NHTSA Complaint #10365117 — 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS

I PURCHASED A USED 2002 BUICK RENDEZVOUS IN APRIL OF 2004 FROM A GM DEALERSHIP (ABOVE). IT IS AN AWD V6 CXL SUV. MY CAR MANUAL SPECIFICALLY STATES NOT TO USE ANYTHING OTHER THAN DEXCOOL ANTIFREEZE. I NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE FROM GM OR THE DEALERSHIP OR DEXCOOL REGARDING THE PROBLEMS ON THIS VEHICLE AND DEXCOOL. EVEN AFTER THE LAWSUIT AGAINST GM IN 2008 I DID NOT GET NOTIFIED IN ANY WAY, AND THE DEALERSHIP NEVER TOLD ME TO STOP USING DEXCOOL, SO I HAVE BEEN CONTINUING TO EXPERIENCE ENGINE PROBLEMS! WHEN I BOUGHT THIS CAR IT HAD 37,591 MILES ON IT. I PAID JUST UNDER $20,000 FOR IT. ON 12/8/05 I DID A TRANSMISSION FLUSH. FOUR MONTHS LATER, ON MARCH 9, 2006, THE CAR WAS FOUND TO HAVE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKETS LEAKING OIL AND COOLANT, AND THE FRONT TIMING COVER SEAL WAS LEAKING. IT ALSO NEEDED FRONT AND REAR BRAKES. AT THAT TIME THEY TOLD ME THE COOLANT WAS LEAKING ALL OVER EVERYTHING AND WAS GETTING INTO THE TRANSMISSION (AND THE BRAKES, TOO, I THINK.) HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FLUSH DONE AND I THINK COOLANT FLUSH DONE - COST WAS $222. I HAD 3 ESTIMATES DONE FOR THE REST OF THE WORK AND THEY RANGED FROM $3,300, TO 1700 TO $1,380. IT COST ME $89 AND $73 FOR TWO OF THE ESTIMATES. HAD WORK DONE AT 4TH SHOP ON 4/20/06, COST ME $730. ON AUGUST 22, 2007, I HAD TO HAVE THE INTAKE GASKET DONE AGAIN AS WELL AS A COOLANT FLUSH; COST ME $492. ON AUGUST 11, 2009 I HAD TO HAVE THE OIL PRESSURE SWITCH REPLACED AS IT WAS LEAKING PLUS OTHER WORK; TOTAL WAS $257. I WAS TOLD ABOUT A YEAR AGO THAT THE INTAKE GASKET WAS LEAKING OIL AND COOLANT AGAIN AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. THE CAR DID NOT PASS INSPECTION IN JUNE, 2010; ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IS TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING. IS THAT A RESULT OF THE DEXCOOL COOLANT CONTAMINATING THE TRANNY? OTHER WORK NEEDED IS STEERING RACK (AGAIN), AIR COMPRESSOR, & REAR AIR SHOCKS. THE COOLANT LEAKING HAS CAUSED THE FAILURE OF MANY OF THE PARTS I HAVE HAD TO HAVE FIXED ON THIS CAR, NOT JUST THE GASKET. *TR