NHTSA Complaint #10293113 — 2000 CHEVROLET BLAZER

11/18/2009: SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. SPOKE WITH A FAMILY MEMBER WHO WORKS AS A TECHNICIAN FOR PEP BOYS. HE BELIEVED THE CAUSE TO BE THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH. 11/20/2009: BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THEY STAYED ON UNTIL THEY COMPLETELY DRAINED MY BATTERY. LOOKED UP RECALLS AND FOUND THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH: NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: RQ08001. 11/21/2009: CALLED THE GM NUMBER LISTED ON THE NHTSA RECALL FORM TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THE COST OF REPLACING THE PART. WAS REFUSED ASSISTANCE AND GIVEN THE FOLLOWING REASONS: MY PARTICULAR VIN WAS NOT ONE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I DIDN'T PURCHASE MY VEHICLE FROM A GM DEALER. I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE USED (THERE WAS ONLY ONE PREVIOUS OWNER). MY VEHICLE HAS OVER 100,000 MILES ON IT. I DON'T HAVE A (PROVEN) HISTORY OF BEING A LOYAL GM OWNER. I DON'T HAVE MY REPAIRS DONE AT A GM DEALER. THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH ITSELF IS $200. THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE LABOR. THE REPAIR NEEDS TO BE DONE IMMEDIATELY AS THE VEHICLE IS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN AS IS. *TR