General Motors
Reviews and Complaints

Well talk about a slap in the American Citizens face: General Motors is Building a plant in Mexico to manufacture transmissions.Can you believe after we gave them Multi-Millions to prevent them from going under they have the nerve of insuting the co-owners, US. They are going to employe 1000 Mexicans at this plant, If they had loyalty to this country it would be 1600 americans instead of 600 hired in Michigan. To add insult to injury the American Government forgave them Millions that they do not have to pay back, That Money must have went to Mexico to Build the New Plant. I think GM has plants here they could move in already Built.General Motors bragged about there Sales increase and Profit in China, Well I for one will NEVER buy a GM product again I hope China Can keep them afloat because I do not think that they will get anotherBAIL -OUT. AMERICAN LABOR IS THE BEST! Brandt

My complaint involves a replacement timing belt manufactured by General Motors Detroit and purchased on my behalf from the Parts Department of Steve Rayman Chevrolet on March 29, 2010 by Ken Black of Fairground Auto and Body Shop for installation on my 2004 Chevrolet Aveo. The replacement of the timing belt was routine maintenance and was intended to protect my auto from damage that might occur when a timing belt fails. At that time my car mileage was 69631. On October 1, 2010, this replacement timing belt failed after only 4327 miles and 6 months of service. A section of the teeth which engaged the timing belt separated from the body of the belt. The defective belt flew into my engine causing extensive damage. I had the vehicle towed to Fairground Auto where this damage was repaired at a cost to me of $2098.30. Mr. Ken Black advised me that since the belt was defective he believed that General Motors should reimburse me for the repair. He took the belt back to Steve Rayman Chevrolet where he showed it to the Parts Manager Mike Stewart who concurred that the belt definitely had a manufacturing defect and made attempts to get GM in Detroit to stand behind the part and take care of my damages. GM refused to do anything. These details can be verified with Ken Black of Fairground Auto at [protected] as well as Mike Stewart, Parts Manager at Steve Rayman Chevrolet, at [protected] Ext 3047.

After paying the repair bill of $2098.30, I filed a Better Business Bureau complaint against General Motors (case file [protected]) which was processed by Constance Stevens at:
BBB of Detroit & Eastern Michigan
26777 Central Park Blvd, Ste. 100
Southfield, MI [protected]
Phone: [protected]

In response to the BBB complaint, I was contacted by Sonia, a Customer Relationship Specialist at General Motors (phone [protected], ext 41480) who advised me that a casefile number had been assigned (casefile 71-[protected]).

In response, I sent Sonia the following letter with documentation regarding my damages:

November 14, 2010

952 Villa Rica Road SW
Marietta, GA 30064

Dear Customer Relationship Specialist Sonia,

This letter and the supporting documents are in reference to my BBB complaint (case file [protected]). Last week I received a phone call from you stating that I would have to take my Aveo and the defective belt to a GM dealership for evaluation. Since my car has been repaired, it would make no sense to have a diagnostic performed on it at this point. Furthermore, I do not feel the opinion offered by a GM dealership would be impartial. The parts manager at Steve Rayman Chevrolet in Smyrna did in fact examine the timing belt when the belt broke in early October. Mr. Kim Black, the owner of Fairground Automotive, took the belt to the dealership and the parts manager agreed that it was defective and offered a replacement belt but would not consider the damages to my car caused when the defective belt broke. I have emailed the parts manager several times this week for a statement but he does not respond.

I am enclosing the following:
1. a copy of invoice 557038 from Steve Rayman Chevrolet showing that a timing belt was purchased on March 29, 2010 by Fairground Auto and Body Shop;
2. a copy of repair order 0051577 showing that the timing belt was installed on my Aveo on March 30, 2010 and that the mileage on my Aveo at that time was 63961;
3. a statement by Mr. Kim Black on preliminary repair order 0054062 dated October 5, 2010. This repair order shows towing charge and diagnostic. Mr. Black’s statement relates his visit to Steve Rayman Chevrolet during which the Parts Manager agreed that the timing belt was defective. This document also shows the mileage on my Aveo on October 5, 2010 to be 73688. The timing belt had disintegrated after only 4327 miles.
4, a copy of the completed repair order 0054062 dated October 6, 2010 which shows the total amount paid to repair the damages caused by the broken timing belt to be $2098.30;
5. a photo of the defective belt clearly showing section where teeth separated from the body of the belt.

I believe this documentation is enough to show that GM produced a defective timing belt which caused damage to my car for which I should be reimbursed in the amount of $2098.30.

