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If you would like for us to check into anything further for you on this situation, please contact us via email at socialmedia@gm.com with further details (including your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
Sarah, GM Customer Service
A week later my check engine light came on again with no other messages. I took it back in. They told me intially that my timing chain is stretched and needs replaced. It is covered by the powertrain warranty which is over is 6 months or 2,000 miles which ever is sooner. They have had my car since Thursday. I was able to get a rental car on Friday once they realized it was covered. I got a call this morning that I will not get my car back until Wednesday or Thursday. They think in edition to the timing chain they have to replace guides and cylinder(s). Luckily everything is under the powertrain warranty.
I got to wonder though if they were hoping initially they could put a band aid on it and hope that my powertrain warranty expired before I had anymore problems. They should have everything the first time and not discounted anything I said.
Keep us posted on how everything looks once you get your vehicle back this week. If there is anything you would like for us to check into in the mean time, please don't hesitate to contact us at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
Sarah, GM Customer Service
Can anyone give me the starting point or contact #'s for getting to GM Customer Service to see if we might be one of the lucky ones who gets some help/ assistance?
I see where there is a GM service rep on here, but do not know how to message her directly.
My friend is a Trauma Nurse in ER in Seattle - like many, her transportation is critical and her budget is lmited.
Thanks in advance for all help and advice
It's regarding this post:
#630 of 631 Contact Info for 07 Outlook Tranny Problems? by outlookmike
Mar 05, 2013 (7:57 pm)
Girlfriend is sitting on a bridge in Seattle at the moment - transmission went out completely, car won't catch and go into gear and I see that it is a common issue.
Can anyone give me the starting point or contact #'s for getting to GM Customer Service to see if we might be one of the lucky ones who gets some help/ assistance?
I see where there is a GM service rep on here, but do not know how to message her directly.
My friend is a Trauma Nurse in ER in Seattle - like many, her transportation is critical and her budget is lmited.
Thanks in advance for all help and advice
----------------------------------
UPDATE:
The garage where her car was towed ran diagnostics and told her the it was a "wave plate" issue that required the replacement of the entire transmission to the tune of $5000.
We're at a loss as to what the next step should be since the feedback here is across the board from "$100 deductible and GM was wonderful" to "nada, nothing no help I'll never buy GM again"...
HELP AND GUIDANCE APPRECIATED!
We're sorry to hear about this situation and would be glad to look into this further (although we can't guarantee results up front). We can be reached at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation) or the Customer Assistance Center can be reached by phone at 800-553-6000 ( Hours: Mon to Sat, 8am to 9pm ET).
Sarah, GM Customer Service
Traveling down the road and it just goes out on us with no warning before hand. We had stabilitrack flashing the day before, then it stopped. This problem can be added to my long list of problems with this vehicle:
-Front headlight wires melting causing headlight failure
-Oil problem light showing up, but nothing can be found that is wrong
-Steering problem and GM having no true way to fix, as per the dealership service manager, so patched it. Still having problems never was truly fixed!
-Service engine light with codes saying emissions problem, but nothing can be found
-Electronic fold mirrors stopped working
-Hatchback hydrolic lifts gave out
And now complete transmission failure! In the process of talking to GM about covering the repairs since this is a known problem with these vehicles since they used too small of a transmission with these size vehicles! Complete incompetence and a faulty design and GM is not standing behind their product! All add up to Government Motors for sure!!!!!!!!
If you want to file a complaint, here is the link:
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml
I even offered to have them buy me out of the car and I will purchase a new car from them. I just want out of this car.
We took it to the GM dealer who quickly determined that we need a purge valve, a fuel tank pressure sensor and an injector flush. $910.00 chrarge for two hours worth of work. OK, again. We drove the car out of the parking light that evening, same problem. Nothing is fixed after $910?
So if GM cannot compete in building good cars, does it also lack the skills at the repair shop to stand behind their products? Is it just a matter of reading codes and replacing parts? Is test driving after the repair is completed, too much to ask?
