1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

TRANSMISSION FAILED WHEN DRIVING AT 45 MPH ON A HIGHWAY DURING MORNING RUSH HOURS. TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND LOST POWER. CAN ONLY DRIVE AT AROUND 20 MPH WHILE OTHER CARS FOLLOWING WERE AT 45-50 MPH. FORTUNATELY NO ACCIDENT CAUSED. BROUGHT CAR TO ROYAL OLDS AND LATER WAS INFORMED THAT METAL SHAVINGS WERE FOUND IN TRANSMISSION FLUID. TRANSMISSION WAS DISASSEMBLED AND FOUND THE REVERSE REACTION DRUM CAME LOOSE. THE TOTAL COST FOR THE REPAIR IS $1,900 BUT ROYAL OLDS ADVISED THAT MANUFACTURER IS WILLING TO SUBSIDIZE $1,200 AND I PAY THE BALANCE $700. THE CAR IS ONLY 5,000 MILES OVER THE 36,000 WARRANTY AND WAS SERVICED AT 30,000 MILES FOR SCHEDULED MAINTAINANCE. IT HAS NEVER BEEN USED TO HAUL ANYTHING. UNDER NORMAL USEAGE AND WITH REGULAR TIMING MAINTAINANCE, THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT FAIL AT 41,000 MILES UNLESS THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. I FEEL THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD PAY FOR THE TOTAL REPAIR BILL OF $1,900. NOW I NEED TO PAY THE $700 IN ORDER TO GET THE CAR BACK, BUT WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE, AND IF YES, HOW TO GET MY $700 REIMBURSED.

FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ARE DEFECTIVE. OLDSMOBILE FAILED TO ENGINEER SUFFICIENT DURABILITY IN THE METAL ALLOYS TO PREVENT HEAT FROM WARPING THE ROTORS DURING NORMAL BRAKING. THIS HEAT WARPAGE OCCURRED TWICE, IN TWO YEARS, TO MY 1995 OLDSMOBILE. THE FIRST WARPAGE BECAME EVIDENT PRIOR TO MY 30,000 MILE SERVICE ON 9/26/97. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS HAD 50% OF THE PAD REMAINING AT THE 30,000 MILE SERVICE. WHEN BRAKING, THE BRAKE PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHUDDER RESULTING IN POTENTIAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CAR. GUY SCHMIDT'S SERVICE DIRECTOR, RICK BALASKO, TOLD ME THAT THE FRONT ROTORS MUST BE "MACHINED OR RESURFACED" BECAUSE THEY WERE WARPED OR OUT-OF-ROUND. RICK SAID THE FRONT BRAKE PADS ALSO SHOULD BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BY THE WARPED ROTORS. BOTH FRONT PADS AND ROTORS WERE REPLACED ON 9/26/97. THE IDENTICAL DEFECT RECURRED PRIOR TO THE 60,000 MILE SERVICE ON 8/13/99. WHEN BRAKING, THE PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL SHUDDERED WITH A WASHBOARD EFFECT. BILL MOORE AND THE SERVICE MANAGER, BOB STEPHENS, SAID THE FRONT ROTORS WERE AGAIN "OUT-OF-ROUND" AND MUST BE MACHINED AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS 50% WEAR STILL REMAINING ON THE FRONT PADS. BOB SAID THE ROTORS CAN NORMALLY BE MACHINED ONLY 3 TIMES BEFORE REPLACING THEM. BOB SAID THE AVERAGE DRIVER GETS ONLY ABOUT 15,000 MILES ON THE FRONT PADS BEFORE REPLACEMENT IS REQUIRED. BOB SAID IT IS GUY SCHMIDT'S POLICY TO MACHINE THE ROTORS EVERY TIME THE BRAKE PADS ARE REPLACED. THEREFORE, THE AVERAGE DRIVER MUST PURCHASE NEW FRONT BRAKE ROTORS EVERY 60,000 MILES (4TH MACHINING DUE AT 60,000 MILES) AT A COST OF $300 TO $400. THIS IS INTOLERABLE FOR THE SAFE OPERATION OF A PRIVATE AUTOMOBILE. THE BRAKE ROTORS OF THIS MODEL OLDSMOBILE ARE OBVIOUSLY TOO SOFT FOR THE METALIC SUBSTANCE IN THE BRAKE PADS. THE RESULT IS DANGEROUS OVERHEATING AND WARPING OF THE FRONT ROTORS DURING BRAKING.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR ON 5/31/98 FROM AUTONATION USA. THE BATTERY DIED WITHIN DAYS OF PURCHASE AND WAS REPLACED. WE WERE TOLD AT THAT TIME THAT THE ALTERNATOR WAS ALSO REPLACED. WE HAD TO PUT THE VEHICLE IN THE SHOP TWICE MORE AFTER THAT FOR VARIOUS REASONS. IN SEPTEMBER OF 1998 THE ALTERNATOR WENT OUT AGAIN AND WE TOOK IT TO A DIFFERENT AUTONATION LOCATION AND IT WAS REPLACED, THIS IS WHEN WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY REPLCED IT. THEN ON 10/10/98 WE HAD TO TAKE IT IN AGAIN TO REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR AND THIS TIME THEY SAID IT WAS A FAULTY ALTERNATOR FROM THE MANUFACTURER THAT WAS PUT IN. TODAY (4/26/99) THE CAR DIED AGAIN THE SAME EXACT WAY. I CALLED AUTONATION AND WAS TOLD TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AND THAT IT WOULD COST AT LEAST $65 FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT AND VERIFY THAT IT WAS THE ALTERNATOR. PLEASE HELP. I CAN NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AND ENDANGER THE DAFETY OF MY CHILDREN WHEN IT CONTINUOUSLY DIES WHILE DRIVING AND I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL BE RUN INTO WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THERE MUST BE SOME OTHER EXPLANATION THAN TO SAY THAT THE PART IS JUST FAULTY FROM THE MANUFACTURER. HOW MANY FAULTY ALTERNATORS CAN ONE FACTORY MAKE. THANK YOU.