NHTSA Complaint #10188002 — 2001 PONTIAC AZTEK

LAST FALL , 2006, HEATER WASN'T WORKING. TAKING THE RADIATOR CAP OFF, FOUND HEAVY ACCUMULATION OF GUNK INSIDE RADIATOR. MECHANIC ADVISED THAT I HAVE THE RADIATOR AND COOLING SYSTEM FLUSHED. HAD THAT DONE;. WAS NOT TOLD AT THAT TIME WHAT CAUSED THIS TO HAPPEN. ALL SEEMED OKAY UNTIL ABOUT MARCH OF 2007, HEATER STOPPED WORKING AGAIN AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP THIS TIME, FOR OIL CHANGE AND CHECK UP. THEY CHANGED THE OIL, DID SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO COMPUTERS ,WHICH COST ME OVER $200 , AND SAID THE LOWER INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS LEAKING AND WANTED $913.00 TO FIX THAT. AFTER FEELING VERY ILL FROM THIS NEWS I TOLD THEM, I DID NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY AT THIS TIME. IT TOOK EVERYTHING I HAD TO GET THE COMPUTERS ADJUSTED. TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC TO GET AN ESTIMATE ON GETTING THE LOWER MANIFOLD REPAIRED, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 79,000 MILES ON IT WITH AS MUCH GUNK"INSIDE THE RADIATOR AND IN AS BAD A SHAPE AS THIS ONE WAS IN. THEY WERE NOT EQUIPPED TO MAKE THE REPAIR, SO I AM NOW IN THE PROCESS OF SAVING MY MONEY AND TRYING TO FIND SOMEONE THAT CAN FIX IT FOR LESS THAN THE DEALERSHIP, OR GET THE MONEY TO TAKE IT BACK TO THEM. AM BORROWING VEHICLES FROM MY CHILDREN TILL THEN. AFTER READING COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE, I FIND THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON COMPLAINT OR PROBLEM. I HAD PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, 5 YEARS OR 75000 MILES), FOR MY VEHICLE SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED IT NEW, AND THAT WAS GOOD UNTIL JUNE OF 2006, BEFORE IT REACHED THE 75000 MILE MARK. PROBABLY, LAST FALL, IT STILL HAD NOT REACHED THE 75000 MILE MARK, BUT NOW I AM TOLD THERE IS NO RECOURSE FROM MANUFACTURER TO GET HELP IN FIXING THIS PROBLEM. TOLD THIS BY THE DEALER. *AK