NHTSA Complaint #10272482 — 1999 CHEVROLET LUMINA

1999 CHEVY LUMINA IS LEAKING OIL FROM THE VALVE COVER GASKET AS CONFIRMED BY TWO SEPARATE MECHANICS. GM HAS ISSUED A RECALL DUE TO FIRE HAZARD FOR THIS ISSUE BUT ONLY AUTHORIZES DEALERS TO REPLACE THE SPARK PLUG CHANNEL TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF FIRE. OIL CAN STILL LEAK INTO THE MANIFOLD, WHICH DUE TO TEMPERATURE, YET POSING A FIRE HAZARD. ALSO, THE OIL BEGINS LEAKING EXTERNALLY POSING THE INITIAL FIRE HAZARD BUT AS THE PROBLEM PROGRESSES, THE LEAKAGE BECOMES INTERNAL AND SEEPAGE INTO THE COOLANT NULLIFIES COOLANT FUNCTION CAUSING THE ENGINE TO OVERHEAT. THIS POSES AN ADDITIONAL FIRE HAZARD AND EVEN IF NO FIRE OCCURS THE ENGINE WILL STILL SEIZE DUE TO OVERHEATING CAUSING ACCIDENT RISK. WHEN CONTACTING GM, CUSTOMER SERVICE STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE TECHNICAL ANSWERS BUT WOULD CONTACT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND PLACED A CONFERENCE CALL. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONFIRMED THAT A LEAKING VALVE COVER GASKET WAS THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM AND COULD STILL POSE A THREAT BUT THEY WERE NOT AUTHORIZED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BUT WOULD BE 'HAPPY TO CHECK IT OUT AND FIX THE PROBLEM AT OUR EXPENSE' EVEN THOUGH IT'S A DEFECTIVE PART. THEY COULD NOT CONFIRM WHY THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IS NOT BEING CORRECTED, ONLY THE CHANNEL COVER IN A TOKEN EFFORT TO APPEASE CONSUMERS BUT NOT TRULY CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND REFERRED ME BACK TO GM CUSTOMER SERVICE. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE CAN OFFER NO REASONING OTHER THAN THEY DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARY TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, JUST MINIMIZE POSSIBLE RISK OF FIRE SPREADING. I AM PERSONALLY AWARE OF FOUR OTHER INDIVIDUALS UNDER THIS SAFETY RECALL, #09047, THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM TO THE DEGREE THE ENGINE HAS OVERHEATED AND WILL NEED REPLACEMENT BUT STILL GM REFUSES TO CORRECT THE ACTUAL SAFETY ISSUE. THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STRANDED, NARROWLY AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT, AND EVEN HAD TO PUT A SMALL FIRE OUT THEM SELF. MINIMIZING A SIGNIFICANT FIRE THREAT IS NOT NEARLY SUFFICIENT WHEN IT CAN BE PREVENTED. *TR