2013 Chevrolet Captiva

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE TRACTION CONTROL AND PARKING BRAKE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HOLIDAY AUTOMOTIVE (321 N ROLLING MEADOWS DR., FOND DU LAC, WI), BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,500. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET CAPTIVA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATED AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, IT LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING. FOLSOM CHEVROLET (12655 AUTO MALL CIR, FOLSOM, CA) DIAGNOSED THAT THERE WAS EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE DEALER FROM WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR REMEDYING THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 108,000.

THIS PAST YEAR 2017; OIL CHANGES; LOW A QUART OR TWO; ONE TIME, TOLD IT WAS OUT OF OIL. NO LEAKS FOUND. DROVE 360 MILES IN THE WINTER AND BACK. CAR STALLED, BLUE SMOKE, SAID CHECK STABILITY TRACTION AND SHUT CAR OFF! (OUT OF OIL JUST 3 DAYS AFTER FILLED WITH OIL) I CHANGE OIL EVERY 2K MILES. I WAS INFORMED A LOT OF VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME ENGINE DID THIS EXACT PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGER ISSUE. MY CAR STRANDED ME -12 DEGREE WEATHER!!!! I WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR SEAL BLEW BECAUSE I DROVE A LONG TRIP IN THE COLD AND IT FROZE AND BROKE. THESE ARE TWO PROBLEMS I HAVE CONTACTED GM WITH AND THEY CALLED ME A LIAR AND TOLD ME I ABUSED MY CAR AND ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING POWER TRAIN RAN OUT THE SAME DAY I WAS STRANDED! I AM [XXX] AND NEVER ABUSE MY VEHICLES (MY DAD TAUGHT ME PROPER). I NOW HAVE NO CAR. IT IS PARKED IN MY YARD. I OWE $5000.00. IT ONLY HAS 89,000 MILES. THE COST TO FIX IS $3,350.00. I FEEL THIS WAS/IS A SAFETY ISSUE! THE ENGINE/SENSORS WOULD BE RUINED IF I DROVE IT ANYMORE. THE CAR JUST SHUTS DOWN. I WAS ALSO STRANDED 90 MILES AWAY FROM HOME BECAUSE IT QUIT. OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP (PURCHASED FROM) SAID TOO BAD. GM SAID TOO BAD. WHEN I WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC, THE CAR STUTTERED, AND SHUT OFF AFTER TELLING ME TO SHUT IT OFF. AT THE STOP LIGHT, I HURRIED TO START IT, IT WAS RUSH HOUR, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, ON A CITY STREET, AT ST. CLOUD, MN. I WAS SO SCARED. I NURSED IT TO A TIRE PLACE, (THANK GOODNESS THEY CLOSED AT 6 P.M., AS IT WAS 5:30 P.M.) THEY DO ALL CAR STUFF. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I LOVE MY CAPTIVA. I DON'T' DARE DRIVE IT. IT WILL QUIT AND I CANNOT PUT 5 QUARTS OF OIL IN EVERY 50 MILES! PLEASE I KNOW FROM REPAIR PLACES THAT THIS ENGINE IS A PROBLEM. THIS SAME ENGINE IN A LOT OF EQUINOX'S, SAME PROBLEM. THE CAR QUITS, THE OIL IS OUT BECAUSE THE REAR SEAL BROKE IN THE COLD MINNESOTA WEATHER ON OUR LONG TRIP. THANK GOODNESS IT DIDN'T STRAND US AT ROCHESTER PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U

I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND WAS APPROXIMATELY 25 MINUTES INTO MY COMMUTE WHEN MY OIL LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH OFF AND ON. APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES LATER, MY CAR BEGAN TO STALL AND I HAD SMOKE COMING OUT FROM THE HOOD OF MY CAR. I HAD TO PULL OVER ON THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY I WAS DRIVING ON, WHERE IT WAS NOTICED I HAD OIL LEAKING UNDERNEATH OF MY CAR AND THAT OIL SPRAYED ALL OVER THE BACK OF MY CAR. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I TOOK MY VEHICLE HAD TO TEAR DOWN MY ENGINE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE BREAKDOWN. WATER GOT INTO THE PCV VALVE AND FROZE INSIDE OF IT (IT WAS 3 DEGREES THAT MORNING WHEN THIS OCCURRED). THE ICE CAUSED A BLOCKAGE OF AIR WHICH CAUSED MY REAR MAIN SEAL TO LEAK OIL TO A LOW LEVEL THAT DAMAGED MY ENGINE. WHILE THE OIL WAS PUMPING OUT, IT BROKE A ROD,A PISTON, SCARRED UP CRANK BEARINGS, WIPED OUT THE TIMING CHAIN, AMONG OTHER ENGINE PARTS. I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON MY VEHICLE, WHICH DID NOT COVER THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE SUPERVISOR OF THE WARRANTY COMPANY, HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT MANY VEHICLES ON EAST COAST HAVE SUFFERED THE SAME DAMAGE (THERE WERE 8 VEHICLES IN 10 DAYS IN THE SHOP WHERE MY CAR IS IN ST. LOUIS, MO THAT HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN AS WELL). SINCE THE WARRANTY COMPANY DID RESEARCH TO FIND OUT GM HAD A DESIGN FLAW WITH THE PCV VALVE, THEY SUGGESTED I HAVE GM COVER THE REPAIRS. GM ALSO HAS A SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT (14882) FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. HOWEVER, THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT SINCE MY VEHICLE WASN'T MADE AT A PARTICULAR PLANT, THE REPAIR WOULD NOT BE COVERED AT 100% AND QUOTED ME A BILL OF APPROXIMATELY $6800 TO FIX MY CAR. I HAVE KEPT UP WITH MY CAR MAINTENANCE, I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THIS WOULD HAPPEN TO MY CAR, ESPECIALLY DRIVING DOWN AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THIS DAMAGE HAPPENED IN A 3 MINUTE TIME SPAN. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED, AND GM SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR THE REPAIRS TO MY VEHICLE.

THIS VEHICLE WAS MECHANICALLY SOUND FOR THE ENTIRE TIME I HAVE OWNED IT (4 YEARS) UP UNTIL THIS FATAL ENGINE ISSUE. INITIALLY I NOTICED THAT OVER THE COURSE OF 2 OR 3 WEEKS MY 2013 CAPTIVA SPORT WAS CONSUMING OIL. NEVER SAW ANY EVIDENCE OF LEAKS ON THE GROUND. I WAS PLANNING ON TAKING IT INTO THE GARAGE FOR AN EVALUATION, BUT NEVER HAD THE CHANCE. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND THE REAR MAIN SEAL BLEW. I STOPPED THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AND SHUT IT DOWN, BUT THE OIL LITERALLY JUST "FLEW" RIGHT OUT OF IT. IRONICALLY, THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT MANY OTHER CHEVY 2.4L ECOTEC ENGINES ARE HAVING WITH THE PCV CLOGGING AND BLOWING OUT THE REAR MAIN SEAL. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET, AND OF COURSE, THEY WILL NOT COVER THIS EVEN THOUGH THEY PUT OUT A TSB WITH EXTENDED COVERAGE FOR VEHICLES WITH THIS ISSUE.

OVER A YEAR AGO AAA INSTALLED A NEW BATTERY WHEN MY CAR WOULDN'T START. SINCE THAT TIME THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I HAD TO CALL AAA TO COME OUT AS THE CAR WOULD NOT START....EACH TIME THAT CLEANED AND GREASED THE TERMINALS. NOW IT IS HAPPENING MORE FREGUENTLY. ON SUNDAY...WHILE WAITING FOR AAA I CHECKED AND IT STARTED UP AGAIN ALL ON ITS OWN. SO NOT EVEN SURE IT IS THE TERMIALS AFTER ALL....I AM BECOMING AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE. I CAR WAS ALWAYS IN A PARKED POSITION. I HAVE OVER 60,000 MILES.