NHTSA Complaint #711305 — 1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO

PROBLEM 1--AN IGINITION WIRE SHORTED OUT WITHIN A YEAR OF PURCHASE AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. AT THAT TIME, DEALERSHIP SERVICE INFORMED ME THERE WAS A TECHNICAL BULLETIN ON THIS PART BUT DEALERSHIP COULD ONLY REPLACE ONE WIRE AT TIME. WITHIN THREE WEEKS, ANOTHER WIRE SHORTED OUT. THIS TIME THE ENTIRE SET OF IGINITION WIRES WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. AT 38500 MILES ANOTHER IGINITION WIRE FROM THE NEW SET SHORTED OUT AND WAS REPLACED. TWO WEEKS LATER, AT 38900 MILES ANOTHER IGINITION WIRE IS SHORTED OUT. DEALERSHIP NOW CLAIMS THERE ARE NO TECHNICAL BULLETINS ON THIS PART---ESPECIALLY SINCE THE WARRANTY IS OUT. IGINITION WIRES ARE NOT AVAILABLE AFTER MARKET. PROBLEM 2. ALTERNATOR BURNED UP AT 38775 MILES. I WAS INFORMED THAT SINCE IT WAS PLACED ON THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE ENGINE WHEN THIS VEHICLE WAS DESIGNER, IT IS COMMON FOR THIS PART TO BURN OUT DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT. IT WOULD SEEM THIS WAS INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED THIS WAY.