There is a principle of law which states “the thing speaks for itself”. The fact that teeth are missing from the body of the belt causing it to fly off and damage my engine is very clearly demonstrated by my evidence. A timing belt should certainly stand up to more than 4327 miles of service. A defect in the manufacturing caused the belt to fail and damage my vehicle. The thing speaks for itself.

I would like your written response in the form of a letter to my home address or email to [protected]@bellsouth.net. I do not wish a phone call because it is so difficult to document a telephone conversation.

If we can not come to an agreement, I will certainly pursue filing a small claims suit against General Motors in Michigan’s 36th District Court. I have looked into the process for filing suit and since I have flight privileges with Delta Airlines, I would be willing to come to Detroit for a fair and impartial hearing.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Barry Hopkins

In response to my letter, Sonia called me again and requested that I once again take to timing belt into Steve Rayman Chevrolet and have the Parts Manager examine it. She told me that she would phone him after he looked at it and get his opinion. I did as she asked and took the belt into Mike Stewart, Parts Manager, again. He told me unequivocably that the belt was defective. He said that he would be happy to tell Sonia the same thing and that he hoped GM would do something to reimburse me for my damages. Sonia called me the following week and verified that she had indeed spoken to Mike Stewart and that he told her exactly what he had told me. Sonia said that she still could do nothing to reimburse me for my damages. She asked me to take the belt in again to Steve Rayman Chevrolet and this time I should show it to the Service Manager. I told her that I was not going to keep taking the belt in for different people to examine and that I felt she had sufficient documentation and an expert opinion from Mike Stewart. I am contemplating coming to Detroit to file a small claims suit against General Motors to recover my damages of $2098.30.

I brought my car in for repairs and made myself clear when I explained what the problem with my Opel Corsa was. A fuel leak. I received a phone call from the dealership telling me they would need to replace 3 parts. I told them to go ahead for the moment. I phoned maybe 10 minutes later with a message that a particular part was NOT to be replaced. I was under the impression that this would be relayed to the service people. I was horrified when I had been billed for unnecessary parts. I consulted with the manager who said they could take the part out, but then they would charge me labour costs. I had a witness with me when I made the phone call. Why does that person who I spoke to not own up?! Extremely frustrating dealing with liars and having to foot the bill. I'll never return to that branch.

I have a 2003 Saturn Vue with less than 79, 000 on it. We bought the Saturn new in November 2002. We have never had a re-call on the transmission. Low and behold on New Years Eve around 6PM, we lost power and could only go 10 mph. We did make it home then the following Monday had it towed to our local repair garage. He informed us the transmission was shot and that it would cost $5, 000. We also contacted a transmission shop and they told me there had been a re-call on the transmission for 8 yrs. or 100, 000 miles. Well, 8 years, I guess, is the date that you buy the car, not the 8th year that you own it. Ours expired Nov. 12th 2010. I contacted Saturn, which then contacted GMAC, and after much run around with General Motors, they will honor a 50/50 deal where as they pay for 50% of the transmission installed by one of their dealership. Being that I never received a re-call notice, which I would have taken care of right off, I felt they should pay the full price. It's not going to happen, but I needed to let off my steam. Anyway, we will have to pay $2, 094 out of pocket in order to get the transmission put in. Needless to say, I'm not happy. I intend to file a report with the Atty. General's office, Better Business Bureau and Our local paper. Any other ideas would be appreciated.

My wife's engine light stayed on the dash board and we knew we had a problem. I took it in to the dealership for a diagnosis. They said that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced and that it wasn't under warantee or recall list. We spent about $800 for the repairs. Shortly after the repairs we received a letter in the mail that the catalytic converter was on a "recall list." So we submitted the paperwork to General Motors to receive our refund. After 6 weeks I called General Motors to see how the refund was moving along. They give me a confirmation number and that I should stay in contact with them. About 1 week later I called General Motors again to see how the refund was moving along, and they told me that they lost the paperwork and that we would need to resubmit everything again. Is it any wonder that General Motors filed for bankruptcy, they can't even provide "quality customer service?" As a taxpayer I own part of
General Motors, and they can't provide the service that I would expect of any company that I own. We will not be purchasing any more General Motors products.

I have a 2010 Malibu that has abnormal noise on the right side undercarriage. Once heard two or three big banging knocks in the right wheel well area. Also has a vibrating, bobbling, noise that sounds like it is coming from the right wheel well area. Sounds like something is loose. Took to Bowman Chevrolet in Clarkston Mi twice. First time they said they found a badly fitted wheel well liner which they replaced. Said it was knocking around. Drove it home happy the problem was fixed as I like the car ... but then heard the vibrating, knocking, bobbling noise on the right side. Took it back in several days later (after holidays), took tech for a ride, he acknowledged he heard the noise, thought it might be a bushing, but a minor problem. Next thing I know their service department is saying they could not duplicate the problem and they test drove 3 other 2010 Malibu's at their dealership and they all made the same noise, so they are calling it a normal noise for Malibu's now! Unbelievable! I am so disappointed! I wanted to buy an American nameplate and support GM's comeback ... so I bought their best reviewed car ... and now here we go with unacknowledged problems and the old GM runaround. I thought it was the new GM! It's problems and service like this that caused people to abandon their products and buy Toyota's and Honda's in the first place. Hey GM! I like the car but w/o the noise. Are you going to do anything about it?

