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As GM Objects To Recalling Another 1.8 Million Trucks, One (Ex) Customer Says "Enough"
After recalling over 28.5 million cars this year already, one would have thought GM has 'kitchen-sink'ed it - but no. As NY Times reports, even after receiving over 1000 complaints via NHTSA since 2010, GM has yet to recall almost 1.8 million full-size pickups and sport utility vehicles from the 1999 to 2003 model years for corrosion-related brake failures. The company claims rusted brake lines were an industrywide problem (as assertion that is not supported by complaints filed with Carcomplaints.com).
So the question is - after all these recalls, who (apart from vacant dealer lots and the government) is buying GMs; because it's not this previous owner:
"I will not be purchasing any further GM vehicles since GM does not stand behind vehicles when a serious malfunction occurs... My children and I could have been fatally injured due to the disintegration of the brake line."
So far over 28.5 million vehicles recalled in 2014...
But, as The NY Times reports, there is more they are not telling us...
the automaker has yet to recall almost 1.8 million full-size pickups and sport utility vehicles from the 1999 to 2003 model years for corrosion-related brake failures.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating the issue since 2010, and the agency has now received about 1,000 complaints from owners, some of whom report narrowly avoiding crashes.
“Hit brakes and a line blew. Almost hit car in front of me,” the owner of a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado wrote in a complaint filed in June.
“Like all G.M. trucks in snow country my brake lines rusted through along with my rear backing plates. I don’t know how many people have to be killed from blown brake lines for them to do anything. I guess a lot since they held off 10 years on their current problem.”
G.M. has resisted recalling the pickups and S.U.V.s., telling federal regulators that rusted brake lines are a routine maintenance issue. In addition, the automaker says, the vehicles have dual brake lines, so “the affected vehicle would be capable of stopping.”
But GM's defense is simple - "It's not just us" -
In a statement this year about the issue, the company said that rusted brake lines were an industrywide problem.
“Brake line wear on vehicles is a maintenance issue that affects the auto industry, not just General Motors,” the company said. “The trucks in question are long out of factory warranty, and owners’ manuals urge customers to have their brake lines inspected the same way brake pads need replacement for wear.”
General Motors’ assertion that rusting brake lines are an industry issue is not supported by complaints filed with Carcomplaints.com, Mike Wickenden, its owner, wrote in an email. He said the website had received 56 complaints about the 1999-2003 Silverado, compared with five for the Dodge Ram, two for the Ford F-Series and none for the Toyota Tundra.
It appears the owners have had enough...
Some owners of much newer G.M. models have also filed complaints, although in far smaller numbers, including one owner of a 2012 GMC Sierra. “At 81,000 miles the rear steel brake line from the frame to the rear end rusted out and burst,” the owner complained to regulators early in 2012.
Many owners are also unhappy that G.M. will not help with repair bills, which can exceed $2,000. They included a Silverado owner in Maryland, whose letter to the automaker was included in the agency’s investigatory files.
“I declined to take your offer for a voucher toward a new vehicle because I will not be purchasing any further General Motors vehicles since G.M. does not stand behind vehicles when a serious malfunction occurs,” the owner wrote the automaker in July 2012. “My children and I could have been fatally injured due to the disintegration of the brake line.”
* * *
This recall would take GM over the Maginot Line of 30 million vehicles recalled - good for overtime we assume? not so good for margins...
So as we asked rhetorically before - aside from the government (whose orders surged in June), vacant dealer lots (as channel stuffing 2.0 begins all over again), or the subprimest of the subprime quality borrowers (as incentives surge and GM is more than willing to chase the rabbit of credit risk in the medium term in exchange for short-term gain) - who is buying GMs?
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I came to that decision in 2008. Gov motors indeed
Broken brakes? Do you know how much damage a hulking piece of metal moving at 50 mph can do? Imagine the effect on GDP. Krugman must be elated.
We have a broken Republic, and the UAW was instrumental. Let every car sales guy you meet, from any car maker, you won't buy UAW ever again. Tell every rental car agent you meet you won't drive UAW made vehicles.
Just think of the showroom traffic!
Hell, the old Soviet Union put out better quality cars...
With those ugly autos they made back during the Cold War...
Than the crap GM is producing now.
Drive a 10+ year old Jeep with no power options, and standard everything so I can either do my own repairs or have them done at most non-dealer shops. Maintain it faithfully, drive it responsibly, and don't worry about the high costs of ineptitude and incompetence on the factory line.
Same here.
So, how many of these "american" cars are actually made in the USA?
Hyundai...!!
their intake manifold is cheap plastic no thanks dochen
All could be made a non issue by spec'ing stainless but oh no, would ding margins by a few bucks. Hopefully shortsightedness will get them.
