NHTSA Complaint #10214051 — 2005 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

(1) IT WAS 22 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND I WENT TO TURN ON MY HEATER WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM THE HOUSE. THERE WAS HEAT COMING OUT BUT IT WAS NOT BLOWING AND THE HEATERS CONTROL ADJUSTMENT KNOBS WERE NOT CLICKING INTO PLACE. NO AIR WAS BLOWING FROM THE FRONT PANELS OR TO ANY PANELS. I COULDN'T EVEN GET THE DEFROSTER TO OPERATE. I CHECKED ALL THE FUSES AS PER THE VEHICLE OPERATORS MANUAL AND ALL FUSES WERE FINE. ON FRIDAY, 04JAN08 I CALLED TURAN FOLEY CHEVROLET-CADILLAC-BUICK DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD BOUGHT THE TRUCK BACK IN JANUARY OF 2005. I SPOKE TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM. HE ADVISED ME THAT IT WAS MY HEATERS RESISTOR BOX AND THAT IT HAD MELTED. HE ALSO ADVISED THAT HE HAD SEEN AT LEAST 7 TRUCKS THAT WEEK ALONE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM AND THAT EVERY 2-3 OUT OF EVERY 10 TRUCKS HAS BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM BUT THAT NO RECALL HAS BEEN PLACED FOR THIS PART YET. (2) THE RESISTOR BOX AND THE PIGTAIL CONNECTOR HAD BOTH MELTED. I LEFT MY HOUSE IN TEXAS AND RETURNED TO MISSISSIPPI ON ALMOST A 700 MILE TRIP W/O ANY HEAT IN LOW 20 TEMPERATURES. (3) THE DEALERSHIPS SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPLACED THE MALFUNCTIONED PARTS WITH: CONNECTOR PART NUMBER15862656 FOR $95.00 AND THE RESISTOR PART NUMBER 89019088 FOR $50.62 AND THEN CHARGED ME $120.00 FOR LABOR ON 1-1/2 HOURS LABOR COSTING ME $289.56. MY WARRANTY DID NOT COVER IT BECAUSE IT EXPIRED 2,656 MILES AFTER MY WARRANTY OF 36,000 MILES AT 39,456. I CONTACTED THE CHEVROLET RECALL CENTER AND INQUIRED AS TO IF A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED AND THEY ADVISED NOT AT THIS TIME. IF YOU CHECK THE INTERNET THOUGH AND TALK TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ON THIS PROBLEM, YOU WILL SEE AND HEAR THAT THIS IS A CONTINUING ISSUE. *TR