GM refuses to honor the special service bulletin and extended warranty to 200k miles or 7years for my vehicle.

It falls within the coverage provided in their special bulletin for the defective fuel injectors that are a VERY COMMON problem on these vehicles.

They refuse to honor and have a 'warranty block' on my truck. First GM I ever bought, gonna be the last one unless they fix this quick.

My interior driver side door handle broke under normal use. It's my wifes car. So I got the "What did you do". I told her I didn't do anything but try to open the door. I could tell she didn't believe me. Today while trying to find a relacement I found out I am one of many people this has happened to. I wonder what would happen if someone had to get out of there car in a hurry. If your car caught on fire and you panic and pull that handle to hard your in a lot of trouble. If it's a ele. fire you can't even roll the window down. But I can deal with that, what I can't understand is why didn't they make it simple to replace? Why do I have to replace the whole door panel? Is Chevy trying to make up there losses this way?

I own a 2005 Chevy Silverado. I bought it brand new and because it was an American made vehicle, made by an American Corporation. After 5 years with 70, 000 miles the temp. gauge kept reading hot and I brought the vehicle to a Chevy dealership to have it fixed.It was found to be a cracked cylinder head. I was told by the service manager that the 2005 models have a history with this problem and that it would be at least 6 days to get Original GM parts or he could get after market parts in 2 days, same warranty for both parts and service. After speaking with the chevy service manager we decided that the after market part would be as good if not better do to the problem that the 2005 Chevy Silverado's have been experiencing. I called the GMC Corporation to see if they could give some assistance to the problem since that it appears that the fault of the cylinder head cracking may be a defect in the engine part or engineering. I explained in detail to customer service rep. who sounded concerned for my problem an he stated that he would give me a ref # [protected] and forward my concerns to the next level. This was my 3rd chevy truck that I owned. I also explained that I just bought a 2011 GMC Terrain (35, 000.00) 3 weeks before the major malfunction of the Chevy cylinder head. I always used GM service for my Silverado repairs and they did a good job, all I was asking for was some assistance with a problem I believe this GM product is experiencing due to a manufacturers defect not based on my knowledge but the knowledge of the Chevy service manager himself. I give GMC a lot of credit, within 24 hours a customer service representative got back to me and stated that since I ALREADY AUTHORIZED REPAIR AT ONE OF THIER GM SERVICE DEALERSHIPS and THAT THEY WOULD NOT HELP ME IN ANYWAY WITH THE REPAIR COST, BUT THEY WOULD GIVE ME $4, 000.00 TOWARD A NEW VEHICLE. What I found out about GMC is that they only stand by there dedicated customers if they are are buying new and not so much there product which they produce and service. I really don't no if I will continue buy from this American made company (GM) in the future but I still believe that you should buy made in USA and support the hard American working men and women. YOU CAN SEE WHY THE GOVERNMENT NEEDED TO BAIL THIS COMPAY OUT, GM STILL HASN'T LEARNED ANYTHING ABOUT PEOPLE OR BACKING THE PRODUCT THEY MAKE
ANTHONY 12/22/10 11:00AM

I work for general motors and was trying to deliver parts to people on the line building cars the way that were suposed to and i could'nt do it because there was to much work on the job. My boss came and told me " You don't go home till you pull 7 carts" everyone else can but you. Everyone else does it wrong. Their not doing it by the job element standards that the union and management set up (GMS Standards) which I am. well I was cussed at, treated like dirt in front of other management and never asked why or what we could do to help this problem. All that mattered was that the parts were delivered so the cars could get built. GM does not care about anyone but them selves. Iv'e worked for GM for 15yrs and It's the worst atmosphere and management I have ever experienced in my life. No concideration for anyone. It doesn't matter how bad your situation is or what has happened, that car will get built one way or another. I will never buy another GM vehical ever again in my life and urge you to do the same. They treat us like slime. GM is just another sweat shop with no union to back you up anymore. very disappointed GM worker...

