NHTSA Complaint #10713431 — 2006 PONTIAC SOLSTICE

BRAKE FAILURE CAR IS GARAGED AND NOT DRIVEN IN THE WINTER. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED FOR 4 WEEKS AT THE TIME AND WHEN FIRST DRIVEN THE BRAKES WERE MUCH WEAKER THAN NORMAL AND PULLED THE CAR SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT. CAR WAS DRIVEN FOR ONE MILE WITH NO CHANGE. I INSPECTED THE BRAKE ROTORS AND FOUND LEFT FRONT AND RIGHT REAR BRAKES WERE NOT WORKING(COLD ROTORS), RIGHT FRONT AND LEFT REAR ROTORS WERE HOT. TWO DAYS LATER WHEN BACKING OUT OF GARAGE TO CHECK AGAIN, THERE WERE NO BRAKES. PEDDLE WENT TO THE FLOOR AND CAR WAS STOPPED USING EMERGENCY BRAKE. BRAKE FLUID WAS CHECKED AND THE LEVEL WAS NORMAL AND THE FLUID WAS CLEAN. I PULLED INTO STREET TO TEST FURTHER AND AFTER TRAVELING 30-50 FEET THE BRAKES BEGAN TO WORK, THE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS HARD AND BRAKES WERE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. SAME DAY I VISITED THE DEALER, POAGE CHEVROLET IN WENTZVILLE, MO. SERVICE MANAGER AND HIS ASSOCIATE HAD NO IDEAS ON THE CAUSE OTHER THAN TO SAY "SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING WAS STUCK AND NOW IT'S NOT STUCK ANYMORE". ONLY SUGGESTION WAS TO REPLACE THE BRAKE FLUID. DEALER SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANY DIAGNOSTICS IF THE PROBLEM WASN'T PRESENT. I ASKED AND THE DEALER CHECKED AND SAID NO TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS EXISTED ON THIS KIND OF ISSUE. I DID SEE A TSB ON SATURN SKY(SISTER CAR TO THE SOLSTICE) FOR BRAKE ISSUE FOR MODEL YEAR 2008. NOW I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN TRUST THE BRAKES TO WORK WHEN NEEDED. THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN TWICE SINCE WITH NO BRAKE PROBLEMS. *TR