I called the dealer and he asked that I bring the car back. But after reading all the issues with the Saturn and the lack of GM support, I am skeptical. The symptoms with our car seem to be the low gas mileage and the hesitation at higher speeds. It's like the power cuts off for a split of a second, two three time in a row, while cruising or slightly accelerating....did anyone else experience the exact same issues?
My concern right now is for the dealer to start replacing a bunch of unnecessary parts, at an outrageous cost, without solving the problem and before I escalate the issue.
Thanks!
We're sorry that your visit to the dealership did not resolve the concern you're having with your Outlook. If we can check into this situation further, including contacting your dealership, please contact us via email at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
Sarah, GM Customer Service
The PROBLEM wasn't the dealership...the problem was GM! You guys are the ones that didn't want to pay for this defect! It will take a class action law suit to remedy this lemon of a vehicle because GM DOES NOT stand behind their products, period! So Sarah, I really don't think GM is sorry, please go feed your BS to someone else!
I posted messages on here months ago, and I continue see the same problems crop up or people begin to realize this is not "normal". I thought I would add my 2 cents in again to let everyone know of my experience with the dealer and GM, which wasted months of my life which I finally consulted with an attorney and believes I have a good case on my hands. It took lots of documentation, phone calls, complaints to National Hwy Safety, Better Business Bureau for autos, Dept of Consumer Protection in Michigan, and on and on....
First off...please realize...GM outsources their front line calls. Forget the Saturn number, they redirect you to GM. Their goal is to prevent you from taking further action and moving up the chain to the "real corporate". This outsourced company will pretend and NOT ADMIT to be outsourced or the real company name...but you can get their name...and do some checks on Linked In....it's funny that its all right there that they work for XYZ Company, as Outsourced Customer Service for GM. Some workers heard my story and couldnt believe what they were hearing. THey did the standard "escalate to district manager, and review a deal with manager"...its all a dog and pony show. The ONLY offer I ever received, which seems to be the standard is $2k...towards the purchase of a NEW GM car! Once you make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau (you need to find out the lemon law/used car/new car rules by state...I had to go through the Better Business Bureau for autos - maybe because my car was technically used with 1,000 miles on it). Once you go to the BBB, you are moved to a new department. This department will try to poke holes in your claim...you must be knowledgeable and correct their insuficient knowledge of mechanics. Dont forget they are not GM employees, their goal is to make you go away. You are not allowed out of this group, until your BBB claim has been reviewed and a determination has been made. I wouldnt be surprised if BBB takes payoffs because I couldnt believe the letter I received. But anyways... I finally moved up into the real GM offices. But...be sure to have your story down pat, you will need to explain it over and over and over again, while you are passed around to FAKE management and FAKE excalation. I was asking for a brand new transmission in my outlook and recoup my outlay of approx $6k in excessive fuel charges. You will need to read my posts to understand how I got there...believe me...its accurate and I can prove it in court (and will...Thanks to Onstar with tire pressure,and consistent maintenance records etc.) In the end....it all came right back down to their initial offer of $2k...towards another GM vehicle... now why on earth would I be so stupid to do that to myself after the months of run around and years of paying excessive fuel charges due to a computer software upgrade for my transmission hesitation problem. (Basically the software told the transmission to spit more fuel out to compensate for the hesitation at highway speeds). I tracked mileage and fuel consumption for about a year so I know I was accurate (with mix of roads and hwy).
I am going to court shortly now that I have the time to dedicate to it again. But GM has been a terrible experience...they take our bailout money for help...but they can't seem to "pay it forward". I hope this helps... fyi - to the social media folks...I was once hopeful they would help out, but as usual they all come to dead ends. I had 4 separate complaint issue #'s....nobody knew how to tie they all together. Some had to open a new complaint # and I would have to start all over again!...
See my older posts for specific informaiton on the mechanical problems...
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f199096/32!keywords=#MSG32
there are a couple more too...