In the 1970's I had a Chevy whose transmission came apart one gear at a time while crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I started crossing at 50, dropped to 30, finally crawled to the other side at about 15 MPH with cars blazing by me honking horns. That was enough GM for me. Never again. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEmJ-VWPDM4&feature=kp
I see 40 years later nothing has changed.
yeah because OBVIOUSLY other makes/models do not break down....
wtf
Oh Fuck Me, now we got GM trolls?
he's just 1 of the dozens upon dozens of GM vehicle owners I saw while cruising around over the 4th of July weekend. I stopped counting when I hit 50 in a 10 sq. mile area. Escalades, Denalis, CTS', Sierras, Silverados... you name it, it was on the road. all those owners are 'social proof' and anyone who criticizes the vehicle they own might as well be a terrorist.
In my (then) limited experience with cars when I first became of proper age, my general overall assessment was that American cars sucked because they broke down more often and wore down in basic stuff (seat covers, carpets, facades, etc.) quicker and more drastically than foreign cars, especially compared to Japanese cars, which seemed to be very reliable and aged better.
I have only owned for myself either Hondas or Toyotas. I'm lazy, I hardly take care of my cars inasmuch as I can get away with it. I tend to run them into the ground. Hondas and Toyotas just last. Yeah, they break down, but in my experience they run without complaint whether you care for them or not. The lack of maintenance tends to come out of the fuel economy though. There was one time my radiator blew on my old 4Runner because the thermostat went bad (someone installed the seal wrong and it ended up lodged in the valve flap, forcing it always open) but I was able to take care of that myself for under $400. I had a major issue with the crankshaft one time but that's because the knucklehead who worked on it prior didn't tighten a nut to specifications.
So bottom line, I like Japanese cars, and fuck American cars. Until an American car company can make me a car that will be as reliable as a Japanese car and hold up as well, and convince me to actually buy it, I will stay with what works for me. Which is a god damn shame, because I prefer to buy local/domestic.
I am Chumbawamba.
What's an American car company? Don't some of the "foreign" car companies have higher domestic content than the "domestics?"
True, there was NUMMI in Fremont, California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NUMMI), which is now Tesla Factory. But from 1984 to 2010 it was a joint venture between GM and Toyota, assembling cars for both brands. The East Bay lost a lot of jobs when that plant closed. I'm sure only a small percentage of them went back into Tesla.
I'm guessing there was no reason for Toyota to close that plant (they pulled out after GM did) other than for reasons of taxes and regulations, both local and federal. California is a mother fucking joke when it comes to capitalism.
-Chumbz.
Yo JLEE
http://www.hondaproblems.com/problems/transmission-failure.shtml
Good thing you weren't driving a Honda either you schmuck
Coltrane may not be here as long as you, but he doesn't put his big fat stinky foot in his mouth like you do either. Go to Japan dude, and bask in the glow of your love for their cars.
Honda never had problems like GM did, so I miss your point. What was it again?
Hmmm JLee, instead of answer a legit question, you attack their credibility???
You sound like a politician.
Maybe you failed to notice, but there wasn't a question to answer.
coletrain- 2003 impala: 37 months- ac line ruptures due to chafing against engine, engine gaskets rotted due to dexcool (dealer tells me he never heard of the issue!) I got stuck with the bill. Next, internal transmission "actuator" goes- $1800 more dollars gone. Next- another engine gasket (upper or lower, can't remember the order of 'em) rotted- another big bill for me. The rear window defogger dies- after replacing a bunch of relays/breakers, the dealer tells me the only thing left to do is replace the rear window. I declined. Also, driving in heavy rain on I91 in Vermont, the front defroster dies due to water dripping on the switch electronics in the dashboard- great fun! This has had to be repaired twice now at a couple hundred bucks each time. Also- window motors on both front doors have had to be replaced. Now- valves all knock when engine first starts due to corrosion from earlier coolant leaks according to my local (nondealer) mechanic. He has me using a Lucas oil conditioner that he says slows the oils dripping back down from the top of the engine. This is a car that I maintained. Otherwise, it would not have made it this far (175k miles). You would think that I would have learned from my prior experience with my 1982 Olds Cutlass that blew a gasket at 52k miles and my 86 Olds that did the same at about 50k miles... I had switched to ford (a few alternators, batteries, brake jobs) 11 years/145k miles in between and like a fool, then bought the impala...
Dexcool... that shit is criminal! No dealer will admit to the failure and damage that dexcool does even though it's well documented. Swapped the hoses in friend's Cavalier last month... full of "mud" and scale just like in the pictures. Maybe they can recall every vehicle from 1995 when they started using that crap.
The last good GM I had was a '69 Pontiac. The few I've owned since then were complete pieces of junk. Poorly made with one problem after another. So I got sick of these fugitives from the junk yard and started buying Japanese cars. I've never been happier. Just today I took delivery on a 2014 Toyota Corolla. I anticipate years of trouble free driving from this car.
And that, my friends, is why America is dying.
You want to turn America back into a strong and true nation? Learn how to make something with your own hands, and learn how to make it well.
I am Chumbawamba.
