1999 Chevrolet Motor Home

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVROLET MOTOR HOME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S FUEL PUMP HAS FAILED EVERY EIGHT MONTHS OR EVERY YEAR. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE FUEL PUMP FAILED AND THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED AND EIGHT MONTHS LATER IT FAILED AGAIN. THE PURCHASE DATE AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 144,583 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

ON APRIL 27TH, 2002, THE AUTOPARK LIGHT CAME ON. I CRAWLED UNDER THE MTH TO FIND FLUID POURING OUT BY THE TRANSMISSION. I HAD MY SON GO TO THE DEALERSHIP IN BATON ROUGE, LA THE NEXT MORNING. I INSTALLED THE NEW SWITCH. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, ON OUR TRIP HOME, THE LIGHT CAME ON ONCE AGAIN. WE MADE IT HOME BEFORE THE MOTORHOME LOCKED UP. MY WIFE WENT TO THEL CHEVROLET DEALER IN FT. WALTON BCH, FL AND PURCHASE TWO SWITCHES. I REPLACED THE BAD SWITCH. ON ANOTHER TRIP THE AUTO PARK LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, AND I CHANGED IT OUT. ON OUR WAY HOME WE STOPPED TO GAS UP AROUND 8:00 PM AT OPELIKA, ALABAMA. WHEN MY WIFE STARTED THE MTH BACK UP THE AUTOPARK LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I ATTEMPTED TO DISENGAGE THE SYSTEM, BUT TO NO PREVAIL. SO I CALLED A WRECKER TO TOW US TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP DOWN THE ROAD. MY FRUSTRATION LEVEL WAS RISING SO I DID A MANUAL OVERRIDE OF THE SYSTEM WITH ANOTHER SWITCH (GREY). ON MAY 10, 2002, I ASKED JERROLD WALTERS AT THAT TIME HAD HE EVER ENCOUNTERED THIS SWITCH PROBLEM WITH THE AUTO PARK SYSTEM AND HE SAID NO HE HAD NOT, THAT WAS AT 20,058 MILES. APRIL 23, 2003 AT 39,566 MILES ANOTHER SWITCH. JULY 27,2004 THE AUTOPARK LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, FINALLY THEY WALKED MY WIFE TO THE BACK FOURTY OF THEIR PARKING LOT SLOWLY... JUST AS MY WIFE TURNED THE KEY OFF AND PUT IT INTO PARK, SMOKE BILLOWED OUT FROM UNDERNEATH OUR MTH AND THE SMELL OF BURNT WIRING. THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM THAT HAS OCCURED ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES BUT SEVERAL TIMES. AND NOW IT HAS GOTTEN SO BAD THAT IT IS A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZZARD TO HUMAN LIFE. I AND MY WIFE ARE SCARED TO GO ON ANYMORE TRIPS UNTILL THIS PROBLEM IS TOOK CARE OF ONCE AND FOR ALL. WE NEED YOUR HELP, I AM ASKING YOU WITH A CONCERNED VOICE, NEXT TIME I MAY NOT BE HERE TO FILL OUT A COMPLAINT FORM AND INFORM YOU OF A PROBLEM OR TO ASK FOR HELP!!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE HELP ME GET THIS RESOLVED BY CALLING A RECALL OR MAKING GM PAY FOR REPAIRS OF A FAULTY PRODUCT. *AK

THIS FOOT OPERATED PARKING BRAKE IS MOUNTED UPON A SHEET METAL BRACKET. THE BRACKET HAS NO LATERAL RESTRAINT. THIS LACK OF A LATERAL RESTRAINT PERMITS THE BRACKET TO BEND TO THE LEFT WHENEVER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PUSHED. SUFFICIENT PRESSURE CANNOT BE APPLIED TO THE PEDAL IN ORDER TO SUFFICIENTLY SET THE PARKING BRAKE ON HILLS. ADDITIONALLY, THE PARKING BRAKE CANNOT BE EFFECTIVELY USED AS A BACKUP DEVICE FOR STOPPING OR SLOWING THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY A CHEVROLET DEALER SERVICEMAN. HE AGREED THAT A LATERAL RESTRAINT WAS NEEDED BUT THAT IT WAS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COACH MANUFACTURER AND NOT THAT OF CHEVROLET, THE CHASSIS MANUFACTURER. I CONTACTED THE COACH MANUFACTURER, AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS A COMPLETE CHEVROLET DESIGN, NOT INTENDED TO BE MODIFIED BY THE COACH MANUFACTURER. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET,, FILE # 06531447 (MR. ROBB CHIODO). MR. CHIODO INFERRED SINCE THE BRAKE MECHANISM HAD BEEN BUILT AS DESIGNED BY CHEVROLET THEN IT MUST BE OK AND THAT HE COULD DO NOTHING. HE COULD NOT REFER ME TO ANYONE IN THE COMPANY THAT COULD BE OF ANY HELP. MR. CHIODO SUGGESTED TO ME THAT IF I WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH THE DESIGN THEN I SHOULD SEEK OUT A THIRD PARTY ON MY OWN WHO COULD BEEF UP THE ASSEMBLY. I STATED THAT IT WAS A SAFETY CONCERN TO ME BUT HE EXPRESSED NO FURTHER INTEREST IN THE PROBLEM. IN THE MEANTIME, I IGNORE USE OF THE PARKING BRAKE AND CHOCK THE WHEELS ON ALL BUT THE LEVELIST OF SURFACES. I AM A GRADUATE MECHANICAL ENGINEER AND REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER. I COULD RECOMMEND A MODIFICATION THAT COULD BE MADE TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM BUT I SEE IT AS A MANUFACTURER FIRST RESPONSIBILITY RATHER THAN THAT OF A CONSUMER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM ON HIS OWN.*AK