NHTSA Complaint #10606635 — 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE

WE WERE DRIVING OUR VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY (ROUTE 1 NEAR STAFFORD, VA) WHEN IT FELT LIKE IT WAS SUDDENLY NOT SHIFTING GEARS CORRECTLY AND QUICKLY THEREAFTER LOST POWER BEYOND 30 MILES PER HOUR. WE DROVE INTO A PARKING LOT. WE CALLED THE NEAREST BUICK DEALERSHIP/REPAIR SHOP (ROUTE 1 BUICK IN WOODBRIDGE, VA) AND TOLD THEM OF ISSUE. THEY SAID IT SOUNDS LIKE TRANSMISSION AND THE WAVE PLATE IS A "KNOWN ENCLAVE PROBLEM." THEY SAID TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THEM AND THEY MAY BE ABLE TO ASSIST US WITH COST AS IT'S CLOSE TO WITHIN POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. WE HAD IT TOWED THERE TO ROUTE 1 BUICK. THEY DIAGNOSED AND FOUND ALL TRANSMISSION CODES A WAVE PLATE CODE. THEY SAID IT WAS A "KNOWN PROBLEM" AND SO THEY CALLED BUICK GM SERVICE MANAGER. ROUTE 1 BUICK CALLED US BACK TO SAY GM WOULD NOT ASSIST US AS WE WERE OUTSIDE WARRANTY AND HAD NO PREVIOUS ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION (I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL OTHER TRANSMISSION AND POWER LOSS COMPLAINTS I AND THE PREVIOUS OWNERS HAVE MADE ON THIS EXACT VEHICLE IN MY RESEARCH INTO THIS...I HAVE KEPT ALL RECORDS!). ROUTE 1 SAID THAT OUR COST WOULD START AT $3,800 WITH NO GUARANTEE THEY WOULDN'T FIND OTHER ISSUES NEEDING TO BE ADDRESSED. THE ALSO SAID LUCKY FOR US, OUR VEHICLE HAD AN OPEN RECALL ON SIDE AIR BAG ISSUE THEY COULD FIX. AS WE REALIZED WE MUST PAY OUT-OF-POCKET AND COULD NOT AFFORD $3,800, WE PAID THEM THE $120 FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TOWED IT (AT OUR EXPENSE) TO DUN-RITE TRANSMISSION IN FREDERICKSBURG, VA. DUN-RITE FOUND IT HAD A BROKEN WAVE PLATE. THEY REBUILT TRANSMISSION FOR $2,800. UNFORTUNATELY, THE STABILITRAK, TRACTION CONTROL, AND AIR BAG SENSORS ARE ALL ALSO GOING OFF AND CAR HAS HAD 2 OTHER INSTANCES OF LOSING POWER WHEN GOING UP HILLS. WE PURCHASED THE CERTIFIED GM CAR NOV 2012. MY CAR PAYMENT IS $462. PER MO. SINCE THAT TIME WE HAVE SPENT AN ADDITIONAL $6,095 ON REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE. OUR AVERAGE MONTH EXPENSES ARE THEREFORE $801! HELP! *TR