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Comments
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Thank you in advance,
Disappointed
You can reach GM of Canada by calling 800.263.3777 ; they are open for the following hours: M-F 7:30am - 11:30pm, Sat 7:30am - 6:00 EST
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
My car is now at the dealer again. I have continually said my concern is MOLD and rust will form on the electrical components.
I just got off the phone with maintenance dept today and guess what, MOLD. They have ordered new carpeting.
I am posting this not only to tell my story but to get advice if a car is even safe to have once mold is found. I have 3x small kids and like any father don't want to put them at risk. What would you do?
Any advice??
Thanks,
Concerned father
I understand your concern and apologize for any anxiety that the leaking has caused you and your family. Has the leak been repaired in your enclave, or is it currently in the dealership for this concern right now?
If we can be of any assistance, including following up with the dealership, please email us more information, including your name/username, last 8 digits of your VIN, and your involved dealership.
Kind regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I am having very similar problems with my 2008 Enclave CXL. We love this car and had previously no significant problems. On the 16th of November, 2011 we suddenly had a severe leak with a large amount of water showing up on the front passenger floorboards soaking the carpet. We immediately took the vehicle to our local GMC/Chevrolet dealership, Alex Montgomery in Campbellsville, KY. I have had little or no assistance from them in solving this problem. First, I was told they did not repair water leaks and they would require a local auto glass company handle this problem (They didn't even look at our car). Second, water leaks were not covered under any warranty even though we had purchased an extended manufacturer backed warranty in 2009. No mention was made of any problem with sunroof drain tubes or recalls. After following their instructions, we took the vehicle to a local auto glass company who told us the front passenger door was "sprung" and they had fixed it. Of course the next time it rained . . . they had NOT. Back to the dealership . . . . sent to an autobody shop who "fixed the leaky roof rack". Next time it rained . . . they had not.
Finally I placed a call to a friend in the used car business because we were contemplating trading this Enclave in for another used SUV. My friend tipped me off on the problems with the drain leaks and the recall. . . a quick google search and here I am.
All signs and symptoms fit perfectly with the other posts describing short or clogged drain tubes.
I also have two small daghters 3 and 4 years old. I am furious at the way I was brushed off by the our "trusted" dealership.
Please advise me as to my next step in resolving this problem. We've had water in the car 3 times now and I am very concerned about mold and health risks to my family.
Thank You,
Ben
We can open up a Customer Assistance Case, through which we would need to work with either your current dealership or help you find a new dealership. Please send us an email with some more details so we can get the process started, including your name/user name on Edmunds, contact information (phone and address, please), the last 8 digits of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your preferred dealership (I see that you have been working with Alex Montgomery, but am not sure if you wanted to continue there).
We look forward to hearing from you,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I have 3 children and my oldest child has had multiple open heart surgeries and this vehicle is how I get him back and forth from doctors appts between Cleveland and Ann Arbor Mi. Most of the time we have no AC and if it rains the light above his head in the 3rd row drips on him....so frustrated!
Jackie
We would like to get a Customer Assistance Case established for you, if you are interested. Please email us more information, including your name/Edmunds username, the last 8 digits of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your involved dealership.
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Do you have an email address to where I send this information too?
Please click on my Edmunds profile and you will find my email address on there.
Talk to you soon,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
If you would like to get a Service Request established through us, which would allow us to look into your situation and explore any options that may be available, please get in touch via email (please include your name/Edmunds username, the last 8 of your VIN and mileage, and the name of your dealership). I can't make any promises as to the result of the Service Request up front, but we'd be happy to look into this.
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I sympathize with your concerns. Unfortunate, GM was of no help to our family when we had the same leak problem in our Buick Enclave. Do to concerns about health risks and future electronic and mechanical failures, I traded my Enclave for a Nissan Armada. Disappointing flaw in an otherwise quality vehicle. Even more disappointing failure from General Motors to take responsibility and treat their customers fairly. Particularly, after relying on those same tax paying customers to bail them out and save their company just a short time ago! How quickly they forget. It is sad. Good luck to you in finding a solution to your problem.
Sincerely,
Ben (Kentuckydad)
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get a Service Request set up for you. For your records, that number is 71-1043589565. We already had you in our database, but if you would like to send us any updated contact information (address/phone), you can do so by email.
I spoke with your service department just as your car was brought in, and will be calling back tomorrow afternoon to see how the diagnosis goes. They hadn't had a chance to look into it quite yet.
I will be in touch with you tomorrow!
Sarah
GM Customer Service
The service manager at the dealership contacted me yesterday with an update, and said he was getting ready to call you as well. I want to allow him the opportunity to speak with you first - have you already connected?
Sarah
GM Customer Service
constantly taking it back for the same reason. My front passenger door is dropping so it doesn't close right. And every time i wash my car I have water coming inside. I believe it has to be from the sunroof. The passenger side panel where the seat belt is, is all soaking wet. It starts to smell like mildew and i have 3 young children. I can't afford to trade it in and be unside down. Is there a way that I can have this issue fixed? The dealership that I bought it from is a Nissan Dealership and they are giving me a really hard time. I was first going to purchase a brand new suv from them but their sales associates reassured me that they would take care of any issue I expirenced and now they don't want to help! Can someone please help asap??
I'm sorry to read about the leaking problem you are having with your Enclave, and that your experience with your Nissan dealership hasn't been satisfactory. Depending on the approach you decide to take on repairing your vehicle, I wanted to offer my help in the following ways: I can look into recall or warranty information on your vehicle with the last 8 digits of your VIN, or I can also work with you through the process of having one of our GM dealerships take a look at this.
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Looking forward to an update on what you hear from Turan-Foley today. Hopefully they'll be able to isolate the source of the leak.
All the best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Mark, Frustrated in Mission, TX
FYI:
Secret warranties are a multi-billion consumer abuse. Every auto company makes mistakes in building cars. Whether they are design defects that affect every car or whether they are manufacturing defects which affect only some cars, they must be repaired. The only question is who pays for the manufacturers' mistakes, the manufacturer or the consumer. Although the auto manufacturer often establishes a secret warranty to pay for the repair, all too often it is the consumer who pays for the manufacturer's mistake because the consumer never finds out about the secret warranty. That's wrong and the Center for Auto Safety wants to change it.
In a 1987 report the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) created national headlines by identifying 10 exemplary secret warranties covering 30 million vehicles and $3 billion in repair costs. Yet this is but the tip of the iceberg for we estimate that at any one time over 500 secret warranties exist for all auto companies. According to a Toyota whistleblower who provided a complete list in May 1988, Toyota alone had 41 secret warranties at that time.
By exposing secret warranties, CAS forces manufacturers to pay for their mistakes and creates a strong incentive for them to build better cars in the future. once secret warranties are disclosed, consumers will save hundreds, if not thousands, in repair bills on their personal cars. Spurred on by CAS exposes, state legislatures are moving to pass secret warranty disclosure laws that will protect consumers. Until then, consumers must rely on the strategies suggested in our book, Little Secrets of the Auto Industry, to discover and use secret warranties to pay for repairs in their vehicles.
What is a secret warranty?
Auto companies hate the term secret warranties. They call them policy adjustments, good will programs, service campaigns or extended warranties . But whatever they are called, they are a longstanding industry practice. When a car company has a major defect that occurs after its written warranty expires, it establishes an adjustment policy to pay for repairs rather than deal with many thousands, if not millions, of complaints on a case by case basis. But the auto company communicates the policy only to regional offices and not even always to its dealers. The auto manufacturers never notify the consumer; so only the consumer who complains loudly enough gets covered by the secret warranty. Other consumers end up bearing the costs of the manufacturer's mistakes.
Examples of Secret Warranties
CAS has documented case after case of secret warranties since our founding in 1970. one of the first and most famous was Ford's J-67 Limited Service Program which covered rust on 12 million 1969-72 cars and trucks. In this case a bulletin which went out only to Ford regional offices stated, "This is a limited service program without dealership notification and should be administered on an individual complaint basis." Under this program, Ford would pay up to 100% to repair rust and paint damage on its vehicles even if it cost over a $1000.
CAS has uncovered secret warranties on all auto companies with little differences between them. A 1972 Mazda secret warranty bulletin doubled the coverage for rotary engine damage but cautioned, "Since this is a temporary program which may be terminated at [any] time, owners are not to be informed of the extended coverage." Honda had secret warranties on head gaskets and rusting fenders in the mid-1970's; Chrysler had rusting fenders on Volares and Aspens in the late 1970's; GM had the transmission secret warranty caused by a ban on sperm whale oil as a lubricant; Peugeot and Subaru both covered defective head gaskets; and VW covered valve stem seals.
Secret warranties soared after 1980 when the federal government dropped all efforts to ban them. GM had a 5 year/50,000 mile secret warranty covering repair of defective rack and pinion power steering systems on all 16 million of its 1981-88 front wheel drive cars. Toyota covered pulsating brakes on its 1983-86 Camry in a $100 million secret warranty. Ford never told owners of its 1985-92 F-series pickups that America's most popular truck had peeling paint because Ford skipped the primer layer. According to Nissan documents provided to CAS by a whistleblower in 1990, Nissan had at one time up to 48 secret warranties covering various cars and trucks.
There is no doubt that auto manufacturers presently have many other secret warranties. However, assessing how widespread secret warranty programs are is difficult because these programs, by definition, are not intended for public disclosure. Since CAS began exposing secret warranties more widely in the 1980's, the auto makers having gotten better at keeping them secret. Even CAS can no longer get lists of secret warranties to disclose. one Honda insider told CAS that Honda has only one secret warranty book for each of its regions. The book is chained to a desk. Every page has the region's number superimposed on it so that any photo of a book page would show the region from which it came.
But it is known that the regulatory climate has been very favorable to the automakers since 1980. Furthermore, secret warranties are viewed by the automakers as an effective tool to maintain good customer relations. Loyal customers and customers that complain loudly and persistently are rewarded. Other consumers get saddled with repair costs caused by the manufacturers' mistakes.
No Uniform Law Requires Secret Warranty Disclosure
No federal law requires auto companies to disclose secret warranties. In the late 1970's, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought to litigate individual secret warranties against each auto company beginning with piston scuffing and cracked blocks in 1976-78 Fords. The FTC settled its case by requiring Ford to notify and directly compensate owners according to the secret warranty policy and to notify all future owners until the consent agreement expired eight years later in 1988. Although the FTC later filed similar complaints and actions against GM, VW, Honda, and Chrysler in the late 1970's, it dropped the requirement of secret warranty notification. In 1981 after the change of Administrations, the Commission completely dropped its efforts to expose secret warranties.
Where a secret warranty exists, consumers could ban together to file a class action against the manufacturer for an unfair trade practice but this is a major effort which is rarely used and is a poor substitute for a disclosure law. In 1989, CAS helped the Center for Public I
Con't of Secret Warranty:
Where a secret warranty exists, consumers could ban together to file a class action against the manufacturer for an unfair trade practice but this is a major effort which is rarely used and is a poor substitute for a disclosure law. In 1989, CAS helped the Center for Public Interest Law successfully sue Toyota over a secret warranty that covered up to $1800 in repair costs for pulsating brakes in over 400,000 1983-87 Camrys. To settle CAS' class action Toyota agreed to 1) notify all present and past owners, 2) reimburse consumers for all repair expenses already incurred, and repair all cars with this defect that had not yet been repaired. CAS estimates the total cost to Toyota to be over $100 million, most of which would have been borne by consumers but for CAS' action.
State Secret Warranty Laws
In order to protect consumers from undisclosed defects, five states (California, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, and Wisconsin) have enacted secret warranty laws and other states are considering secret warranty legislation. The state secret warranty laws already enacted require manufacturers to disclose their "warranty adjustment" programs by giving direct notice of any warranty extension to affected owners, including information about the terms of the warranty, and provision for reimbursement to consumers who already have paid for the covered repair. Until all states enact and enforce secret warranty laws, consumers will be kept in the dark about secret warranties.
How to Find a Secret Warranty
Until secret warranty disclosure laws become the law of the land, the only way to find out about secret warranties is just plain hard work. First, one checks the technical service bulletins for your vehicle type and model year. Service bulletins are published by the manufacturer and sent to dealerships to assist them in diagnosing and repairing problems on the vehicles they service. The existence of a service bulletin does not conclusively prove the auto company has a secret warranty but it does show a defect or problem exists for which the manufacturer has had to develop a repair. Service bulletins can be difficult to decipher, but it is well worth the effort. Finding the right bulletin could save you thousands of dollars in repair costs. The right bulletin is the one that tells the dealer how to diagnose and fix the problem. It also will authorize the dealer to make the repairs at the manufacturer's expense even though the defect is no longer covered by the manufacturer's express warranty.
The trouble is that manufacturers often do not put the terms authorizing free repair in the technical service bulletins but give this information only to their factory representatives so that both the dealer and consumer are kept in the dark. Watch for code words in bulletins such as "check for availability of good will assistance." Companies often use such language to get around the triggering requirements for customer notification in states that have secret warranty disclosure laws.
Secret warranties are often revealed when owners of vehicles of the same type and age are treated differently by the dealer or manufacturer. If some owners get their vehicles repaired at no cost or at a discount whereas other owners of the same vehicle do not, it is possible that a secret warranty covers the defect involved. However, it is also possible that the dealer or manufacturer has decided on a case-by-case basis to reimburse a relatively small number of owners to retain their goodwill and not as part of a warranty adjustment program. To constitute a secret warranty, the difference in treatment of customers must be based on a corporate policy to reimburse owners that is communicated to regional offices and usually also to dealers but that is not communicated to consumers.
How to Use a Secret Warranty
After determining that your vehicle is covered by a secret warranty, the next step is to take advantage of your knowledge. The best way to do this is to take the service bulletin that proves the existence of the secret warranty with you when you go to your dealer to get the defect repaired. Without the bulletin, you will have a much more difficult time getting the dealer to repair your vehicle free of charge. Even if the dealer refuses to recognize the existence of the secret warranty [he might not know that the secret warranty exists] or if your vehicle is beyond the period of coverage of the secret warranty, he still may repair your vehicle at no expense as part of a goodwill adjustment.
If the dealer claims your vehicle is not covered by a secret warranty and refuses to give you a goodwill adjustment, your next step is to pursue your claim directly with the manufacturer. You should do this for two reasons. First, unlike dealers, the manufacturer will know always know if a certain defect in one of its own vehicles is covered by a secret warranty. Second, every manufacturer has a system to handle consumer complaints, which should be followed even though it may not work in most cases. Complaint handling mechanisms outside the manufacturer's system (e.g. arbitration) require exhaustion of all remedies that the manufacturer provides.
Contact the manufacturer's division (also called regional, district or zone) office in your area. The locations and correct names of district offices and the complaint procedures are often spelled out in the owner's manual. If the manufacturer's representative refuses to see you, contact the regional office or the manufacturer's owner relations office, often located in Detroit for domestic manufacturers, California for Japanese and Asian manufacturers, and New Jersey for European manufacturers.
If the manufacturer refuses to extend the secret warranty to your vehicle (perhaps because your car is beyond the time or mileage requirements of the secret warranty), do not give up. Manufacturers only reimburse those owners who complain loudly and persistently; those who put off complaining, or who never complain at all, must pay for the manufacturer's mistakes.
The next step is to make enough noise outside the manufacturer's complaint handling system to get results. A strong commitment is necessary to successfully use this procedure, because you will not get results unless you are willing to persistently follow up letters and phone calls.
Complain in writing to the manufacturer's Chairman of the Board or President with copies of that letter to others. Set forth the defect covered by the secret warranty clearly and precisely within the letter and refer to the collected documentation of the car's troubles and your attempts to have the car repaired "within the system."
How did everything turn out with this dealership visit?
Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
I'm sorry that the couple of trips you made into the dealership for the leak didn't resolve the issue completely. If we can look into this further with you, please send the following information to us at socialmedia@gm.com: your name/Edmunds username, phone and address, the last 8 of your VIN and current mileage, the name of your dealership and any details you can recall (date, amount paid, etc.) about those two previous visits.
We look forward to hearing from you,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
No wonder they will bankrupt soon.
DON'T EVER BUY BUICK
Have you worked with Customer Assistance to set up a case yet? If so, would you be able to send that number to us (71-**********) at socialmedia@gm.com? Alternatively, you can send the last 8 digits of your VIN. We would like to check into the case for you.
Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
Thank you for taking the time to post your concerns. Please let me know what you hear from the dealer. Can you please email me directly with your VIN, dealer of choice, and contact information? I would like to look into your situation further. I look forward to your email.
Christina
GM Customer Service
SocialMedia@GM.com
We're sorry to hear that your Enclave has a leaking issue at the moment. Is your extended warranty a GMPP (General Motors Protection Plan) Service Contract? Which one is it? If we can look into this further for you, please send us more information at socialmedia@gm.com, including your name and Edmunds username, phone and address, the last 8 of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your involved dealership.
Kind regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service
We're sorry to read about the leak and electrical problems you've been experiencing with your Enclave. If we can look into this further with you, please contact us at socialmedia@gm.com with the following information: your name and Edmunds username, phone and address, the last 8 of your VIN and current mileage, and the name of your involved dealership.
All the best-
Sarah, GM Customer Service
Sarah, GM Customer Service
Then 5/2012, it leaked again. Floorboard saturated, and mildew smelling vehicle. This time the dealership said front drains were plugged and they cleaned them. I am still in my warranty period, and the dealership refused to replace the carpet even though this was the second time the sunroof leaked onto the floorboard. I am allergic to mold, so this is a real problem for me. I can hear water sloshing somewhere in my dashboard.
Now 3 months later, leaking again. The pillar post is wet, floorboard saturated, moldy smell. Floorboard is starting to get black edges due to extra wear from water damage. I do not have any trees or otherwise dropping debris onto my Enclave. I take very good care of it, because I love it. But now, I feel like its a big wet stinky dog that I have to sit next to. We'll see what the dealership comes up with tomorrow.
I can't put up with this issue and will have to see how Buick resolves this problem permanently, as to whether I would ever consider another Buick. What is going to happen when I am out of warranty? I even read that 2008 had a recall on sunroofs, but it had to be addressed by 9/2009, and my VIN wasn't in the list anyway. Clearly they are WRONG about what VINs are affected in the recall. This forum was so easy to find. Now that this is my 3rd episode with this, I knew I would be able to find others experiencing it too!
Thank you for taking the time to post your concerns. Can you please email me directly with your VIN, current mileage, complete contact information including mailing address, and involved dealer? I would like to look into this further for you. I look forward to working with you.
Christina
GM Customer Service