A happy owner of Hondas and Toyotas here, and I am in full agreement about the quality differences with Japanese / American cars.
That said, however, your comments in favor of Japanese cars followed by this comment suggest that Japan should not be dying, which is demonstrably not true. I figure you know this, but it just struck me as odd.
That is a scary ass bridge to have your tranny fail. GM makes total shit. Anyone who buys UAW-GM_Obama or Chrysler-Fiat-UAW is a retard.
Ever wonder how that Fiat deal happened? Agnelli family lost control to son in law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Elkann
Tribe member.
Let's not exaggerate the position fellas. Plenty of these vehicles DO NOT suffer catastrophic failures and last upwards of 200,000 miles.
Six months ago, I bought a GMC Sierra. I've put 6000 miles on it; and am still pleased. During the relatively harsh winter we had here in north Arkansas, the 4WD transmission case functioned flawlessly, and kept me out of the ditch when my coworkers were sliding all over the road. I'm getting 21-22 MPG - not bad for a full size crew-cab truck.
The truck was caught up in only one of the recalls - the one-time check of the transmission oil cooling line. Mine was fine. I used that trip to the dealership for my first wheel rotation and oil change. All free.
The message for me, as an ex Navy helicopter pilot, is: preflight your vehicles. In you live in salt-spray country, and you have metal braided brake lines, you need to be inspecting these regularly. Nobody takes care of YOU better than YOU.
I loathe the UAW; but the Sierra purchase made sense for me at the time. And I am most definitely not a "retard." (Well, unless you ask my ex.)
That is so true, checked the brake pads on my folk's cars and those puppies were hair thin, did a quick run to the store and replaced them (the rotors were still glass smooth so didnt bother taking them off for turning). Had I not had the inspiration to check it would of cost a lot more when it got down to metal to metal. Its amazing how many people just drive oblivious. Checked the rear drums they had almost as much material as the new shoes so took the new ones back and will change them in another year or two.
Once you have driven a German car, there is no going back. And I would rather drive a five (Or even 10) year old Merc or BMW than a new GM model.
Its all point of view, when i moved to the US the first thing i did was buy a great big American pickup (chevy). I didn't want a crappy euro style car, Black Mans Wheels, or a doleys (welfare) Mercedes.
Still driving that truck 18 years later.
Germans make fine machinery, but once you've had to pay for maintenance on a German car, there is no going back.
BMW's have plastiic impeller blades in the water pump. It falls apart in time - car overheats. If you don't stop in time you also blow the radiator and maybe head gaskets as well.....
The transmission on Mercedes SUV's runs $7000 when it goes (it WILL go - not matter of 'if')
Are you kidding? My wife's 2003 Jetta was the biggest pile of junk we've ever owned. Started breaking down with 40,000 miles. But the point is, all car manufacturers had/have some bad years.
I hear ya, same here. 2004 Jetta TDI.
Recall for heated seats that could overheat and scorch the leather, recall for rear doors that could pop open, recall for water pump, had continuous carbon build up on plugs, broke down on an interstate when another water pump failed.
The roadside assistance provided by VW could not find me.
Even though I gave them the two exits I was between on an Interstate highway. Even though they were operating out of Florida and not the Philippines...took them 7 hours to get me a wrecker then they explained that delay by saying they had to send a flatbed.
For some reason RA thought the Jetta was AWD.
But the killer wast the rear running/brake lights would just stop working. Then after a period of hours or days, start again.
Me: Tail lights stop working, already been pulled over twice by the cops.
Dealer: Well, no way we can trouble shoot unless you bring it in when it's not working.
Me: I see. So, are you open after dark?
Dealer: No you'll just have to keep checking them and bring it in when you notice it's not working...
Uh-huh. A shame as that car was a cruiser and routinely got 55 MPG highway and 40+ mixed driving. So ditched it and got an 05 Honda Element; had to buy wipers, brakes, and oil during the last 120K miles. And nothing else.
I tell you what, I dont understand this German manufacturing miracle, their products are shit. I would first take a Japanese car made in Japan, then a Japanese car made in USA, the American car made in USA, and the last shit I would ever want is a German designed car.
Rafterman - I owned an early VW diesel Rabbit. The engine was made in Germany - the car made in PA. When the engine passed the 55k mile break-in period, my mileage went to 65 hwy, 55 mpg town. The CAR, however was crap. I painted a huge yellow lemon on the driver's door of the brown car. (One of the actions that led to my divorce. ;-D)
Problems:
Ignition switch froze in start position at 5 degrees F (in Iowa) - burned out the $300 + starter motor. (Wrong grade of grease in the starter switch.)
The $15 radiator fluid overflow tank sprang a seam leak and since it was mounted BELOW the top of the radiator, it drained the fluid in same to below the top row of core tubes - which had plastic ends - which top row of ends melted. $300 + for a new radiator.
