FAILED GOING THROUGH A FOUR WAY STOP AND BARELY MISSED BEING IN A BAD CAR WRECK -- GM KNEW THIS. THEY ALSO KNEW FROM DAY 1 THE VIN#, THE AGE AND MILEAGE OF THE CAR, AND HOW THE CAR HAD NEVER BEEN WRECKED AND HAD ONLY 2 PREVIOUS OWNERS -- THIS WAS CHECKED OUT ON CARMAX. *JB