General Motors - Pontiac ABS Brake Failure ripoff Detroit Michigan
I bought a Pontiac Bonneville (GM product)in July 2003. After 7 months we had to make an emergency stop, but the brakes went to the floor and we rear ended another vehicle in front of us. I took it to the dealer, they had my car for two days and said there was nothing wrong. I found out they had only test drove my car. I refused to take the car until they completely checked the system. The next day they still said there is nothing wrong.
My friend whom is ASE certified machanic, and my father whom is a retired brake specialist and everyone else I have talked to about this say's they are wrong. Brakes are not susposed to go to the floor. I think they just don't want to fix my car in the meantime my car is parked, it's too dangerous to drive.
Vicki
Douglasville, Georgia
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Mike
Radford,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Lots of reasons not to find a problem
#4Consumer Suggestion
Mon, March 01, 2004
When a manufacturer gets a lot of warranty claims, it looks like they may be making a bad quality product. Industry's obsession with quality statistics have created a situation that some well-intentioned people may not have foreseen. It has become easier and cheaper to systematically decline all warranty claims rather than build a quality product. This also allows the stated term of the warranty to be extended without incurring any real cost, since all claims will be declined anyway. Still, the manufacturer's and third party "quality" bean counters stay happy.
Also dealers used to try to find and repair a lot of warranty problems that may not have existed at all. They would do this to make money off of reapirs. Somehow the arrangement between GM and the dealers is now structured to discourage this abuse. As a consequence of this, and also to fulfil the quality dictates, legitimate warranty repairs are also discouraged.
As well, of course GM would also want to be sure to never admit that, without warning, one of their cars simply refused to stop, leading to a collision with another car. Finding a problem with the brakes and repairing it would be such an admission.
Have your mechanic friends take the car out for a test drive, see if they can make the problem recur. If it does, have them take one of the dealer technicians along for a test drive. I'm sure that would convince them.
Vicki
Douglasville,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Not driver error
#4Author of original report
Sun, February 29, 2004
There was plenty of time to stop if the brakes had worked. There was no distraction, we watched the vehicle in front us get closer and closer. The brakes went to the floor.
I can go to my car right now and push the brakes to the floor.
If I drive and stop normal the brakes do work, it's when you have to make a quick emergency stop that they don't work. If you put constant pressure on the brakes they will go to the floor.
Dave
Hackensack,New Jersey,
U.S.A.
maybe it was driver error??
#4Consumer Suggestion
Sun, February 29, 2004
Vicki
being in the car dealership business trade for quite a few years, and the technology of the vehicles produced today, I think that maybe you were distracted by someone or something and thats what happened that day.
You said that the dealership said there was nothing wrong that they found with your brake system. If your car is still under warranty, WHY wouldn't they fix the problem??? They get paid from GM to repair the fault... Maybe more information will help me figure what is going with your situation.