But the issue that should interest you most is the intermittent open in the main fuse box. When it decided to take a nap, internal lights (dash & etc) went out, radio died, tail lights/parking lights went out, windshield wipers stopped wiping, etc. Having recieved the same "we can't fix it until it's doing it when we see it" routine, I was so frustrated by the issue, one night it pulled its favorite stunt (popping off in a rain storm). The fuse box was convieniently located on the left side of the inside firewall. I began kicking the shit out of the fuse box... and LO!!! Everything started working again!!!!! After that night, that was my "fix" everytime it happened - and a heavy boot to the box (repeat until desired effect accomplished) never failed me. It was still doing it when I traded it for an '81 3/4 T Chebby PU, which was traded back less than a year later (after starting to make funny engine noises) for a "special order" 1T crewcab with NO "extras" (A/C, radio, etc). After changing out the entire engine only three times, it still runs 30 years later. Yes... it has problems... but who puts a lot of money into a 30 year old truck? I do - a new one would cost $70K. It has a fairly new clutch, I just had the starter re-wound, relatively new clutch, relatively new exhause and almost new tires and for convenience, it has a hole in the floor to dump cold coffee into without pulling over.
Oh... and for those who want to talk about car thefts... some advice... buy a vehicle with a std transmission. Most of today's hoodlums can't even START a stick, much less drive one.
Ignition switch froze in start position at 5 degrees F (in Iowa) - burned out the $300 + starter motor. (Wrong grade of grease in the starter switch.)
LOL you think the Germans would of learned that by now since the winter war in the Soviet Union. Oh well, I think their cars are crap.
German OR Japanese... LUXURY vehicles.
everything else is garbage with a short-shelf life.
Infinity and Lexus will give Merc a run for it's money, but Beamers are over-rated.
Totally agree! 2009 ML550 with 61000 on it now and 0,I repeat, ZERO problems! Nothing! My previous car was a 2004 Volvo XC90 T5. Now THAT was a pile of shit! Swedish car company, owned by Ford, with a GM transmission! Biggest problem was the trans. Second biggest problem was everything else! I would have ditched much sooner but it really was the best handling, most comfortable SUV I've ever had. When it was running!
MB c230 - Bought new in 98, nearly 300k miles, NO major issues and runs fine on shit gas.
Classic GM management style. They've been using the 15cent bolt where they needed the 35 cent bolt for twenty five years. Stainless Steel brake lines exist; they aren't the stuff of science fiction; they aren't even expensive. Look in a major catalogue auto parts supplier, they sell stainless steel brake line by the foot.
Funny that you should mention that. I have yet to see a decent lift kit for any Chevy/ford/keep etc that didn't include stainless brake line extensions. I've even asked if its cheaper to forgo them, the answer is always no, Te companies that make good lifts pretty much just throw them in there. Not hard to throw on there. Funny that if lift manufacturers are throwing them in there, GM, which is selling you a 50k truck can't just put 'em on there to begin with
It is American corporate culture. If we save 10 cents on these lines on a fleet, I get 1 million. If a couple hundred people die, I still get 1 million. Tonight I'm using the money to have real baby back ribs.
"Real" baby back ribs--to me anyway--suggests a limited-diet, under-age stripper. Not that I have personal experience, mind you.
Has it occurred to any of you the possible explanation for this behavior is the simple fact that GM wants you ... to die?
Yea, connect the dots, Government.........strings................union.............operated
GM wasn't saved or bailed out, but the entire UAW was, in exchange for votes and campaign money.
GM wasn't saved or bailed out, but the entire UAW was, in exchange for votes and campaign money.
---------------------------------------------
Ding, Ding, Ding... We have a winnah!
Thank the Obozo Admin!
My uncle was a loyal GM buyer. He bought 3 new cars, each progressiviely worse. He finally decided to call GM and complain. It took a GM representative 2 months to call back, and the response was "whatever...we're sorry blah blah blah. no genuibe sincerity. He finally decided to buy a Toyota camry (2008 model). shortly after, their was a brake recall. Toyota, unlike GM, was extremey apologetic. They made it extremely efficient to make the repair on his schedule as quickly as possible. When they returned his car to him, their was another note. It stated something like this: we're sorry for your trouble and to prove it, we will give a LIFETIME of FREE OIL CHANGES AS LONG AS YOU OWN THIS CAR. Now his son and daughter also own Toyota's and they all vowed to never go back
My '85 Toyota pickup is still on the road. But, i did have the master cyclinder rust out, in dry-as-dust SoCal. So be sure to have your brake fluid flushed regularly, no matter what make you drive.
The Chevy lines are rusting from the outside. All the brake flushes in the world won't fix that!
"I came to that decision in 2008. Gov motors indeed"
They were Crony Capitalist Motors long before they became Government Motors.
Plus....they must be making their brake lines with the same cellulose that they are putting in fast food
Just yet one more sign the American Empire is crumbling....and fast.
