Complaint Review: General Motors Pontiac Division

I bought a brand new Pontiac Aztek in February 2002. The rear hatch did not release correctly, the passenger's side front door did not close correctly, and the 12V power points all failed within the first 30,000 miles. The power locks became erratic in their behavior, the seat material had a hole in the bolstering due to poor frame design, and the wheel bearings needed replaced at 30,000 miles.



At 31,000 miles... After a history of excellent maintainence on this vehicle (Full synthetic oil, and other services well within specified time periods) the Aztek caught fire on our way from North Carolina to Colorado for our Christmas vacation. The cause? Manufacturers defect. The fuel tank filler tube came apart from the tank and spilled fuel all over the hot exhaust where it ignited, leaving my wife, seven year old child, and myself standing barefoot in the slushy grass in 28 degree weather on the side of the Interstate in boontown, IL watching in horror and disbelief.



Now, here's where things get sticky...

Shortly after purchasing the Aztek, I was so impressed with it's versatility that I created a fan club website for the Aztek. This defect is NOT an isolated incident. The forums show that at least 2 other members/owners have had the same defect appear, although mine is the only one that resulted in a fire (that I am aware of). So, out of less than 1,000 registered members on my site, there have been 3 instances of this problem. How many out of THOUSANDS of Aztek owners have had the same problem that we do not know about?

(By the way, you can see pictures of the fire, in progress here: aztekfanclub.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=9)



GM basically told me to take a walk, that my insurance company would take care of it... Let me tell you how THAT worked out...

My insurance company paid the blue book value of the vehicle to GMAC, leaving me a balance of more than $2,500.00 to take care of. Then, my insurance company dropped my policy. (They gave me an option to renew at almost double my rate, even though they were to get their money back from General Motors and "ESIS" (GM's insurance company.) I did have "Gap Insurance" which covered the rest of the loan amount. NEVER EVER buy a new car without this!!!



After all of the insurance companies settled, GM still turned a profit from me. I bought the vehicle for $22,500. The insurance company only paid out $13,000, and will only recover that amount from GM. This leaves $9,500.00 in GM's pocket after all is said and done. Pretty healthy, wouldn't you say?

So then...

If the motor had blown under the factory warranty, GM would have had to replace it. Had the doors fallen off, they would have had to either put them back on, or replace them. Should they not then have to replace the entire vehicle if it is broken or is destroyed due to a manufacturer's defect??? Would Wal*Mart not give you a new DVD player if the one you bought had caught on fire? Isn't that the POINT of a WARRANTY?

Yes, it is true that through insurance coverage, I was able to get the loan paid off... but what about the $9,000.00 in monthly payments I had made? What about the contents and personal items that were destroyed in the fire? Afterall, it was Christmas time. We all had our best clothes packed. We were transporting gifts for the family from all of the relatives who wanted to send something across the country. The amount in personal losses in combination with the loss of the vehicle totalled over $15,000.00!

I had many attorneys tell me that had someone been injured or killed, then GM would be responsible for that. How can they be responsible for a life, but not for the monetary losses? (Not to mention the 5 days I had to wait to find a rental that would allow me to go one way back home with, or the subsequent visits to the neurologist and the councelor for the seven-year-old who now dreams that she is burning to death in a fire almost every night... or my wife who had to sleep with the lights on for nearly 6 months while dreaming of her family being burned to death every time she closed her eyes...)

I purchased this vehicle brand new SPECIFICALLY for the peace of mind that it was covered under warranty, and in good faith that with the correct maintainence, it would be safe for my family, and that it would last long enough for the seven year old to drive at least once.

All of that went "down in flames" (pun intended) in less than 17 minutes on the side of I-64 on December 19, 2003. It didn't take long for us to find out that it was "our problem" to deal with. Thanks, GM. Great customer service! You go ahead and believe that I am rushing right out to buy another one before the first one gets cold.

Tom
Apex, North Carolina
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Pontiac