NHTSA Complaint #10576991 — 2008 PONTIAC G6

THIS IS A 4-DOOR VEHICLE DESIGNED WITH ONLY ONE EXTERIOR KEYED DOOR LOCK AT THE DRIVERS DOOR, HAS ELECTRIC DOOR ACTUATORS THAT ARE OPERATED INDIVIDUALLY AT EACH DOOR WITH A MASTER CONTROL AT THE DRIVERS DOOR FOR "ALL DOORS UNLOCKED OR LOCKED" + MANUAL LOCK KNOBS ON EACH DOOR. BOTH REAR DOORS ARE LOCKING/UNLOCKING ERRATICALLY FROM THE DRIVER SEAT MASTER CONTROL. SOMETIMES THE PASSENGER DOOR WON'T UNLOCK OR LOCK AND OTHER TIMES THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WON'T WORK. THE RESULT IS YOU CAN'T UNLOCK THE BACK SEAT DOOR(S) AND WOULD NEED TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW FOR THE LOCKED DOOR FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT MASTER WINDOW CONTROL AND REACH IN FROM THE EXTERIOR TO UNLOCK/LOCK THE INTERIOR DOOR LOCK KNOB MANUALLY FROM THE OUTSIDE OR CRAWL INTO THE BACK SEAT TO OPERATE THE LOCK KNOB MANUALLY. IF THE WINDOW CONTROL GOES BAD THE ONLY OPTION WOULD BE CRAWLING INTO THE BACK SEAT TO MANUALLY OPERATE LOCK KNOB. DOESN'T SOUND THAT BAD UNTIL YOU CONSIDER DRIVERS NEW TO THIS PROBLEM, AN ELDERLY, INVALID OR BABY IN THE BACK SEAT/CAR SEAT CAN'T BE ACCESSED WITHOUT A DELAYS. SINCE THE BACK DOORS DON'T LOCK CONSISTENTLY YOU HAVE TO GO TO EACH DOOR IF IT DOESN'T LOCK AND LOCK IT MANUALLY AT THE LOCK KNOB WHICH MEANS IT PROBABLY WON'T UNLOCK LATER WITHOUT USING THE MANUAL KNOB THROUGH THE WINDOW FROM THE EXTERIOR OR CRAWLING INTO THE BACK SEAT, I'M NOT A SAFETY EXPERT BUT IT SEEMS LIKE ITS ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD PRACTICE TO SHUT AND THEN LOCK ALL THE DOORS WHEN DRIVING, DOESN'T THAT ADD A SAFETY FUNCTION TO THE LOCK MECHANISM? THE MECHANISM ISN'T RELIABLE ON THIS VEHICLE, DOESN'T FUNCTION AS DESIGNED OR HAVE A BACKUP KEYED LOCK AT EACH DOOR FOR EMERGENCIES. I ALSO FOUND AN '08 CHEVY EQUINOX OWNER THAT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. ON THE INTERNET THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH EVEN A HIGHLY TECHNICAL U-TUBE VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE THE REPAIR. AND NO END TO SUPPLIERS OF THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR PARTS. *TR