GM (and others) used to use a soybean derivative in the insulation of their wiring harnesses. If you lived in an area where mice a prevalent (almost everywhere) they would often EAT THE INSUATION OFF OF THE WIRES in times where food is scarce for them (winter being common). Why not? That insuation smelled like FOOD to them. Zap, spark, and poof... the magic smoke comes out of the wires and that's that. I have pictures.
"We do not have a quality prob... SQUIRREL!"
Me in 2007. 3 new Hondas since. I gave them the benefit of the doubt for 21 years before that to my own financial detriment.
I happily just bought a 2014 GM Chevy Spark EV.... or should I say you SOB'S bought it for me.
$7500 Federal incentive
$2500 State incentive
Subsidized electical rate 9c/ KW
Reallocation of wealth. Thank you America for subsidizing my daily commute.... suckers!
Just wait until you and yours are reallocated to cattle feed.
Hope you have a good life insurance policy.
TRUE STORY: I owned a 99 Pontiac Transport a few years ago. I was driving along one day and when I used the brakes, the pedal went soft and touched the floor! I slowed down a bit but I still crashed into the car in front of me. I immediately checked the brake fluid level, and it was full to the top.
When I reported the accident, my insurance adjuster tried to lie and say that their inspectors had found a slow leak in my brake line. I answered back that the reservoir was full, and they backed down and I was found not at fault. Later I found out that there was some sort of O-ring problem within the master cycliner (not my fault).
I never dreamt that they would allow bad brake systems like that to be on the road! It's just criminal.
We suck Al-Quieda’s dick and you're surprised over fucking brake lines? Dude, we'll plant kiddy porn on your compy if that's what it takes....
Is that the tactic you are going to use? I guess you computer whizes are able to do that too. Since you are out to destroy my life any way you can I'm sure you will resort to any method. I've already given up all hope and I am simply waiting for your friends to destroy my life. If that comment had nothing to do with my situation I apologize. I'm the guy many on this site love to hate for some reason. What I don't get is why random stuff I wrote got to anyone else I guess to make me more enemies.
GM is helping out on the GDP. Other than prostitue and drug dealing, recalling GM vehicles and handling potential class action lawsuits help the US GDP's. And with all the injuries, Omamacare will have more people signed up. The plan works like a charm... I love u Omama..
GM is exactly what happens when a bunch of Wall Street pigs get control of a real company that makes real products. The products become over priced fraud like everything that Wall Street scum produce. Everything.
This collapse of GM dates back to when GMAC became the most profitable part of GM and the banker trash moved in and took over the HQ.
This begs the question of appropriate disclosure of material facts before the company's shares were resold to the public by its owner, the US Treasury.
Jesus H Fucking Christ!
PS I owned a Chevette, my one and only GM product bought as a station car for gas mileage way back during the Arab oil embargos. What a joke. Never even considered another.
Funny, the only GM vehicle I've ever owned was a Chevette - wish I could find another one cheap.
So easy to fix yourself.
DIY engine rebuild in 5 evenings and a weekend. Saved me a fortune when I didn't have a fortune to spend.
There's a lot to be said for that.
Don't have a car now. Don't need one.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/tag/chevrolet-chevette-diesel/
Those Chevettes were keepers.
Chevettes were Model T technology -torque tubes and all. Easy to fix minimal transportation. VW bugs were better in the same category.
Did they make a Diesel Bug in 84?
I don't think so. Bugs were rear engine, so the weight would have made them another Corvair, 'unsafe at any speed'. Golfs, and Jetta's, yes. From Wikipedia.
In 1951, Volkswagen prototyped a 1.3 L diesel engine. Volkswagen made only two of these air-cooled boxer diesel engines (not turbocharged), and installed one engine in a Type 1 and another in a Type 2. The diesel Beetle was time tested on the Nürburgringand achieved 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) in 60 seconds.[36]
LOL everything looks better in Brazil, not just the different styling of the Chevette but the Hitchikers too. Yummy.
I had a Chevette too, Ok it was a Vauxhall Chevette but its still GM, and they look about the same.
My first car was a Vega. Words fail me! And I eventually owned and operated an auto repair shop for over 20 years. They ALL had their pieces of shit, bless them.
Best car I ever owned; 1980 Datsun B210 Honeybee Hatchback. When the head gasket blows ( and they did, like clockwork, again bless them, but I had techs that could do a 210 head gasket in 45 minutes, including coffee and donut) , we would shave 30 thousandths and put a racing gasket in .
I got 50 mpg with a 5 speed! In 1982-83. I wish I still had that car.
Present run a round. 2000 Subaru Legacy Wagon. Bought it wrecked for $150.00 and 145,000 miles. Invested $2000 and that car is tip top and loaded.
Again, they all have turds. It's a balancing act. Good enough you come back, but if it's too good, why go new?
LOL good deals. Yeah those B210s were amazing, a buddy had one and never a problem (not even the headgasket), idiot though, traded it in for a POS Ford Escort back in the day.
