NHTSA Complaint #10503246 — 2008 PONTIAC G5

PURCHASED PONTIAC 2008 G5 COUPE BRAND NEW IN 2008. IN 2011 I WAS INFORMED BY A COWORKER THAT I WAS DRIVING INTO WORK WITH MY BRAKE LIGHTS ON ALL THE WAY. HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT WHEN IT LOOKED LIKE I TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES I WOULD HAVE NO BRAKE LIGHTS ON AT ALL. IT SEEMED THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WORKED IN REVERSE. THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRONIC PROBLEM THAT WAS HARD FOR THE DEALERSHIP TO REPLICATE. EVENTUALLY, THEY REPLACED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH. HOWEVER, NO ONE EVER STOPPED TO MENTION TO ME THAT MY PONTIAC G5 2008 WAS STILL HAVING THE PROBLEM. IN 2012 ONCE AGAIN A DIFFERENT CO WORKER INFORMED ME OF THE SAME PROBLEM AS THEY TRAVELED BEHIND ME INTO WORK. THE DEALERSHIP DECIDED THAT THEY INSTALLED AN DEFECTED BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AND REPLACED IT. A YEAR LATER THE SAME PROBLEM IN 2013 BY ANOTHER CO WORKER THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON AND WHEN I APPLY MY BRAKES I HAVE NO BRAKE LIGHTS AT ALL. I HAVE SCHEDULED ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO GET ANOTHER BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH INSTALLED AGAIN FOR MARCH 19, 2013. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED ALONG WITH A RECALL IT ALSO SEEMS TO SHOW UP IN PONTIAC G6 AS WELL. I DON'T WANT TO BE BLINDING PEOPLE WITH MY BRAKE LIGHTS OR CONFUSING THEM ESPECIALLY IN BAD WEATHER. THE PONTIAC G5 SHOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE A OPERATING FEATURE SUCH AS BRAKE LIGHTS WHEN BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED. I DO NOT WISH TO BE KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT OR CAUSE ONE BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE, MY BRAKE LIGHTS SHOULD BE WORKING PROPERLY SO THAT PEOPLE BEHIND ME KNOW THAT I'M SLOWING DOWN OR STOPPING BEFORE THEY REAR END ME. IT SEEMS THAT REPLACING THE BRAKE LIGHT WHICH MAY NOT BE HELPING AT ALL. BY HUMAN NATURE NOT TO MANY PEOPLE WILL PUT FORTH THE EXTRA EFFORT TO CONFRONT AN INDIVIDUAL TO INFORM THEM THAT THERE VEHICLE HAS A MALFUNCTION THEY JUST WANT TO GO ABOUT THERE OWN BUSY SCHEDULES SO WHO KNOWS HOW LONG THIS BRAKE LIGHT ISSUE HAS REALLY BEEN GOING ON. *TR