NHTSA Complaint #10809904 — 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

THE COOLING LINES FROM THE TRANSMISSION OF THE 2002 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER EXIT THE TRANSMISSION NEXT TO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. A PORTION OF THE LINES ARE COVERED WITH A PROTECTIVE AND LOOSE FITTING COVER WHICH APPEARS TO BE ALUMINUM ALMOST LIKE A TIN FOIL. THIS COVERING CREATES AN AREA WHERE MOISTURE COLLECTS CAUSING THE LINES TO RUST. EVENTUALLY THE LINES START TO LEAK TRANSMISSION FLUID. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION THE FLUID IS BLOWN ONTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND COULD START A FIRE UNDER THE VEHICLE EXPOSING THE VEHICLE OCCUPANTS TO EXTREME DANGER. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THE LEAK WAS OIL FROM THE ENGINE, BUT UPON CHECKING CLOSER, I FOUND THE TRANSMISSION LINES LEAKING. THE PLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION COOLING LINES ARE VERY CLOSE TO THE CONVERTER AND IF EXCESSIVE FLUID IS SPLATTERED ON THE CONVERTER, A FIRE COULD RESULT. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN THE LEAK WAS NOTICED. HOWEVER, THE FLUID WAS FOUND AFTER BEING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH SPLATTERED ON THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND SURROUNDING AREA OF THE VEHICLE. SPEAKING WITH AAMCO MECHANICS WHO REPLACED THE LINES, THEY FELT IT IS A REAL FIRE HAZARD. THIS SEEMS TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT. WHAT BROUGHT MY ATTENTION TO THIS IS THE FACT I HAD A 1995 JIMMY AND HAD NOTICED A SIMILAR LEAK WHEN IT WAS 8 YEARS OLD. I HAD GIVEN THE TRUCK TO MY SON. AFTER HE HAD DRIVEN IT ON AN INTERSTATE, ANOTHER DRIVER YELLED AT HIM THAT HIS CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE ENTIRE UNDERSIDE WAS ON FIRE. FORTUNATELY HE WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE AND GET HIS FAMILY OUT BEFORE THE ENTIRE TRUCK WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE FIRE MARSHAL AT THE TIME THOUGHT A LINE OF SOME TYPE HAD BURST. I SUSPECT IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION LINE SIMILAR TO THE TRAILBLAZER TRANSMISSION LINE.