I can top your deal. I bought a 1992 Subaru Loyale 4wd with 120K miles for the price of a tow (74 dollars). Guy couldnt drive it, said trany was bad making outrageous noise in front, he had to get rid of it, apt building didnt like it parked on the side. I gave him the money it would of cost him to tow it to junk yard, came on the weekend took a close look at it. Had a totally thrashed CV joint making all the racket. Bought a rebuilt axle for 44 dolars and changed it that weekend and drove it away. Been four years now and its a great daily user for my folks when they drive around to get groceries etc.
The most likely scenario would be that the "owner" of the company would have great interest in keeping that knowledge secret. It would allow for a smoother transition to the new owners of the company. Us.
I ownwd a 1980 Monza (remember those?). The part of the clutch assembly that attached to the engine firewall broke free. The firewall itself was a flimsly, fibrous material that obviously was not engineered to hold this part in place. Shoddy engineering. Cheap materials. It would have been better for GM to go out of business. Obviously, GM management forces the engineers to make and design substandard vehicles. I'll own Japanese or German vehicles from here on out and pay more for quality.
GM went to their suppliers with the cheapest Chinese parts and told them if you can't beat this price, you won't be our supplier anymore. Most of them folded, and now GM cars have Chinese brake lines, wire harnesses, pretty much everything they can get from China, or their domestic suppliers have cut quality to match the Chinese prices.
I owned a Chevette too back in the day. It was a poster child for the downfall of the US auto industry caused by the takeover of business school graduates who saw (and still see) no difference between real engineering and brand engineering. GM today is an interesting phenomenon with all their recall dodging and outright lies. I have a super fringy theory on that you might enjoy: Back in the day when Ralph Nader roamed the Earth the auto manufacturers used to calculate the cost of lawsuits because of deaths due to design faults vs the cost of fixing said faults. If the lawsuits were cheaper, they decided to let people die. This behaviour is identical to the people-as-resource optimization method used by IG Farben in the war. They ran a concentration camp next to their Birkenau synthetic rubber factory and scientifically extracted the last drop of labor from the prisoners while feeding them as little as possible. When they died they were replaced from the trains arriving at the Auschwitz extermination camp. A human life having clear monetary value as a resource (or a customer) is an inherently sociopathic view. The people who made these decisions were clearly sociopaths. In recent years things have gotten better on main street and companies are slightly less likely than before to trade humans for numbers in their books - or they are better at hiding it. My theory is that a large part of sociopaths migrated from top positions in manufacturing companies and other mainstreet businesses to the financial sector with its expansion since 1970 - and to the government sector - because that's where all the money/power is. The financial system and government get more and more sociopathic while other businesses improve slightly. GM seems to have retained their psychopaths, perhaps because it's basically a government institution. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of sociopaths left on main street. One needs only to look at Monsanto to see that.
LOL. Have you seen Fight Club or not?
Here's audio from the appropriate scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIdmkETuWeM
Seriously, we need a Zero Hedge Chevette club or something.
I owned part of one once. A Pontiac Fiero. Used the front suspension from the Chevette. Probably the only part on the car that didn't break.
I'm still wondering about Auschwitz being an extermination camp. It seems to me they were all slave labor camps.
Warning, this site is very gory, as the name implies.
http://www.bestgore.com/holohoax/auschwitz-plaques-six-million-myth-revi...
LOL GM is the new Auschwitz camp except instead they made their units mobile, ie their cars LOL
The Chevette wasn't a GM product...it was made by Isuzu. The LUV pickup is also made by Isuzu, and I happen to own the diesel powered variant. Great truck!
Ha. Ha. Ha.
I have been against GM since they took taxpayer money out of desperation. The same goes for Chrysler. I will not touch anything from either company with my own money.
Bingo! I won't even take it as a company car! Fuck those assholes. We used to get Impalas, Malibus, Trailblazers, Equinox, etc for traveling salesman. We switched to Nissan's a few years back. The maintenance costs for the two fleets isn't even comparable; Nissan's cheaper by far for vehicles getting 50k miles per year, up to 250/300k lifetime.
Numbers don't lie. And a lot of the Nissan models are built/assembled in southern, non-UAW states.
But wait, the Japanese companies get help from their govts through rules and regulations that make it next to impossible to sell cars there. So they also get govt help.
but... but.... record "sales"?
That's wild. My friend who owns a 2000-ish Chevy pickup just had the rear brak line let go from rust/corrosion. Somebody pulled out in front of him, he nailed the brakes hard and it went to the floor. Fortunately, he still avoided an accident.
He limped it over to my house where I put in a patch-line for him, filled it, bled it and got him going again.
That was only 2 weeks ago. Deja Vu all over again.
No shit! My 2002 Sierra had a brake line blow out winter of 2013. I was damn lucky it happened on a side road at low speeds.
Fucking GM, I will NEVERRRRR! buy another GM product, period!
Fuck U Government Motors! suck it!
And what's your point?
Deja Vu all over again. Again.
