NHTSA Complaint #10203634 — 2003 BUICK RENDEZVOUS

OWNER PURCHASED 2003 BUICK RENDEZVOUS IN JULY, 2007. AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST, 2007, WITH APPROXIMATELY 80K MILES ON IT, THE VEHICLE'S ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE GAS GAUGE BEGAN FLUCTUATING ERRATICALLY. UPON INSPECTION AT THE LOCAL GM SERVICE CENTER, THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURER DESIGN FLAW RELATED TO THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM IN WHICH THE CONDENSATION DRAIN WAS MADE FORWARD FACING, WHICH WHILE DRIVING AT MODERATE TO HIGH SPEEDS, WOULD PREVENT THE CONDENSATION TO DRAIN PROPERLY WHILE RUNNING THE AIR CONDITIONING DUE TO WIND RESISTANCE. THIS CAUSED THE CONDENSATION (WATER) TO POOL INSIDE THE VEHICLE, CAUSING MULTIPLE VALVES TO RUST, VARIOUS ELECTRICAL FUNCTIONS TO MALFUNCTION, AND RESULTED IN A MUSTY MILDEW SMELL INSIDE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE CARPET WAS BECOMING SATURATED. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED HE HAD SEEN THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE AND INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT BUICK REMEDIED THE PROBLEM FOR THE 2005 AND NEWER MODELS. THEREFORE, THE REMEDY PROVIDED WAS THAT THE ORIGINAL A/C CONDENSATION DRAIN WAS REPLACED TO MATCH THAT OF THE 2005 AND NEWER RENDEZVOUS. THIS REMEDY ALONE WOULD HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE HAD BUICK ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS DESIGN FLAW (WHICH THEY CLEARLY RECOGNIZED AS EVIDENCED BY THE DESIGN MODIFICATION ON THE 2005 AND NEWER MODELS), HOWEVER SINCE THE PROBLEM WAS NOT OBSERVABLE UNTIL SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE (INCLUDING MULTIPLE RUSTED VALVES THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED AND SEVERAL HOURS OF LABOR), THE REPAIR ENDED UP COSTING THE CONSUMER OVER $1,000. *TR