NHTSA Complaint #10781450 — 2008 BUICK LUCERNE

WE WERE OUT OF TOWN WHEN CAR FAILED TO START, NOT BATTERY RELATED. HAD TO BE TOWED TO SERVICE CENTER WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED, INSPECTED, AND REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP RELAY. ON 10/01/2015, 2000 MILES LATER SIMILAR INCIDENT EXCEPT THIS TIME MY LOCAL MECHANIC. HE CLEANED ALL CAVITIES, APPLIED DIELECTRIC GREASE, CHECKED THE FUEL PUMP AMPERAGE AT 7.5, TIGHTENED ALL RELAY CONTACTS AND REPLACED RELAY. BAD RELAY HAD SCORCH MARKS AROUND SEVERAL PINS. ON 10/07, 500 MILES LATER, SAME SCENARIO EXCEPT THIS TIME REPLACED FUEL PUMP MODULE. ON 10/10, AGAIN NO START, SIMILAR, SYMPTOMS. MECHANIC CAME TO MY HOUSE ON 10/12, COULD GET CAR TO START AFTER SEVERAL TRIES, TESTING AND MANIPULATION OF COMPONENTS , BUT IMMEDIATELY SHUT IT DOWN SINCE RELAY WAS VERY HOT. CONCERNED OVER SAFETY, HAD TO REPLACE THE WHOLE MODULE. REPLACEMENT MODULE WAS DEFINITELY AN UPGRADE TO ORIGINAL AND WAS SUCH BECAUSE OF, I UNDERSTAND, THE FAILURES EXPERIENCED WITH THE ORIGINALS AND CONCERN OVER STARTING A FIRE. I NOW UNDERSTAND THAT SEVERAL FIRES RESULTED FROM THIS PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY, ALTHOUGH TREMENDOUSLY INCONVENIENCED BOTH IN TIME AND EXPENSE, NO ONE IN OUR FAMILY WAS INJURED NOR WERE WE THE CAUSE OF ANY ACCIDENT WHICH ON THE HIGHWAY COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS.