2004 Pontiac Grand Prix

RECALL N140574, CASE #[XXX] ON 2/7/19, MY SON'S CAR GOT STUCK 2 BLOCKS FROM HOME ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET. THE GRAND PRIX WAS DRIVEN THERE TO SEE IF HE COULD BE PUSHED OUT, AND GOT STUCK - ALONG WITH 4 OTHER CARS. WE TRIED TO PUSH THE CAR OUT, BUT IT WOULDN'T MOVE. WE LEFT THE CAR RUNNING WHILE TRYING TO PUSH THE OTHER VEHICLES. WHILE WALKING FROM THE CAR, WE HEARD POPPING SOUNDS, AND SAW A FLAMES UNDER THE HOOD - PASSENGER'S SIDE. MY FRIEND REACHED IN AND SHUT IT OFF. I CALLED THE POLICE. FIRE TRUCKS PUT OUT THE FIRE, AND A TOW TRUCK WAS CALLED TO GET THE CAR OFF THE SNOW ROUTE AND TAKEN TO AN ACCIDENT IMPOUND. THE NEXT DAY, I CALLED GM AND WAS ASSIGNED A CASE. A WEEK LATER, I WAS ASSIGNED A PAC UNIT REP, TO INVESTIGATE MY CASE. I HAVE MANY EMAILS AND PICTURES FOLLOWING MY CASE. GM HAS PROVIDED A LOT OF MISINFORMATION, LACK OF COMMUNICATION, AND NO PROBLEM RESOLVE. THERE WERE ISSUES INVOLVING THE TITLE, BUT I RESOLVED. I HAD TO TAKE THE PICTURES FOR THE INVESTIGATION, EVEN THOUGH I WAS TOLD REPS WOULD BE SENT OVER. I WENT TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP, WHERE THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TRIED TO CONTACT THE PAC UNIT. THEY ALSO DID NOT RESPOND TO HIM. AFTER MANY VISITS TO GATEWAY DEALERSHIP AND ASSISTANCE GETTING MY INFORMATION TO SOMEBODY WITH GENERAL MOTORS, IT WAS DETERMINED THE RECALL CAUSED THE FIRE. OIL DRIPPED ON THE MANIFOLD. MY CAR STILL SITS IN THE IMPOUND AT $30 A DAY. I HAVE LEFT NUMEROUS MESSAGES AND EMAILS ASKING FOR UPDATES AND RESOLVE. THE LAST I WAS TOLD IS THAT GM WOULD REPURCHASE MY CAR, AND SEND THE PAPERWORK TO SIGN. THAT WAS 2 WEEKS AGO! THE LOCAL SERVICE REP HAD TO STOP HELPING ME DUE TO A JOB CHANGE, SO I AM LEFT NOT KNOWING WHAT IS HAPPENING. THE PAC AND GM CUSTOMER SERVICE ARE NOT RETURNING CALLS OR RESPONDING. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP?? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TT

I HAD BARELY HIT A CURB PULLING INTO THE BANK PARKING WHEN MY BRAKE PAD WOULDN'T STOP. AT LESS THAN 7MPH. MY AIR BAGS HAD DEPLOYED LEAVING ME JARRED, AND IN A SHOCK I COULD NOT MOVE. I SAT LOCKED IN TO MY SAFETYBELT UNTIL THE CONSTRUCTION WORKER DOWN ROADPULLED ME OUT TO SAFETY. SUCH A MILS HIT. BLEW MY AIRBAGS.. IN RETURN, DAMAGED MY WINDSHIELD, DASH, AND, STEERING COLUMN. I WAS TURNING INTO A BANK PARKING LOT. CONSIDERED A PRIVATE LOT.

ON FRIDAY MAY 11 2018 AT APPROXIMATELY 8:30 AM, MY CAR WAS PARKED & SHUT OFF IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I HEARD A LOUD "BANG" NOISE. I RAN TO MY WINDOW & SAW FLAMES & BLACK SMOKE ROLLING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF MY CAR. IT HAD EXPLODED & CAUGHT ON FIRE IN LESS THAN 1 MIN AFTER I GOT OUT, SHUT IT OFF, PULLED THE KEYS & WALKED IN MY HOME. FIRE DEPARTMENT & POLICE RESPONDED. I HAVE PICTURES, & FILED A FIRE & POLICE REPORT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE FLOORBOARD BECAME FLOODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

