NHTSA Complaint #11360475 — 2003 CHEVROLET S10

TRUCK WAS PURCHASED 7/7/20. SEEMED TO WORK FINE, BUT STARTED NOTICING ENGINE TROUBLE ON 9/10/20. HAD ONLY DRIVEN IT ~150 MILES SINCE PURCHASE, NEVER ANY STRENUOUS DRIVING. TOOK IT IN TO GET SERVICED ON 9/21/20, WHERE SEVERAL PROBLEMS WERE SPOTTED, ONE OF WHICH IS TRACEABLE TO THE DEALER: 1) THE DISTRIBUTOR CAP WAS BEING HELD ON ONLY BY TWO ZIPTIES. THIS IS WHY IT SEEMED TO RUN FINE ON THE DATE OF PURCHASE, BUT CAUSED ENGINE MISFIRES WITHIN A FEW MONTHS OF LIGHT USE. THE DEALERSHIP NOTIFIED ME THE DAY BEFORE I PURCHASED IT THAT THE DISTRIBUTOR WAS BEING FIXED, BUT THEY FAILED TO NOTIFY ME THAT IT WASN'T FIXED PROPERLY. TRUCK NOW MISFIRES, HAS AN ARCING WIRE, AND IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. 2)TRUCK WAS SOLD WITH NO PARKING BRAKE, AND NO WARNING THAT IT WAS NOT INSTALLED. THIS INFORMATION HAS OMITTED WHEN I ASKED ABOUT SAFETY ISSUES BEFORE PURCHASING. NEVER NOTICED BECAUSE PHX IS SO FLAT. HAD I NEEDED TO USE THE PARKING BRAKE, NOT HAVING ONE INSTALLED IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. 3) AN IMPACT SENSOR WAS LEFT HANGING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. A LARGE ENOUGH BUMP OR A ROCK COULD SET OFF AIRBAGS WHILE DRIVING, PUTTING MY PASSENGERS, MYSELF, AND OTHER DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS AT SERIOUS RISK. THIS TRUCK IS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AND I WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OF THE ISSUES THAT MADE IT UNSAFE. THE FIRST ISSUE WAS CAUSED BY A BAD REPAIR MADE BY THE DEALERSHIP, AND THE OTHER TWO NOTED ISSUES WERE NOT NOTED IN THE CARFAX OR BY THE SALESPERSON WHEN I ASKED ABOUT SAFETY ISSUES.