Lemon Law for California

Build Dates : June 1, 2008 – September 30, 2008

NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 09V154000

Date Owner’s Notified: 20090518
Date Received by ODI: 20090506
Date Added to Databse: 20090506

Manufacturer’s Involved: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Manufacturer’s Responsible for the Recall: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Manufacturer Campaign Number: 08411

Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 27188

Summary:
GM is recalling 27,188 my 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade hybrid, Escalade ESV, and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Suburban, Tahoe, Tahoe hybrid, and Colorado; and GMC Yukon, Yukon hybrid, Yukon XL, and Canyon vehicles. The fuel system control modules may have a condition in which an adhesive separation of the room temperature vulcanizing (rtv) seal between the seal and the housing may allow water to seep into the module.

Consequence:
Water in the module could cause a short or open circuit, illumination of the service engine soon lamp, setting of diagnostic trouble codes or the engine may be hard to start, may not start or may stall increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy:
Dealers will install a new fuel system control module free of charge. The recall began on May 18, 2009. Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and GMC at 1-866-996-9463 or at www.gmownercenter.com.

A Lemon Law is a law requiring an automobile manufacturer to repurchase or replace a vehicle, if the vehicle has not been properly repaired within “a reasonable number of repair attempts.” A reasonable number of repair attempts is generally determined by how many repair attempts there have been for the same problem, or by the total number of days the vehicle has been in the shop and out of the hands of the consumer for any and all problems. Each state has it’s own “Lemon Law”, that is why the necessary number of repair attempts for the same problem and/or the necessary amount of days in the shop vary from state to state.

Consumer had no chance to force an automobile manufacturer to replace a defective or unsafe vehicle until the Lemon Laws were adopted in the United States. During that period the car manufacturers simply had their dealers repair the lemon vehicle again and again. What is even worse they used to tell the customer “they are all like that” or that the problem “could not be duplicated.” After the adoption of the Lemon Laws the manufacturers are required to take responsibility for their vehicles that turned out to be “lemons”.