NHTSA Complaint #724544 — 1995 CHEVROLET CORSICA

WAS DRIVING DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL ABOUT 8 A.M FRIDAY(4/14/00), WHEN A LOUD BOOM NOISE FOLLOWED BY THICK BLACK SMOKE OCCURRED. CAR LOST POWER AND WE COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I IMMEDIATELY GOT MY DAUGHTER OUT OF THE CAR AND CLEARED AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. I COULD SEE SPARKS AND A TRAI8L OF OIL WHERE I HAD EXITED THE HIGHWAY. WHILE WALKING MY DAUGHTER TO SCHOOL, I PHONED CHEVROLET CUSTOMER ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND GAVE THEM THE INFORMATION ON WHERE THE CAR WAS. I WAS TOLD BY THE TOWING SERVICE AND THE SERVICE WRITER AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. YET MY GM EXTENDED WARRANTY REFUSED TO REPLACE IT. THEY INSTEAD DECIDED TO REBUILD THE ENGINE. WHEN TESTED THE REBUILT ENGINE HAD NO OIL PRESSURE. ANOTHER WEEK PASSED AND THEN UNDER THREAT, OF MY FILING A LAW SUIT, GM REPLACED THE ENGINE. I DIDN'T GET MY CAR BACK UNTIL MAY 15,00. ONE MONTH AFTER BOTH MY DEALER AND TOW TRUCK DRIVER SUBMITTED IN WRITING THAT THE ENGINE WITHOUT DOUBT HAD TO BE REPLACED. THOUGH I HAD A FULL WARRANTY AND COMPLETE CAR RENTAL FOR 15 DAYS, I HAD TO SHELL OUT OVER 300.00 DOLLARS BECAUSE GM DECIDED ARBITRARILY TO CUT THERE LOSSES BY DENYING ME EXTRA DAYS OF RENTAL WHICH MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERS IF THE REPAIRS ARE LONGER THAN THE PRESCRIBED COVERAGE TIME DUE TO NO FAULT OF THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. THEIR ATTEMPT TO SAVE MONEY AFTER WASTING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON AN UNRECOMMENDED, UNSUCCESSFUL REBUILD OF MY OLD ENGINE COST ME TIME, MONEY, AND LOSS OF WORK. AND TO MAKE IT EVEN WORSE THE LOUD GROWLING AND RATTLING NOISES FROM MY TRANSMISSION WERE NOT FIXED. NOW THAT I AM OUT OF WARRANTY, I CAN ONLY VOICE MY DISTASTE FOR HOW GM WILLINGLY TROUSED OVER ME AND MY RIGHTS. I'VE NOTICED SEVERAL DESCRIPTIONS ON THE SERVICE BULLETIN PAGES THAT DIRECTLY DESCRIBE THE ENGINE (SCORCHED CRANK AND SCARRED CAM AND VALVES) AND TRANSMISSION (GROWLING AND GRINDING NOISE) THAT I HAVE EXPERIENCED. *AK