NHTSA Complaint #10435267 — 2001 BUICK REGAL

I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WHO IN TURN REFERRED ME TO YOU (NHTSA). HOWEVER, I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA TWO WEEKS BEFORE I FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. HERE IS A COPY OF THE COMPLAINT: MY 2001 BUICK REGAL CAUGHT ON FIRE IN AUGUST 2011 AFTER A SHORT DRIVE TO THE GAS STATION. IN APRIL 2009, BUICK ISSUED A SAFETY RECALL ON MY CAR STATING THERE HAVE BEEN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES. I WAS TOLD I WAS ENTITLED TO A "FREE" AND "EFFECTIVE" REMEDY FOR MY CAR. I TOOK MY CAR TO [XXX]TO HAVE THE "FIX" COMPLETED ON JANUARY 14, 2010. THE REPAIR WAS OBVIOUSLY NOT "EFFECTIVE" AS MY CAR STILL CAUGHT ON FIRE JUST AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECALL. I CALLED BUICK AND FILED A CLAIM WHICH WAS DENIED WITHOUT ANYONE COMING TO LOOK AT MY CAR OR ANYTHING. THE CLAIMS DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THEY WERE DENYING MY CLAIM BECAUSE THE CALIFORNIA BREACH OF WARRANTY STATUTE WAS UP AND THEY ONLY HAD TO FIX THE CAR IF IT WAS WITHIN THE FIRST FOUR YEARS FROM THE DATE THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED. THIS MAKES NO SENSE AS THE SAFETY RECALL WAS ISSUED EIGHT YEARS AFTER THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED. FURTHERMORE, FEDERAL LAW STATES THAT IF A SAFETY ISSUE IS DISCOVERED WITHIN TEN YEARS OF THE CAR BEING PURCHASED THE OWNER IS ENTITLED TO A FREE AND EFFECTIVE REMEDY. AGAIN, THE REMEDY FOR MY CAR WAS OBVIOUSLY "NOT EFFECTIVE!" I THEN ASKED BUICK WHAT IF I HAD BEEN IN THE CAR WITH MY KIDS WHEN IT CAUGHT ON FIRE OR WHAT IF IT HAD BEEN PARKED IN MY GARAGE AND MY HOUSE CAUGHT ON FIRE? THEIR RESPONSE WAS, "WELL, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN SO I'M NOT GOING TO DISCUSS IT." SO BASICALLY, I'M LEFT TO ASSUME THAT I WOULD HAD TO HAVE BEEN BURNED IN THAT CAR BEFORE BUICK WOULD ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ILL MANUFACTURED CAR? THAT HARDLY SEEMSRIGHT. I STILL OWE $400 ON A CAR I CAN'T DRIVE. THIS IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS. PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR