NHTSA Complaint #11404618 — 2012 GMC TERRAIN

WHILE BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY, THE ENGINE STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING AND VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART. AFTER BEING TOWED FOR SERVICE, WE LEARNED THERE WAS ALMOST NO OIL LEFT, CAUSING THE TIMING CHAINS TO FAIL AND THE ENGINE WAS DAMAGED BEYOND REPAIR. WE HAD DRIVEN THE VEHICLE LESS THAN 12 HOURS PRIOR AND THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS SUCH AS LOW OIL, CHECK ENGINE, ETC. THE VEHICLE HAS JUST UNDER 78,000 MILES ON IT AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN 1,200 MILES AND 2 MONTHS FROM NEEDING AN OIL CHANGE. THIS MODEL YEAR VEHICLE IS KNOWN TO BE EQUIPPED WITH FAULTY PISTON RING ASSEMBLIES WHICH LEAD TO EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS NO OIL PRESSURE SENSOR TO ALERT THE DRIVER TO THE LOW OIL; CONSEQUENTLY, THIS MISLEADS THE OWNER INTO OPERATING THE VEHICLE WITH INADEQUATE OIL LEVELS AND CAUSING ENGINE DAMAGE. COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE CAN OCCUR SUDDENLY, CREATING AN ENORMOUS SAFETY HAZARD; WE ARE LUCKY WE WERE NOT DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AT THE TIME IT OCCURRED. GM ISSUED A SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT, BUT IT WAS NOT NEARLY ADEQUATE TO COVER THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE THAT CAN AND DOES OCCUR AS A RESULT OF THIS DEFECT, LEAVING MANY DRIVERS STUCK WITH UNRELIABLE, UNSAFE VEHICLES OR ASTRONOMICALLY EXPENSIVE REPAIRS.