NHTSA Complaint #10216592 — 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA

OUR 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA WAS LEFT IN AN APARTMENT BEHIND MY CHILDREN'S' APARTMENT IN OMAHA, NEBRASKA. WHEN THEY RETURNED FROM CHRISTMAS BREAK, THE BATTERY WAS DOWN AND IT WAS COLD OUTSIDE. THEY TRIED TO JUMP START THE CAR USING JUMPER CABLES FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE NEXT TO IT. MY DAUGHTER WAS IN FRONT OF THE CAR TO REMOVE THE JUMPER CABLES AFTER IT STARTED. WHEN MY SON TRIED TO CRANK THE ENGINE, IT EXPLODED ALL OVER THE PARKING LOT, SHOWERING MY DAUGHTER WITH BITS AND PIECES OF THE PLASTIC TOP OF THE ENGINE. MY DAUGHTER WAS SHAKEN UP BUT NOT HOSPITALIZED AND HER CONFIDENCE IN STARTING GM AUTOS IS "GONE." GM CLAIMS THAT THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE THERE IS 120,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION AND WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY SAFETY ADVICE ON STARTING THE VEHICLE IN THE FUTURE. THEY ALSO CONTEND THAT THE CHILDREN WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR BLOWING UP THE CAR BY STARTING IT WITH JUMPER CABLES, ALTHOUGH THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT WAS STARTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OWNERS MANUAL. THERE SEEM TO BE UNRESOLVED SAFETY ISSUES HERE THAT GM DOES NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR ADMIT TO. *TR