Dear Sir/Madam

I had purchased chevy beat 8 months back.After three months A/C started giving problems.I gave the vehicle in workshop and after 40 days vehicle was given to me in a horrible state. After a week back vehicle started giving problems again. Now again vehicle is in workshop which I don't intend to take back. Last three months I don't have a car. I am feeling ashamed that I trusted GM Motors. GM Motors is responsible for all the pains I have gone through. My vehicle no is 4049 and it is registered in Goa. I am planning to file a case against general motors for mental harrashment of a consumer.

Recently as Aug. 2010 ordered new crate motor from Scroggins Dicky for my 2000 GMC Sierra. After a local repair shop installed motor, used them before and had no problems, a serious tapping in the motor from the first start of the engine has been a problem. Several attempts to remedy the problem, have not changed the the situation. So I had the vehicle taken to the local dealer, and at my expence the dealer will look into the problem. Only I have about $4500.00 invested in this LS6 motor and don't believe I should be out more cash to repair a crate motor. Nothing was done internally to this motor, other than the oil pan was changed to fit my GMC. Now the dealer wants more cash to fix a problem that they claim was a result of the oil pan change. The warrenty isn't worth the paper it was written on, and as a life long chevy fan, I can now see why the government had to bail out these loosers. Don't bother trying to upgrade your GM its not worth it, go and buy a FORD.

Our 2007 Cadillac DTS, 25, 000 miles, like new caught on fire while sitting in our carport after sitting there for several hours. It was determined that the fire was caused by a defective heating element in the windshield washer water dispenser(recalled and replaced several month previous to incident). We have written to GM, Detroit, MI, and Crest Cadillac in Hoover Alabama on several occasions. They do not feel they are responsible for replacing the car or compensating for our loss. We are only asking for the difference in what our insurance paid and the cost of the car plus monies to repair our carport ceiling which was also damaged in the fire. GM is difficult to deal with, and Gary Ivey, owner of Crest Cadillac refuses to even return our calls or meet with us.

I Own a Aveo U-VA.which I purchased about a year back. on the 21st of June 2010 I had an accident. My car was badly damaged, and I gave it for repairs to the Local Dealer, Radiant Motors, Guwahati, Assam, India.on the 22nd of June 2010. They promised to give back the vehicle on the 22nd of August . Inspite of regular phone calls and visit to the dealer workshop I was not delivered the vehicle until today. Today the vehicle was given to me without proper repairs. done.And since last week I received phone calls from the dealer 5 times to take the delivery of the vehicle and every time I went to take the delivery, the vehicle was not ready, thus wasting a lot of time and giving harrasement. So can you suggest what should I do.

I bought a used GMC Sierra 1500 Extended cab 4x4 in August of 2008. The speedometer was working when I drove it off the lot but on the way home I passed a local police car and glanced down at my speedometer and it was sitting on zero. It worked from time to time after that but now it spends most of its time sitting at 70 m.p.h. while the vehicle is parked andsitting still. I understand that GM was sued because of this problem and I called GM in Detroit and the person I talked to informed me that only the 2003 and 2004 Chevies and GMCs had thos problems. I beg to differ with you sir but my 2005 Sierra has this problem as well and the dealer wants $650.00 to repair this problem. I think this is GMs problem and not mine, when a speedometer doesnt work it is extremely dangerous. I dont know if the cruise control will work while the speedometer is messing up or not I know it works when the speedometer does work which is not very often. I think GM needs to stop patting themselves on the back for so called repaying the loans to the US Government and fix some of thes problems with thes vehicles before someone is tragically injured or even killed because of this problem.

My 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Has almost caused me to lose my life and my son"s life. I tried to stop the vehicle 2 or more tijmes and the vehile keeps going. My son was on the free way in North Carolina and tried to stop and the vehicle turn around to the freeway. God was with him. The morning rush traffic had died down. Also, on 01/30/07, my son made a turn in the malibu and the car kept on going causing damage to the malibu. Again, God was with him.

We have owned three shev silverado pick ups. two of them were extended cabs and the 2005 is a four door HD duramax silverado. Every one of them has had door whistling noise caused from air getting through the weather stripping. We have tried adjusting the dooor striker in which if you get it too tight causes the door to shut hard. There is no adjustment on the hinges as they are welded. They have tried using a 2x4 to pull down on the door with little success. Why they quit putting adjustable hinges is a question. I figured when buying the 4 door would stop the noise. It was good for about three months. We have about 51, 000 miles on it. Also the truck is 99% highway use. The next truck will probably be a Toyota.

The rear sliding window started leaking causing water to sit in the left rear cab corner. The paint on the outside cracked and the metal is rusting. All of this clearly happened under warranty but was not found until the vehicle was 2 months out of warranty. The warranty is 6 yrs or 100, 000 miles, my truck currently has only 80, 000 miles on it.