NHTSA Complaint #10726863 — 2008 PONTIAC G8

THE ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS ON 2008-2009 MY PONTIAC G8 VEHICLES ARE DEFECTIVE AND GM NEEDS TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL TO PERMANENTLY ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. THERE ARE MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS ONLINE FROM G8 OWNERS REGARDING THE DOOR LOCKS FAILING ANYWHERE FROM THE FIRST YEAR TO SEVERAL YEARS LATER. THIS PREMATURE FAILURE MAY OCCUR ON ANY FRONT, REAR, LEFT, OR RIGHT DOOR. WITH LESS THAN 40,000 TOTAL PONTIAC G8 PRODUCED, IDENTICAL FAILURES ON MULTIPLE OWNERS' VEHICLES INDICATE THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED FAILURE. THE ELECTRONIC MOTOR WITHIN THE DOOR LOCK/LATCH MECHANISM IS NOT ROBUST ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND REPEATED LOCKING/UNLOCKING FUNCTIONS. THE RESULT OF THIS FAILURE IS THAT THE DOOR WILL NO LONGER LOCK/UNLOCK. THE DOOR LOCK DESIGN DOES NOT ALLOW FOR MANUAL OVERRIDE OF SLIDING THE INTERIOR LOCK HANDLE UNLESS ELECTRICAL CURRENT IS APPLIED TO THE MOTOR. GM USED TO COVER THE COST OF REPLACING THESE PARTS UNDER THE 3-YEAR, 36,000-MILE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY. THE AGE OF THESE VEHICLES HAS DETERMINED THAT THE PARTS ARE NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. OWNERS MUST REPAIR THE DEFECT AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. NEW OEM PARTS HAVE NOT BEEN REVISED TO IMPROVE QUALITY. OWNERS HAVE NO PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THIS FAILURE AS THE REPLACEMENT PART WILL AGAIN REQUIRE REPLACEMENT AT OWNERS' EXPENSE. THE PARTS ARE DEFECTIVE WHICH GM FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE, AND ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: -DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK AND DRIVER/PASSENGERS CANNOT ENTER THE VEHICLE. -DOORS WILL NOT UNLOCK AND DRIVER/PASSENGERS CANNOT EXIT THE VEHICLE, LEADING TO DRIVER/PASSENGER ENTRAPMENT AND/OR DEATH/SERIOUS INJURY IN EVENT OF COLLISION. -DOORS WILL NOT LOCK AND PASSENGERS CAN OPEN DOOR WHILE AT SPEED. -DOORS WILL NOT LOCK AND COULD OPEN IN EVENT OF COLLISION. -DOORS WILL NOT LOCK AND VEHICLE/BELONGINGS/DRIVER/PASSENGERS SUSCEPTIBLE TO THEFT/HIJACKING.