The Sunroof Water Leak Recall that never happened
I purchased my 07 Aura XR that was actually a program car driven by a GM
executive through 15k miles back in January 2008. After driving the car for a few
months, I noticed a foul smell coming from the air conditioner. It was dissipate
after running for a few minutes and after taking it my then-Saturn dealer, I was
told there was a technical service bulletin about the smell and they cleaned up
vents with that canned substance you see sold at NAPA Auto Parts which I could
have easily done.
A month later, the smell came back. In June of that year after we generally get a
lot of rain in Georgia, I noticed this sloshing sound in the driver's side door. The
door was completely filled with water!!! The weather stripping at the bottom did
not meet up with the drain holes so after readjusting that, the water came flowing
out. After that, I thought nothing of a water problem at all.
In the past every now and again, I would be bopping along on the highway, then
all of a sudden, the CHECK ENGINE and REDUCED ENG PWR messages appeared
on the driver information console. The first time it happened early last year in
2009, I pulled over and restarted the car. That didn't make the message go away.
I had to do the following to get it to clear:
-Turn off the car
-Open the door
-Close the door
-Restart the car
Then it was good for a few minutes. But again, came right back on. So I took it in
for service. They couldn't reproduce the problem and I couldn't either, so the
issue was dropped mysteriously. Shortly after that, I had called OnStar numerous
times to jumpstart the car for me since the battery was not holding charge for
some reason. I finally broke down and purchased a new battery from AutoZone
for around $100 with an eight year warranty.
Besides the major brake problems of which I've spent over $800 for already at
two dealerships (the former Saturn of Decatur for the front brakes $300 and Jim
Ellis Chevy in Chamblee for the rear pads $450), I hadn't had many issues. The
lingering smell of A/C had somewhat gone away or maybe I wasn't as bothered by
it since owning the car for an extended period of time.
Which brings us to around the early part of this year. The SERVICE AIRBAG LIGHT
would periodically come on while I was driving and lately, it was getting worse
and worse since my last oil change in June 2010. I figured, I'll mention it the next
time I go in for service in late October when the temperature falls in Georgia.
On my way home from work on Tuesday night, I was driving down I-85 and all of
the a sudden received several error messages in the DIC:
-SERVICE TRACTION
-ENG PWR REDUCED
The check engine and TC-disabled indicators remained lit.
After getting off at an exit and catching a red light, I did what I did in the past to
get full power back:
-Turn off the car
-Open the door
-Close the door
-Restart the car
But guess what? That didn't work at all!
So I limped the rest of the way home on what felt like two-cylinders.
After getting back home, I went back out to the car to check again. The lights
were still on but I couldn't hear any thing that sounded mechanically awry.
The next morning, when pulling out of the driveway, I called OnStar for a
diagnostics check. They indicated to me that the throttle control module was near
failure and I shouldn't be driving the car. I said Jim Ellis is right around the corner
for me and took it there for service.
Some of the service personnel transferred from the former Saturn of Decatur and
that was a somewhat relief since they know these cars better than anybody. After
waiting for about an hour, I was informed I had leak underneath the driver's side
panel that was pouring water into the cabin under the carpet. Several electrical
control modules were near failure because of the water intrusion. The carpet was
pulled up and you could see mold growth all underneath the front seat which
might extend to the rear.
The total to fix it? Oh boy, $1,000.
A loaner car was provided and I picked it up Friday.
After researching this issue some, the part number in question for the tube
extension "25930220" is found in Google for other recalled [I](Sunroof Water Leak
Recall)[/I] GM vehicles like the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and the GMC Acadia.
Detailed in this:
http://ww2.justanswer.de/uploads/BOBCAT5544/2009-06-
04_212855_2007_outlook_08207- a.pdf
But NO WHERE IN SIGHT IS THE Saturn Aura.
The other major part was the Module Kit for the Airbag sensors and I believe the
throttle control module (Part No. 15780668) at $525.15, just for the part.
I'm livid
So much so I probably won't buy another GM car ever.
Let me clarify, I have no problem with the service I've been provided up to this
point. Why should I have to pay for something that is clearly a defect in the
design of so many cars in GM's stable?
Granted, GM went through bankruptcy and undoubtedly thinks that because
Saturn was discontinued, there have no obligation to "fix" this problem by issuing
a recall which is not only absurd, but morally reprehensible.
So after investigating underneath the driver's carpet Saturday afternoon to see if it
was dry and free of mold proved to be neither on both counts as promised.
However, I do believe that Jim Ellis did at least stop the water from coming
through.
Mold has developed pretty extensively all over the foam. I'm not sure if it extends
to the backseat as that seems like a chore to access. But I did check the front
passenger side and that was dry as a bone with just a hint of mold near the door.
After cutting thin layers of foam that contained mold, I doused Lysol on both
areas after letting the front driver side dry out in the sun for about three hours. I
also placed a terry cloth underneath the carpet to let the spray on foam dry
completely of all moisture. After putting everything together, I placed another
terry cloth underneath the brake/accelerator pedals then washed the car to see if
any water entered the cabin. I saw no indicator that it did and that was a relief.
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