ON THANKSGIVING DAY 2014 MY CAR COUGH ON FIRE 10 MINUTES AFTER MY DAUGHTER AND I GOT OUT OF THE CAR. I WALKED INTO A FAMILY MEMBERS HOUSE AND HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN GO OFF WITHIN ABOUT 5 TO 10 SECONDS LATER ANOTHER. I WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON TO FIND MY CAR ENGULFED IN FLAMES. WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911. THE CAR WAS PARKED NEAR A BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH 4 OR MORE VEHICLES PARKED INSIDE. I QUICKLY TRIED TO REMOVE MY IMPORTANT PROPERTY, POCKETBOOK, AND GRABBED A WATER HOSE TO TRY TO KEEP THE FLAMES AWAY FROM THE STRUCTURE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THE ENTIRE FRONT COMPARTMENT, MOTOR MOUNT AND ENGINE MELTED, WAS BURNED TO THE GROUND. THE INSIDE DASH AND FLOORBOARD WAS MELTED WITH LARGE HOLES BURNED IN THEM, AND BOTH FRONT TIRED EXPLODED AND ENTIRELY MELTED AS WELL. I HAD JUST LEFT MY HOUSE WHERE THE CAR COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN PARKED IN MY GARAGE AND SET THE ENTIRE HOUSE ON FIRE. I HAVE TRIED TO STAY IN CONTACT WITH GM FOR ALMOST A YEAR. THEY REFUSED TO RETURN MY PHONE CALLS AFTER THE INITIAL TWO, TELLING ME IT WOULD TAKE A FEW WEEKS, FOR 6 MONTHS. THEY NOW REFUSE TO HELP ME IN ANY WAY. I WILL NEVER PARK A CAR IN AN ATTACHED GARAGE TO MY HOUSE EVER AGAIN IN FEAR OF MY FAMILY'S SAFETY. I RESEARCHED THIS CAR FOR RECALLS TO FIND THAT THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF RECALLS FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM UP UNTIL 2003 MODELS, ALSO TO FIND THAT THIS ISSUE HAD CONTINUED IN THE 2004 MODELS WITH NO RECALLS AND FEAR THE SAFETY OF OTHERS WITH THESE CARS. GM NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR MISHAPS AND TAKE SAFETY SERIOUSLY.

WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF ARRIVING TO MY PLACE OF WORK, THE PONTIAC CAUGHT FIRE AND THE FIRE COMPLETELY BURNED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT RESULTING IN A TOTAL LOSS. 10 DAYS AFTER THE FIRE, I RECEIVED GM SAFETY RECALL 14574 INDICATING THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. WHEN CONTACTING GM, I AM TOLD THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME SINCE THE CAR IS NO LONGER IN MY POSSESSION. THIS IS EXTREMELY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUPPORT FOR A PROBLEM THEY ARE AWARE OF.

MAILING CHRISTMAS PACKAGES AND STOPPED TO FILL UP WITH GAS. WENT INSIDE TO USE RESTROOM, CAME BACK OUT AND AS I APPROACHED THE CAR, I SMELLED AN UNUSUAL ODOR. GOT IN, STARTED IT, NOTICED SMOKE COMING UP ON OUTSIDE OF WINDOW ON PASSENGER SIDE. SINCE I WAS PARKED NEXT TO THE GAS PUMPS, I ELECTED TO PUT IT IN DRIVE AND PULL FORWARD AWAY FROM PEOPLE AND GAS PUMPS, YELLED AT EMPLOYEES TO CALL FIRE DEPT. AS BY THIS TIME THE SMOKE WAS COMING THROUGH THE VENTS INTO THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. BY THE TIME THE FIREMEN ARRIVED, THE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES (I TOOK 3 PICTURES TO SHOW PROGRESSION OF THE FIRE) THAT WAS SO HOT THAT PARTS WERE MELTING ONTO THE ASPHALT. THE FIREMEN HAD TO USE A CROWBAR TO OPEN THE HOOD TO GET TO THE FIRE. I THINK THAT THE CAR SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE RECALL OF THE 2003 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX AS THE FIRE HAPPENED EXACTLY AS OTHERS DESCRIBE - NO PROBLEMS RUNNING, NO INDICATION OF TROUBLE BY WAY OF WARNING LIGHTS. I'M JUST THANKFUL THAT I DIDN'T PULL IT INTO OUR ATTACHED GARAGE AT HOME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. IN ADDITION, DURING RAINY WEATHER, WATER FLOODED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,206.