Good luck in court (and if we don't hear back from you, we'll assume a non-disclosure agreement was part of a settlement. :shades: ).
Let us know if we can look into anything for you in this situation with your Outlook's transmission. We can be reached via email at socialmedia@gm.com (include your name and contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN and mileage, and a summary of the situation).
Sarah, GM Customer Service
I tried to look in the manual to see if Saturn had put in any assistance in this. To my suprise... there is plent of instruction if you have a AWD version and how to check the transfer case... but NOTHING on how to check the cable.
Well after adding a quart of transmission fluid, it seemed to indicate correctly. But after driving it, it still was shuttering. So I looked online and found some people with advice... and added an additional quart (yes.. while the engine was running and it was hot). Then I could see that there was the proper amount of fluid. I drove it around and, driving forward it now shifts good. There is still now some hesitation in reverse at first... I'm hoping it's just air stuck in the torque converter and needing to work it's way out.
The angering part is I've check the fluid before, and seen fluid where I thought it should be... but with no clear instruction in the owners manual it was hard to tell. I now know what I was seeing was fluid being splashed up in the fluid well, making it look like there was enough fluid. After research of my own, I now know the little weight needs to be "coated" well in order to indicate correctly. I am hoping there is no permenant damage due to not having been give proper instruction from GM on this... and wondering if this could be a cause of the problems the car is having..... poor instruction from the get go. I've read through some of the posts that have includes good fixes (seeming mostly from non GM shops) and the parts replaced would have been first damaged by this.
So a bit angry at this. I work on aircraft and they have to spell it out to a "T" on how fluids are to be checked and what the indication is to look like... otherwise the manufacturer will have a huge liability case against them. Yet here there is nothing.
The easiest way is to either pull the sensor yourself, or a mechanic, and see if there is metal shavings onthe sensor... then the wave plate has broken... which apparently is a very common problem from my mechanic friends i've talked to tonight. They are very surprised this hasn't been a GM recall because if affects the Acadia, Oulook... and other Lambda cars. :mad: Either way I'm gonna have to call around some transmission shops (our local GM dealer cannot be trusted, tried to bill me "oil reclamation fee" for getting a copy of a key) and get estimates on possible repair/rebuild... but unless the plate is made of better material.. my mechanic friends tell me it could go again in another 65-80K miles.
Maddening thing is, this is what my wife takes my 5 children around in... and we have dr apts that will have to be cancelled since she no longer has reliable transportation. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
Good luck to anyone else dealing with this problem.
I read over your post and am interested in looking deeper into the issues with your 2008 Outlook. Did GM Customer Service by chance give you a case number to track your complaint? Could you also send me you VIN number so that I can research more about your vehicle issue.
Amber N.
GM Customer Care
So far we have replaced the following:
Headlights
Headlight wiring harnesses
Crankshaft
Crankshaft bearing and
Exhaust Manifold
Just passed the 100K mile mark - hoping it's nothing but experience with this vehicle tells me to prepare for the worst.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear about your trouble. Hope yours isn't headed down that road. There are alot of posts in this forum for 3-5-R Wave Plate issues. Not only for the Saturn, but all the others vehicles that have this particular wave plate (i.e. Acadia, etc). And that list is rather lengthy. I'm not sure who to credit anymore in this Edmunds forum, but that person 'enlightened' me to that fact that we are unfortunately not alone with the link below several months ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM-Ford_6-speed_automatic_transmission
Please keep us posted here in this forum on your situation and good luck to you!
GM was trying to work with Rally who tried to fix my problem when it was under warranty, but now my estimate of $3,500 has increased to $4,800 and they will pay 30% of that. funny price goes up 1,300 dollars and they will pay 30%. Rally claimed I refused the service when I took it in. Big lie as I saved all paperwork and had everything fixed each time. They never got to the bottom of what was really wrong wtih my car. Now it doesn't work. I suggest checking that wave plate thing as that is probably the only thing that they did not do for me.
Good luck and sorry about your car.