On 12/31/08, I bought a 2008 vehicle which had no issues out of the ordinary for 18 months. Starting in July 2010, applying the clutch caused a squeal, rattle, click and/or rubbing noise. From July to December, I brought it to the dealer numerous times, only to be disappointed as they were unable to duplicate the problem. As my concerns continued into January 2011, the dealer decided that the issue was the transmission, at which time they disassembled, inspected and reassembled. According to the documents they gave me, it stated that this caused the issue to worsen, forcing them to disassemble and reinspect. The documents say that a shattered thrust washer was the source which they removed, replaced and reassembled the transmission. As predicted, the noises continued with clutch use; however, another symptom appeared. A loud pop would happen randomly going from neutral to first gear. Naturally, the dealer was unable to duplicate this as well, it is a mystery that still happens. On 02/15/11, when I started my car (I park it in neutral with the emergency brake on) it tried to lurch forward as if it were in gear. I let it warm up but then I couldn't get it into gear. I spent several minutes trying when finally I got it into gear. I drove to the dealer. They decided to replace the transmission on my car that just turned two. I'm grateful they provided me with a loaner car since my vehicle was in their possession until 03/15/11. They inspected the loaner, said all was good and I left.
Even with new transmission, we unfortunately continued to have the original problem and one that appeared in January. On Friday, 05/13/11, I was on my way out of town for a family wedding. I was on the interstate, doing between 65-70mph (no cruise control) when suddenly the car popped completely out of 6th gear. I was so scared & took me a few seconds to figure out what happened. This occurred 11 times in one hour. I started documenting the time of each occurrence and was lucky enough to catch one on video. I made the decision to turn around before I ended up broken down and stranded. It popped out of gear all the way home.
I took the car to the dealer first thing Monday morning, May 16. The GM, whom I had been in contact via email for a couple months about the issues, was there. He stated they would look at the car, insisted it’s a new problem that has nothing to do with my previous issues but could not give me a time frame of how long they would have my car. I was fine with that and asked for a loaner car, just as they provided several times before. At first he stated that they did not have any available. I asked if one was available at another local dealer. At this point, he said he refuses to provide me with a loaner because the last one I returned (when they had my car for a month) was filthy and the passenger side mirror was damaged. I didn't show it but was immediately livid. I stated that I did not realize I was supposed to clean the car but also told him I did remove any trash. I also denied without a doubt any & all responsibility for the alleged damage he accused me of. I told the GM that when I returned the car March 15, the service manager did a complete inspection and said the loaner was good. If there were questions regarding the loaner, it should have been addressed at the time of return or within a few days, not two months after the fact.
I am disappointed because the issues with my vehicle are yet to be resolved. Making matters worse, is the way I was treated by the General Manager. Rather than properly representing his company and fixing the problem, all he could focus on was his time and money spent on my car. I don’t see how this is my fault. This is his job. My car is not even three years old and the problems started at 18 months.
I've been gathering all my documentation, the video, paperwork, voicemails & emails from the dealer to support the correspondence that I have sent to the dealer Headquarters with copies to Dun & Bradstreet, Chicago Division of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Governor's Office of Citizens Action, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Federal Citizen Information Center, Center for Auto Safety, National Association of Consumer Advocates, National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence....oh, and the BBB.
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