The FED should force all member bank's employees to drive nothing but Volts
Heres' to you, Lloyd
That's what the US Department of State is buying and shipping overseas for their embassy personnel. Kinda like a promotion for our great patriotic automotive industry.
“Hit brakes and a line blew. Almost hit car in front of me,” the owner of a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado wrote in a complaint filed in June."
A Keynesian writes in response: You're part of the problem, you thrifty, non-participatory drag on the socio-economy! You should be going into debt again for another vehicle as soon as you pay off the loan!!!
Paul?
Paul!
Is that you, Paul!
lol...I'm busted ;-)
Careful, the NSA has added the following new phrases to their terrorism watch list:
Oh shit! All those points listed apply to me.
It is your patriotic duty to die in a GM car, truck, or tank.
The NEW Corvair Main Battle Tank
brought to you by Government Motors and the Dinah Shore Hour of Debauchery and Murder
See, there's the thing right there.
No air bags or seat belts in the new Corvair Main Battle Tank but they have a cigarette lighter as factory equipment right there protruding from the front, I just can't keep up with the regulatory reasoning anymore ;-)
And to save weight thereby improving gas mileage for the 2014 EPA Main Battle Tank Petroleum Compliance Act , the Chobham armor has been replaced with multiple ply cardboard and Saran Wrap secured with Standard S.F.-1 sharp point staples .
Fucking Dudley Dooright Dilddlie Doo, Dude!
https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=youtube+dinah+shore&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz35
ROTFLMAO!...I never could compete with you on the battlefield of comedic genius ;-)
"...2014 EPA Main Battle Tank Petroleum Compliance Act , the Chobham armor has been replaced with..."...lol...classic!
LOL !! Damn Knuks......the stuff you come up with. I needed a good laugh tonight.
The man is worth his weight in gold for his piercing sarcasm of bureaucratic ineptitude alone ;-)
ROTFLMAO? I didn't realize that anyone used that acronym any longer. My youngish daughters would never read past that as an opener.
Well then, my advice to your precocious "youngish" daughters (and you perhaps?) is to ignore everything I write or say. That way they are not so deeply offended that their eyeballs never return to their proper position from rolling up into their head no matter how much bubble gum they snap.
Are winks ok with them? ;-)
At this point GM should recall every common problem it can find. If it doesn't then this shows as a quality problem. If they get to nearly all of these then they can come out with a new slogan to go with their new CEO - saying these are in the past and we are fixing them. You can buy GM cars in the future knowing that we stand behind our quality and will fix anything and everything.
You will buy your Government Motors vehicle and be glad your Government let you buy it. Now shut up and fill out this form.
GM and me parted company many years ago. I owned 4 of their pieces of shit cars while I was in the military and the firsst couple of years in the private sector. I could go on about how fucked up these vehicles were in Oh so many ways. But I'll leave it at the fact that their electrical systems and overall wiring were fucking cheap rotten shit that an ape could have designed and a chimp fitted better than the GM engineers and workers. Un-Fucking-Believable shit!
GM vehicles were shit when I was growing up. They are still shit.
U.A.W. is the main reason American cars sucked and American car companies needed bailouts. Don't buy UAW ever again. Worse than merely scamming American consumers and taxpayers, they supported the alinskyite radical Obama and his nasty team. They're traitors. Fuck the UAW.
F-you TBT, those union workers didnt design the crap or specify the shit to go into the parts, they just put the junk together like they were told. So F-you and your union bashing. WHy dont you bash the fat chumps in management and engineering you little Shiat.
Can't we agree that they both suck? It's the obvious conclusion to draw.
'General' Motors say it all, comrade. Buick quality carried them for decades.
What brakes? Just hit the accelerator instead!
--Casey Jones
That cartoon represents the end-game: The consumer removed from the equation. Production for production's sake.
Kinda like the old Soviet Union. Quality be damned, full speed ahead.
This was exactly the Soviet socialist economic model.
Hate to say it, but I'm with GM on this one. I have a 2003 suburban with 196K miles on it and it's been a great vehicle. Now, in my part of the country, we don't have bad winters and therefore don't use salt on the roads, so corrosion is usually not an issue.
I would think that rusted backing plates and rusted brake lines should be a maintenance item and should be inspected every time the brakes are renewed. Seriously, people, do you ever inspect your cars or have your service people do it ?
These sorts of problems have come up because people are driving their cars longer and they are lasting longer than they used to. Doesn't excuse proper maintenance and periodic inspections...
Manufacturers are always looking for ways to cut costs.
My best man had a '"new" Chevy back in the 80's, in Florida, the wheel wells rotted out (the quarter panels) just from water, no salt on the roads here, they saved money by not undercoating.
Full disclosure: I had a manual shift Chevy S-10 that I put a quarter million miles on, motor was solid as a rock but I'll never buy another Chevy voluntarily again, seeing as how I was forced to be a shareholder.
