NHTSA Complaint #10500744 — 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

WHEN DRIVING THE CHECK GAUGES LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE OIL PRESSURE GAUGE WAS AT ZERO. THIS OCCURRED WHEN I SLOWED AND THEN STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AFTER HAVING DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES (THE VEHICLE SOUNDED AS IF IT WERE ABOUT TO TURN OFF SO I PULLED OVER AND TURNED IT OFF). WHEN LOOKING AT THE INSTRUMENTATION PANEL I THEN NOTICED THE CHECK BATTERY LIGHT IS DIMLY ILLUMINATED (BATTERY IS 6 MO OLD) AND VARIOUS READINGS ARE OFF (RPG IS REGISTERING LOW AND ONE RPM INDICATOR STARTS AT 5 WHEN THE IGNITION IS TURNED ON). VARIOUS TRAILBLAZER FORUMS ARE INDICATING OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. TWO CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS HAVE INDICATED THAT IT IS LIKELY AN INSTRUMENTATION CLUSTER PROBLEM (AND INDICATE THEY HAVE GUIDANCE FROM GM TO RUN 2 CHECKS TO DETERMINE IF IT IS AN INSTRUMENTATION CLUSTER PROBLEM). TWO INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS HAVE IDENTIFIED IT AS AN INSTRUMENTATION CLUSTER PROBLEM THAT THEY HAVE SEEN ON MANY 2002 TRAILBLAZERS. THE REPAIR COSTS RANGE AS HIGH AS $750. GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CAN ONLY STATE THIS IS NOT A RECALLED REPAIR (APPLIES TO LATER MODELS BUT NOT 2002); THEREFORE, IT IS THE CUSTOMER'S RESPONSIBILITY. MY GM FILE # IS [XXX]. GM DID ASK THAT I PAY $80 FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS, WHILE ALSO SAYING THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. ADDING AN ADDITIONAL $80 TO COSTS OR PAYING A DEALERSHIP MORE MONEY THAN AN INDEPENDENT SHOP IS NOT PRACTICAL NOR AN ADDED EXPENSE I SHOULD ASSUME. MOST AMAZING IS THAT GM CAN GIVE DEALERSHIPS INSTRUCTIONS ON DIAGNOSING THIS PROBLEM, DEALERSHIPS ARE REPAIRING A FAR AMOUNT OF VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM, INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOPS ARE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE OF THE MANY CUSTOMERS WHO PATRONIZE THEM, YET GM TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR CORRECTING THIS KNOWN PROBLEM..THIS IS DANGEROUS, THE CAR CAN STALL ANYWHERE AND LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT WITHOUT CUSTOMERS HAVING ANY IDEA OF THE PROBLEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR