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Hey Mariah, you need to give me some type of website or phone number for contact. I can click gmcustsvc all day to no avail !
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I've been driving and the ECO light seems to be on more than I remember but it also responds appropriately to hills, gas pedal action, etc. After reading all the posts I'm a little nervous about going out of my neighborhood. Any one have answers for problems after battery pack replacement?
I will say that the GM dealership here has been wonderful. No problems with the rental car, accurate information and good service. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another GM car but doubt it will be a hybrid.
Well, I took the car into the dealer, and after waiting 4 hours after my appointment time they confirmed the problem. I was initially told they would replace the pack in about an hour. I was then told they had to order the battery-pack and it would take a week to ten days. Ok
It seemed there was at least a 5 week backorder on the battery pack. The pack finally came in late October. It took over 5 hours to do the recall effort.
Shortly thereafter to my surprise I noticed my fuel economy had gone down. Living in western PA I never got the advertised 32HWY/24CITY.. I got 30/22. My fuel economy would drop each year when the gas mixture was changed for winter to 29/21 mpg. However, I have dropped to 26/19. I took my car in for service thinking it was the 22,000 miles/28months on my 50,000 miles filter. The dealer agreed it needed to be replaced. Did so. It made little difference.
This weekend I was with an acquaintance very familiar with what design issues are going on in the automotive industry. He advised that part of the reason for the repeated recalls on Saturn hybrids has been the over use of the battery pack. Part of the recall was reprogramming. The reprogramming involved dropping the hybrid support for the engine. Ergo, drop in fuel economy.
Yesterday I was on the freeway when the battery light came on. Soon the check engine light. A few minutes later the Traction Control light. Then the ABS light came on. The wipers began to slow down in the rain. I signaled to change lanes and each time the signal blinked the air bag light flashed in synchronicity with it. The wipers were slower and the dash lights dimming. Engine was not running right, but I can't describe it. Decided to head straight to the dealership about 25 miles away. Got another 15 miles and the wipers were barely working and the gauge lights were dim. Back wiper stopped. Then all the warning lights came on. I was about 1/2 mile from a rest area. I was thinking of pulling in there. About then all the dash light went off and the tach and speedometer were stuck in place. No electricity, no power steering, braking was poor, hard to steer, engine was not running right nor was the transmission working properly. I had to keep my foot on the accelerator it felt like in order to maintain my speed or it would die. I chose the rest area exit. Made it to a parking spot. I knew if I shut it off I was there until I got a tow and it would never start again. I turned it off. It wouldn't restart and showed no electricity present at all. I called AAA for a tow.
About 90 minutes later it was steamed up in the humid car and I opened the door and stepped out. When I stepped back in and closed the door I saw the dome light on and brightly shining. That was weird. Stuck the key in the ignition and turned and it started and showed no sign of a problem. The tow truck arrived within moments. I explained to the driver I still wanted it towed. We took it the 12 miles to the GM dealer.
Today I was told that it was on recall for the battery pack replacement and all the codes in the memory pointed to or were related to the battery pack. It is on backorder and not expected for a month (if I am lucky according to the service manager who has seen similar problems with GM hybrids).
I have an extended warrantee that should cover any costs with a $100 deductible. We'll see. My warantee with GMAC also provides for a free rental car if the car is inoperable. I listened as the service manager was on the phone for an hour being shunted from number to number trying to get approval for the rental. Finally he was back to the first of a series of six numbers (three of which were disconnected numbers) and he firmly asked to speak to a manager. He finally got a name and an extension for a person who approved the rental and the GMAC warrantee person asked to speak to me. He was apologetic about the wait on the phone and the breakdown. Said he would call me in three days to see if the repair was satisfactory. I reminded him that the part is on backorder and not expected to arrive for a month or more. He said he would call me anyway to see if the rental car was OK.
Thanks to the dealer service manager for his kind assistance and understanding. Without his persistence I might not have a free rental car. We will see if the battery pack replacement solves the problem. I have my doubts actually. My sister has a newer Vue hybrid and had the battery replacement and asked why it took them several hours and was told the recall was because the pack leaked acid and they had to clean and repair the pan the battery pack sits in. Well, that wasn't my problem. I looked. There was no acid leakage in my car.
Thanks to everyone here for their experiences. At least I know what to expect.
It varies by state, but most states allow lemon law provisions only for the first year. In California, it is more than three visits for the same problem in the first year, or (as I recall) 30 days out of service.
But again, only in the first year.
Then I turned on the car one day and all the readouts were -- and every warning light was on. I also had no turn signals. Later that day when I went home everything worked like normal. I took it to the shop this morning and they're baffled, they said it could be several days before they know what's going on. They also told me that the hybrid system is no longer under warranty. It's supposed to have a 12 year 100,000 mile warranty, now they're saying it's been changed to a 36,000 mile warranty. I'm at 36,128.
The hybrid system is supposed to have an 8-year warranty of its own.
Tricia, GM Customer Service.
Now I must decide if I trade the Vue while it still is under my extended warrantee and has value or risk a further problem with the battery pack or hybrid system. I have 15,000 miles left on the extended warrantee. I am leaning towards a trade.
I am glad to hear everything is going well. If you have any other questions comments or concerns feel free contact me.
Christina
GM Customer Service
I apologize for the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. Have you spoken with GM Customer Assistance? If so, could you please email me your case number? I would like to look further into your situation.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
The kicker was that while the dealership claimed to not have any knowledge of such problems, when we traded in our vehicle at Hyundai, Hyundai called that exact dealership to ask them about the vehicle and the Saturn dealership told them Saturn Vue Hybrids have tons of problems and that they should "run" from the vehicle.
GM customer support was a joke. Took me two weeks and 12 phone calls to get no where.
Now I talk about my situation every chance I get and even troll the internet to tell everyone I can about this :lemon: and GM's complete and total lack of response. I hope GM goes the way of Saturn.
I spoke to GM customer service and was on the phone with them on and off for about 2 months. The GM customer service rep had his difficulty contacting the dealership to get information from them. When all was said and done, GM customer service did nothing to help the situation.
Could you please email me your case number? I would like to look further into your situation.
You can get my e-mail by clicking on gmcustsvc.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
In CA, we're covered by the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act through the warranty period, correct? I should be eligible for refund/replacement, as should some of you.
I apologize for your frustrations. Has your dealer involved Technical Assistance? If not, I would recommend asking them to do so. Have you spoke with Customer Assistance? Can you please email me with your VIN and dealer information? I look forward to your response.
Christina
GM Customer Service
Don't let them drag this along until you are out of your warranty period. The vehicle isn't fixable.
What I can do is either re-open the case or start a new case. Could you please email us either the case number or VIN?
You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc.
Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service
I'd appreciate if you could instruct me where I can find this ground wire.
Thanks,
I'd recommend asking the dealer to look at it for you. Dealers typically have some kind of warrant for their repairs as well; I'd definitely recommend asking.
Christina
GM Customer Service
If you would like any testimony to help with your case I will gladly provide it.
I have a question, and I'm sorry if you already covered this in your posts (20 pages is a lot of info and the posts start to run together!). Did you have an extended warranty on your Vue? I do, and it runs out in about 7,000 miles. After reading the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (lemon law), it sounds like people are covered through their warranty period. But maybe I am interpreting that wrong??
Thanks again.
I took it to two different dealers, and they all said everything is in perfect condition and blamed my driving condition.... (I drove very slow and generous to save gas)....
I'm 2nd owner and would the consumer lemon law still apply?
The problem though was that the hybrid system would cause problems with other parts of the car and GM wouldn't cover those even though the hybrid system was at fault.
While I could never get a straight answer out of them, what I deduced was happening, is the hybrid system would malfunction and essentially stop working. The vehicle would then start draining the actual battery. When the battery stopped, the car would stop working. In the shop they would replace the hybrid battery and whatever else it broke, and try to change the settings so that it worked more on gas with less reliance on the hybrid system - thus gas mileage would get worse every time into the shop. That's why they would always send you back out to "test." No matter what though, the hybrid system couldn't support the vehicle.
Warranty wise, even though I had extended warranty on the hybrid system, GM would do everything they could to avoid warranty costs. When it drained my actual battery - they wouldn't cover it. When my vehicle was in the shop for weeks - they wouldn't cover a rental, etc. etc.
I'm really not happy that GM gets to make **** cars, offer **** support, go bankrupt as a result, and get bailed out with our money.
I've been driving my Hyundai Santa Fe for over a year without issue and am about to buy a Lexus IS. Wish I could by North American but I can't afford the headache.