Im sorry but rusty brake lines on an 11 to 15 year old car? Maybe they should recall some because the tires wore out or the gas tank emptied.
lol
“Hit brakes and a line blew. Almost hit car in front of me,” the owner of a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado wrote in a complaint filed in June.
someone should explain the concept of vehicle maintenance to this idiot.
Brake lines shouldn't have to be replaced on an eleven year old vehicle or transmissions or engines. Pads/rotors/drums yes, brake lines, no.
Yes, but a competent technician should inspect the entire brake system as part of a quality brake job. #backyard mechanic
Well, in deference to your alluding to something, yes. We don't know if it was a hydraulic fitting (he replaced) or the line itself that ruptured when he stomped on the brakes.
The fact of the matter is, brake lines (like tranny cooling lines etc.) are not supposed to wear out in only ten years.
#ReplacedMyShareOfThrowoutBearings&BrakePadsBackInTheDay ;-)
brake lines are not *wear* items. nothing causing friction touches them. shitty steel and value engineering, along with a consistent obama-like ethic is the problem.
Plus one...brake lines are not wear items.
The only thing to inspect for is damage (running over crap on the highway, four wheeling etc.)
Actually brake lines are supposed to be flushed every few years because brake fluid absorbs water and then the lines rust from the inside out. Most folks don't know this because these days cars are lasting a lot longer, and so there is more time for this damage to happen, whereas in the past the whole car fell apart long before the brake lines rotted out.
I have been around the car business long enough to state, not all that long ago, to drive a car to 100,000 miles was an event.
Today, spark plugs go 100,000 miles. And 200,000 miles is not uncommon.
The old farts here know what I'm taking about.
By the way, anybody notice the muffler shops are gone. They make exhaust systems out of kryptonite or some shit. They don't wear out! Pipes and mufflers where HUGE business in the day.
I remember when 60k was impressive. Cars in general are some much better built than back in the day.
So true about the plugs lasting that long. On my car was trying to figure out why it was running rough and no engine light. Hooked up the Accutron OBD2 anyways in case check engine light was out, and nothing came up, I even bought special spray to clean MAF sensor. Finally sprayed some carb cleaner to clean the throttle plate etc and some down the throttle body. Started car and all of a sudden check engine light came on with a misfire reading. I figured it was the cleaning I did but car ran the same, like shit. Stopped and thought about it and realized car had 150K miles and I couldnt remember when I had last changed the plugs, guess it must of been around 60k. Well changed all plugs with new platinums and the car ran like a dream. Got lucky, doing the spraying/cleaning I must of made the misfire bad enough to trip the error code. Guess I should change the spark plug wires also since they are originals. But oh well another time.
I tell you the best things I ever learned in life were how to do a tune up on a car and how to do my brakes. Has saved me soooo much money through the years. And I know the job is done right.
Tell you what, its a crying shame they dont teach Autoshop or Woodshop or Metalshop anymore in a lot of schools. They now want to teach the kids more algebra instead and its cheaper for them than the insurance and costs of these shops. But kids come out with no real life skills, they only know how to operate their iphone and ipad crap.
The only flushing I ever did was when I changed out components, to remove air in the lines.
I'm amazed that GM sold 29mil cars.
I'm amazed that anybody besides a GM dealer bought one.
Channel stuffing, gov fleets and China.
If you really want to experience a scary braking system, try an early '60's Mini.
the fender on my 20 year old chevy was packed with rock salt and subsequently rotted out. i should get a new one for free. [/sarcasm]
jesus people stop driving on the beach or winter roads constantly and wash out the wheel wells once in awhile.
I had two '69 SS396 Camaros.Both were great cars.Wish I would have kept them now.Look at the prices of classic cars:http://site.legendarymotorcar.com/,No I wouldn't buy new today,they're all a rip-off.
Maybe we should start tail gating GM engineers on their way home from work?
the engineers are debt slaves too. the management is the problem, but their dark suited security is the solution working against this good idea.
I believe the same standards that once applied to homebuilders 2000 years ago. If the house fell down the builders where hung by the neck.
If that would apply to all builders of things, there would be a lot less building going on.
Hamarabbi, is that you?
Isnt that amazing, they have the emails of these management guys doing the calculations of accident settlement payoffs vs recalls, and not a single mofo gets prosecuted for MURDER!
Production for production's sake is actually missallocation at best, more liekly a perverse coctail of resource destruction/expropriation and pure fraud...
No sane person pays to have holes dug only to have them filled in or cuts a forest down and fashions lumber only to incinerate it all..
The mentality of the financiers and the military industrialists have poisoned the concepts of resource sanctity. We cannot trade or deal honestly as the criminals refuse to play along. Property and environmental preservation mean nothing to the footloose Globalistas.
" Fuck You. Fuck your village. Fuck your culture. Fuck nature. Fuck peace.
Because: I'm richer than You when I fuck You, when I fuck your village, when I fuck your culture, when I fuck nature, and when I fuck peace."