After months of dealing with GM customer service people: one after the other ceased communicating with me.
I finally sent an email to MaryBara@gm.com, I was to my surprise, called by a very polite woman, who knew nothing about automobiles. I presented my case and concerns about the recalled Michelin tires and pointed out clearly that GM had been notified of this recall. After some additional back and forth by phone and months of denial, she acknowledged that they had been informed of the recall but did not notify owners because Michelin notified the NHTSA .How many car owners check regularly with the NHTSA for recalls. Only GM would know on whose vehicles these recalled tired were placed.
Any tire defect or recall is between the tire manufacturer and the driver. GM (or any other carmaker) has nothing to do with it. Every new car manual I’ve seen contains separate warranty info, from the tire manufacturer, clearly stating that for any warranty concerns regarding the tires the driver is to contact the tire manufacturer.
GM has no way of knowing where the Michelin tires they purchased in bulk ended up. Tire and wheel packages get upgraded, downgraded, swapped or otherwise changed oftentimes as soon as a car is sold. Look at how many cars are out there with custom wheels and tires. Many dealers will often finance tire/wheel upgrade packages on new cars, with the “take-offs” being sold privately into the market through local channels. Technically they are used tires so come with no warranty or backing, but people are able to buy a set of Goodyear/Michelin/Maypop/Whatever with less than 100 miles on them for significant savings.
Anyway, if you have a problem with your Michelin tires, the issue is between you and Michelin, not you and GM.
Specifically, what were your damages/injuries as a result of GM not informing you personally that a certain tire manufacturer had recalled tires?
It seems like a very fair settlement you got on tires that had "aged out" and were near needing to be thrown away, when the manufacturer extended a warranty on your old tires. Good grief!
I’ve had five/six year-old tires get cracks in the tread and not backed by anybody, but me.
I ran over a piece of scrap steel, in the dark, on a 5 mille long bridge, and blew a fairly new tire. Tires do fail for one reason or another. I was ticked, but I didn’t blame anybody.
There seems to be an epidemic of people blaming others for things that happen to them. The government and product manufacturers can’t watch out for everything that happens to us, nor do I want them to do that. We pay the costs for that service through a bloated government, over-regulation, and higher product prices.
Hopefully, you have learned from your experience. Next time you get tires or a new car, you should contact the tire manufacturer yourself and make sure you and your specific tires are registered with them in event of a recall.
CSA
I check with NHTSA (safercar.gov) to see if there are recalls or complaints about my 4 vehicles.
You did not receive a recall notice from Michelin because the size of Michelin Latitude tire on your vehicle was not involved in the recall. You can read the recall information at the NHTSA site;
@jtsanders
"I check with NHTSA (safercar.gov) to see if there are recalls or complaints about my 4 vehicles."
I’ve done that, too. It’s there for that purpose so people should go ahead and use it.
I also check products on the CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) site. It’s there for that purpose so people should go ahead and use it.
I get a lot of help from car manufacturers just by visiting their TSBs (technical service bulletins).
One can protest companies with their wallet. When I perceive a manufacturer is giving me sub-standard merchandise/service I drop them and switch to other brands.
Apparently, although some believe that GM is out to “deny.deflect,deceive,” not everybody feels that way.
Their profits are up and sales good. I have been more than delighted by GM products/service! Thank you GM!
CSA
The OP was also unhappy with response they had about a problem with a 16 year old Saturn. Displeasure I understand but there comes a point where you just have to pick your battles.
I have also done that for all of my vehicles, and all the vehicles my family and relatives have
It’s pretty easy to do, and I advise people to do it every so often. For example, every time you’ve acquired another vehicle, whether it’s new or old
There’s a lot of good information out there. But you might have to go looking for it yourself. Don’t expect anybody else to do your homework for you.
As common sense answer said, if you want the straight dope, pay the $15 - $25 to access a manufacturer’s website for 2-3 days, and you’ll get the same recalls, tsbs, etc. the dealer gets. Plus you’ll also have access to the factory service information. It would be a good idea to print out what you need, for future services you intend to perform yourself. Information is considered a commodity, and you get what you pay for. If you don’t pay anything, don’t expect to be in the loop about every little thing.
Why are you reposting this? You already made a post on the same topic here.
I’m not a GM fan either, but frankly your attacks on them because they didn’t tell you that you should replace 7 year old tires are ridiculous.
I am not sure what the OP is trying to do here. Rant about GM? The consensus seems not to favor his position yet he continues to post. Is the OP looking for agreement? Or advice? Or validation? I don’t know but he seems to have been given the first 2 but not the 3rd.
He’s posted twice and gotten the same reaction twice.
He’s posted more than twice, and every post has been a rant about something horrible GM did to him. I’m starting to think he’s a Chrysler shill.