NHTSA Complaint #10399076 — 2004 CHEVROLET VENTURE

FEBRUARY 2009 - BEGINNING OF INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PANEL FAILURE - GAS GAUGE NOT FUNCTIONING. HAVE DOCUMENTATION AT MILEAGE 72,512. CONSEQUENCE - FORCED TO FILL UP AT EVERY GAS PURCHASE AND TRACK MILEAGE UNTIL TIME FOR NEXT FILL UP FOR OVER TWO YEARS. NEVER KNEW FOR CERTAIN HOW MUCH GAS WAS IN THE TANK - VERY STRESSFUL. NOVEMBER 2010 - CONTINUING CLUSTER PANEL FAILURE - SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONING UNTIL COMPLETELY OUT BY JANUARY 2011. CONSEQUENCE - UNABLE TO TELL SPEED - UNWILLING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE LONG DISTANCES AND FULL CONCENTRATION REQUIRED TO JUDGE SPEEDS BY OTHER TRAFFIC. TAKEN IN MARCH 2011 TO LOCAL DEALER, [XXX], FOR REPLACEMENT OF CLUSTER PANEL AT MY EXPENSE OF OVER $550.00 - BEFORE I AGREED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR THEY ASSURED ME THAT THEY WOULD FLAG THE OLD PANEL FOR DIAGNOSIS INTO THE REASON GAUGES FAILED AS THEY WOULD BE SENDING IT TO GM TO BE REBUILT AND RESOLD. THEY WOULD NOT GIVE THE OLD ONE TO ME UNLESS I PAID THEM FOR IT. THE REPORT THAT I WAS CONSEQUENTLY GIVEN OF THE CAUSE FOR GAUGE FAILURES WAS THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WAS STUCK AT 100 MPH AND GAS GAUGE WAS STUCK ON EMPTY. I WROTE A LETTER TO GM EXECUTIVE AND WAS ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD BE REIMBURSING ME FOR NO PART OF THE REPAIR COST. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THEY HAD NO WAY OF TRACKING MY OLD PANEL AS I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER. I HAD DONE EXTENSIVE RESEARCH INTO DEFECTIVE STEPPER MOTORS AND CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS RESULTING IN PARTIAL RECALLS AND KNEW THAT THEY WERE PERFORMING A COVER UP OF OTHER MODELS THAT WERE EFFECTED. THAT IS WHY THEY WERE NOT COOPERATIVE IN DETERMINING THE CAUSE OF MY GAUGE FAILURES. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR