1996 Chevrolet Cavalier

IN APRIL 2002 I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TEH RECALL INFORMATION PROCESSING CENTER, ROYAL OAK, MI IN REGARDS TO A DEFECT WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH. WHEN I CHECKED THE INTERNET "NHTSA" I FOUND OUT THAT IN FACT THIS WAS NOT THE ONLY RECALL ON MY CAR. THE IS ALSO AN AIRBAG, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND MUD FLIP KIT RECALL. I CONTACTED THE DEALER AND BROUGHT MY CAR IN TO REPAIR ALL THESE DEFECTS. THE NEXT DAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE CAR WAS RUNNING ROUGH AGAIN. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL AND THAT THE RECALL FOR THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" WAS FIXED THE DAY BEFORE AND I HAVE TO PAY IF I WANT TO FIND OUT WHAT IS CAUSING THAT LIGHT TO COME ON. I AM NOT SATISFIED AT ALL. FIRST OF ALL, I WAS NEVER CONTACTED IN REGARDS TO ALL THESE OTHER RECALLS. I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR EVERYSINCE AROUND THE MIDDLE OF 2002. WHEN I DRIVE AND TAKE MY FOOT OF THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR KEEPS GOING THE SAME SPEED WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN, SOMETIMES IT EVEN SPEEDS UP. THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND THE ENGINE RUNS REAL ROUGH. ALSO WHEN DRIVING THE CAR KEEPS JERKING, LIKE SOMEBODY IS HITTING THE BRAKES AND THEN SPEEDS UPS RIGHT AFTERWARDS. ALL THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR AT NO PARTICULAR SPEED. PLEASE BE SO KIND AND ASSIST ME IN THIS MATTER OR ADVISE ME WHO I HAVE TO CONTACT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. BEST REGARDS, MANUELA M. LENO. *AK

APPROX. 1 MONTH AGO, THE CAR BEGAN TO "KNOCK" AND SHAKE VERY BADLY. I DROVE IT TO A REPAIR SHOP NEAR MY HOME, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH 5 BROKEN BOLTS IN THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL. THIS WAS FIXED. YESTERDAY (7/24/02), AT APPROX. 12:00 NOON, I WAS DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN NORTHBOUND ON ROUTE 18 IN EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ, WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO KNOCK AND SHAKE AGAIN, AND MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL JUST FELL OFF. LUCKILY, DUE TO TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND NOT TRAVELLING VERY FAST (@ 20-25 MPH). LUCKILY, I WAS RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE TO A MOBIL STATION WHEN IT HAPPENED, AND THE WHEEL ROLLED INTO THEIR PARKING LOT; I FOUND THE PIECES OF THE BOLTS THAT WERE BROKEN ALL AROUND THE PARKING LOT. THE WHEEL CAUSED A SMALL AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO THE BACK OF A CAR (A BACKUP SENSOR WAS BROKEN) THAT WAS IN THE LOT. THIS DAMAGE WAS AROUND $200; THE COST TO PUT MY WHEEL BACK ON, AND FOR ALL NEW BOLTS ON THAT WHEEL WAS ABOUT $100. THERE IS ALSO DAMAGE TO MY PASSENGER SIDE FENDER, FOR WHICH I HAVE NOT GOTTEN AN ESTIMATE FOR, MY HUSBAND IS GUESSING ABOUT $700; COULD I FURNISH YOU WITH AN EXACT ESTIMATE AT A LATER DATE? ADDITIONALLY, UPON PUTTINGTHE WHEEL BACK ON, THEY DISCOVERED DAMAGE TO THE "U-JOINT". WE TRANSFERED THE CAR TO OUR OWN MECHANIC TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM ADDRESSED; I WILL HAVE MORE RECEIPTS, PROBABLY TOMORROW. I AM ALSO HAVING THE MECHANIC REPLACE THE BOLTS AND LUGNUTS ON BOTH REAR WHEELS - I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THESE BOLTS FOR THEM TO KEEP BREAKING LIKE THIS.*JB

THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON WHEN VEHICLE WAS STARTED AFTER BEING UNUSED FOR 1-2 WEEKS. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD OF A RECALL FOR INADVERTANT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT , SO I AUTHORIZED THE DEALER TO DO THE RECALL. THE DEALER THEN CALLED AND SAID THERE WAS A CODE IN THE COMPUTER TELLING THE AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY AND THE COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BEFORE THE CAR SHOULD BE DRIVEN TO PREVENT A POSSIBLE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS. I WAS TOLD THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS FIT THE RECALL FOR INADVERTANT AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT IT WAS A DIFFERENT PROBLEM AND WOULD COST AROUND $400 TO REPAIR. I THEN ASKED THE SERVICE MANAGER TO TRY AND GET THIS FIXED BY CHEVROLET AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD NOT FIX IT, BUT I WAS GIVEN A PHONE NUMBER FOR CHEVROLET TO TALK TO THEM MYSELF. I CALLED AND SPOKE TO STEVE LEFCOURT WHO AGREED THAT MY COMPLAINT SEEMED TO BE WHAT WAS RECALLED, BUT WAS TOLD THE NEXT DAY THAT MY PROBLEM WAS DIFFERENT THAN THE RECALL BECAUSE IN THE RECALL THEY REPROGRAMED THE COMPUTER,BUT SINCE MY CARS COMPUTER WOULD NOT ACCEPT THE REPROGRAMING IT NEEDED REPLACEMENT AND THEY WOULD NOT PAY FOR IT. *AK