NHTSA Complaint #11252959 — 2016 GMC ACADIA

ON SATURDAY (8/31/2019), I NOTICED THAT THE AC IN MY 2016 ACADIA (ABOUT 79,000 MILES) WOULDN'T TURN ON. MY VEHICLE HAS TWO EVAPORATORS, ONE IN THE FRONT FOR THE FRONT AC, AND ONE IN THE REAR FOR THE REAR AC. THEY ARE CONNECTED BY AN ALUMINUM TUBE (GM PART #23199274). WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE GMC DEALER, THEY SHOWED ME THAT A CONNECTOR ON THE POWER STEERING FLUID (PSF) LINE, WHICH RUNS BESIDE THIS ALUMINUM TUBE (SEE PHOTO 1), HAD RUBBED UP AGAINST THE ALUMINUM AND WORN A HOLE IN IT, ALLOWING ALL THE REFRIGERANT TO LEAK OUT (PHOTO 2). THERE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A LITTLE RUBBER PIECE THAT FITS OVER AND PROTECTS THE COOLANT LINE (YOU CAN SORT-OF SEE IT IN THE PICTURES), BUT THAT PIECE IS SMALL AND SLIDES DOWN, EXPOSING THE ALUMINUM TUBE. THE TECHNICIAN THEN TOLD/SHOWED ME HOW HE USUALLY BENDS OR MOVES THE PSF LINE SO THAT IT DOESN'T RUB AGAINST THE ALUMINUM COOLANT TUBE. THIS INDICATES THAT GM IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND HAS DONE NOTHING IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIX IT, EVEN THOUGH THIS INHERENT DESIGN FLAW ALLOWS THE ENTIRE COOLANT CHARGE TO LEAK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, SINCE REFRIGERANT IS NOT EXACTLY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, I FIND IT CONCERNING THAT GM IS APPARENTLY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND HASN'T TAKEN THE NECESSARY STEPS (LIKE A VOLUNTARY RECALL) TO FIX IT. I CALLED THE GM CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE AND MADE THEM AWARE OF THE SITUATION, AND THEY SAID "THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO." I'M HOPING THIS COMPLAINT FORCES THEM TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE AND STOP LEAKING FULL REFRIGERANT CHARGES INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. NOTE THAT THIS WOULD ALSO BE AN ISSUE IF THE SITUATION WERE REVERSED AND IT WAS THE AC COOLANT TUBE THAT CHAFED THROUGH THE PSF HOSE. IF THE PSF CONNECTOR WAS EVEN 1 CM OFF, THEN HYPOTHETICALLY THE COOLANT TUBE COULD RUB THROUGH THE PSF HOSE AND CAUSE A FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM. IT IS ALSO DESIRABLE TO AVOID THIS AS WELL, FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.