NHTSA Complaint #11170730 — 2012 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA

ON 1/2/19, I LEFT WORK AND TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES WHEN I BEGAN HEARING ENGINE NOISE. UPON PULLING INTO CONVENIENCE STORE, I CHECKED DIPSTICK AND FOUND NO OIL SHOWING. SINCE OIL WAS CHANGED ABOUT 400 PRIOR AND NO LEAKS WERE FOUND, I PROCEEDED TO ADD OIL TO ENGINE. FOUND OIL LEAKING OUT AS FAST AS PUTTING IN. AFTER BEING TOWED BACK TO WHERE I WORK (INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP) AND NEXT DAY FOUND REAR CRANKSHAFT SEAL ON ENGINE DISLODGED FROM ENGINE. FURTHER INVESTIGATION AND TAKING IT TO CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP VERIFIED THE OCCURRENCE OF A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE PCV CAUSING THIS FAILURE TO HAPPEN.. APPARENTLY AS I DROVE UP THAT BUSY HIGHWAY FROM WORK, MY VEHICLE WAS DISPERSING A VERY FIINE SPRAY OF OIL ON THE VEHICLES FOLLOWING ME, THE ROAD, AND THE ROADSIDE VEGETATION, APPROXIMATELY 5 QUARTS WORTH. THIS CREATED A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION FOR THE VEHICLE FOLLOWING ME AND RAISED SOME SERIOUS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES. IN SPITE OF GM HAVING ISSUED A SPECIAL POLICY ON CERTAIN VEHICLES WHICH WOULD HAVE COVERED THIS REPAIR, I WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS NOT ON THE LIST. I HAVE HAD THE REPAIR PERFORMED, BUT IF IT IS A KNOWN FAULTY DESIGN, GM SHOULD STAND BEHIND CORRECTING THE ISSUE AND IF I AM NOT ON THEIR LIST, THEY SHOULD EXPAND THE LIST. I HATE HAVING BEEN THE VEHICLE BEHIND CREATING AN UNSAFE SITUATION FOR OTHER DRIVERS AND FOR CONTAMINATING THE ROAD AND ROADSIDE WITH PETROLEUM WASTE. THE SPECIAL POLICY THAT DID NOT HAVE ME ON THE LIST WAS 14882 - SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT