NHTSA Complaint #10229041 — 1998 BUICK REGAL

MY VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE IN NOVEMBER 2007, THE FIRE WAS STARTED IN THE ENGINE ON THE MANIFOLD. THE FIRE DEPT RESPONDED TO THE FIRE AND CALLED THE VEHICLE A TOTAL LOSS. A FIRE REPORT WAS WRITTEN AT THAT TIME AS TO THE EVENTS LEADING TO THE FIRE ETC. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL SALVAGE YARD AND SCRAPED FOR METAL. I ONLY HAD LIABILITY INSURANCE SO THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED. THE VEHICLE WAS BURNT SO BADLY THAT I HAD TO GET IT OFF THE STREET DIRECTLY AFTER THAT,MARCH 2008 I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL STATING IF I HAD 98 BUICK REGAL GS THAT IT WASN'T SAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE ENGINES WERE CATCHING FIRE DUE TO FAULTY GASKETS ON THE MANIFOLD. I CALLED GM AND TOLD THEM THAT HAD HAPPENED TO MY VEHICLE AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE? GM TOLD ME TO SEND THEM THE FIRE REPORT AND A LETTER STATING WHO TOWED THE BURNT CAR AND WHERE IT WENT SO I DID WHAT THEY ASKED. ONCE GM GOT THE FIRE REPORT PROVING THAT IS WHERE THE FIRE STARTED THEN THEY TOLD ME THEY NEEDED PICS OF THE BURNT ENGINE WHICH THEY KNEW I COULDN'T PROVIDE BECAUSE I NO LONGER HAVE THE CAR AND AT THE TIME IT BURNT I WASN'T AWARE OF THE RECALL SO I DIDN'T TAKE PICS OR SAVE THE CAR FOR VIEWING. GM ISN'T GOING TO COMPENSATE ME FOR MY LOSS AND ITS THEIR FAULT. THE FIRE REPORT PROVES THEIR RECALL IS WHY I NO LONGER HAVE A CAR. PLEASE HELP ME! *TR