NHTSA Complaint #10927223 — 2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER

LET ME BEGIN WITH STATING THAT MY 2004 TRAILBLAZER HAS HAD ITS SERVICE ENGINE SOON (SES) LIGHT ON FOR WELL OVER A YEAR DUE TO A LARGE EVAP LEAK (CODE P0455). AS A RESULT, I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO MECHANICS, HAD THE PURGE SOLENOID VALVE REPLACED TWICE, HAD A PLETHORA OF SMOKE TESTS AND ALL OTHER TESTS DONE, WITH NO RESOLVE. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GM (DATED A YEAR BEFORE) JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO STATING THAT "SOME 2004 MODEL YEAR CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER VEHICLES MAY CONTAIN A FUEL TANK INLET CHECK VALVE (ICV) THAT COULD FRACTURE.. A FRACTURED ICV COULD ALLOW FUEL VAPORS TO PASS THROUGH AND DROPLETS OF FUEL TO ACCUMULATE ON THE SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK". THE LETTER GOES ON TO DESCRIBE THAT GM WILL REPAIR THE ICV IF THE CONDITION OCCURS WITHIN 15 YEARS THE VEHICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PLACED IN SERVICE OR 150,000 MILES, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST. MY TRAILBLAZER HAS BEEN IN SERVICE FOR 12 YEARS, HOWEVER I JUST PASSED 155,000 MILES. HAD I BEEN NOTIFIED AROUND THE TIME THE LETTER WAS SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE, I COULD HAVE EASILY TAKEN MY TRAILBLAZER TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD THIS REPAIR DONE WITH NO QUALMS. HOWEVER, BECAUSE I HAVE PASSED THE 150,000 MILE MARK, GM REFUSES TO COVER THIS REPAIR. THIS IS EXTREMELY UPSETTING CONSIDERING THE OBVIOUS SAFETY RISK PRESENTED WITH "DROPLETS OF FUEL ACCUMULATING ON THE SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK". WHEN SPEAKING TO A GM REPRESENTATIVE THIS MORNING, I WAS TOLD TO TAKE MY CAR TO A DEALERSHIP AND THIS WOULD BE AN OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSE. CONSIDERING THE SAFETY ISSUE, I WANT MY TRAILBLAZER TO BE REPAIRED AND COVERED BY GM AS IT SHOULD BE FOR ALL TRAILBLAZER AND ENVOY OWNERS WITH THIS PROBLEM.