My car recently started having problems from a part replaced under a recall. This part has been replaced twice before I bought the car and now needs to be replaced again. There is no dealership within a 200 mile radius of where I live and the car will not make it to that dealership in the mechanical condition it’s in. What can I do?
Um…you’re giving us nothing to work with here…
Year, make, and model?
Mileage?
Problem?
Part they keep changing?
Have new parts been fixing it?
Can you describe its “mechanical condition”?
2004 Suzuki Verona EX- when stepping on gas the car stumbles and then takes off like a jet! When idling the RPM hand is going up and down as if my foot is on the accelator and the check engine light comes on & then goes off after a short period. When taking off, the car jerks. The part that been replaced under the recall is the PCM - the mechanic said it was the computer. I had this car repaired under the warranty (new spark plugs & wires, leaky head gasket and rear bearings). I just bought this car in November of '08 and had about a month of driving with no problems. It has 69,790 miles on it.
Tell a local shop the while deal and let them take a look. It could be something else this time. These symptoms can have a variety of causes.
If you could get to the dealership I’d suggest going there, let them replace the PCM again under warranty and see if that works, but it doesn;t sound like you have a lot of options here.
Sorry I can’t make a better suggestion.
Explain your situation to Suzuki customer service. I think repairing it locally and submitting to Suzuki may suffice given your locale and poor distribution of dealerships.
ALLDATA does not show a recall for a PCM replacement although they do show several for PCM reprogramming, PROM updates, etc.
A recall is a one-shot deal short of some very unusual circumstances.
I have no idea what the problem with the vehicle is but you cannot just assume that the recall has anything to do with the current problem because the symptoms may be similar.
You bought a going on 5 years old used car and it’s been through a head gasket already?
The up and down idle could be related to an Idle Air Control Valve problem or a vacuum leak. The former is a vacuum leak although it’s a controlled one.
Since the CEL is coming on randomly I suggest you drop by a local parts house such as AutoZone, Checkers, whomever and have the pull the codes. It only takes a few minutes and it’s free. Post the results for discussion.
Thanks guys! I’m going thru everybody’s suggestions one by one and see what happens in the end result.
Okay - I spoke with Suzuki Motor Corp and the first thing the woman said was “I see you’ve called several times concerning issues with the vehicle”. I then said that I’d never called before and she said “Oh, I guess it was the previous Owner”. She wouldn’t tell me what the issues were and said there were 2 options - 1. Their “Emergency Repair” - I take my car to a local mechanice and get it repaired and pay out of my pocket and then TRY to get them to reimburse me. Try!!?? 2. Have it towed to another state with a Suzuki Dealership and have it repaired there. Okay, on to the next suggestion!!!
Just like any other car maker, Suzuki is under no obligation to reimburse you one dime for anything done by an independent shop.
If there is a recall on this car and that recall was performed as stated in the recall notice then that is all Suzuki is on the legal hook for.
I made several points in my first post about this problem. Should I even ask if you’ve pondered any of them?