Our lemon law client was so happy about purchasing his 2018 Chevy Traverse. After a few months he starting taking his vehicle to the authorized Chevrolet dealership to have them make repairs on his vehicle.

The first visit was on May 16, 2018.  His complaint was that the third row middle seat belt would keep getting stuck.

The next visit in November he requested an alignment check which they performed.

Our client’s third visit was because the defrost control was coming apart.

A couple of weeks later he was having problems with both the rear and middle seat belt buckles.

His next visit was to request another alignment which the dealership completed.

He was back in on July 23. 2019 because he was seeing a shift to park message when he was in park and could not turn off the vehicle.

The next visit was to perform a recall on the brake pedal.

His Chevrolet Traverse was back in the shop a month later because the check engine light was on.  While there they also found the code P0018 and fixed it.

The last visit to the Chevrolet dealership was on February 14, 2020.  Our client stated that while driving over 60 mph, the RPM’s were revving high and it felt like it was losing power.  This happened while accelerating.  The check engine light kept going on and off.  He also complained that the shift to park message appeared when in park and he could not turn off the vehicle.  At this point our client was frustrated and felt that he had given General Motors enough chances to fix his vehicle and so he called our law office.  His spoke with attorney Barry L. Edzant and then emailed our office some documents for the attorney to review.

We sent a demand letter to General Motors Corporation demanding that they buy back his defective vehicle under the California Lemon Law.  They agreed to repurchase his vehicle, pay off his loan, reimburse him for any monthly payments made and his down payment less a mileage fee allowed under the California Lemon Law.  They also paid for his registration and paid for his attorney fees.  Our client was thrilled with the results.

If your vehicle is giving you problems and you think you might be driving a lemon, please contact the Law Office of Barry L. Edzant at 888-395-3666 to get some answers.

General Motors has decided that a seat belt safety issue exists in certain 2020-2021 Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles. They will be contacting owners with instructions to return to their dealerships for repairs.

According to the safety report filed with the NHTSA, the wrong seat belt bolt may have been used at one or multiple locations to secure the seat belt to the vehicle. If an incorrect bolt was used, the seat belt may not be properly attached and may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash.

Vehicles Affected Include
2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV
2021 Cadillac Escalade
2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV
2021 Chevrolet Blazer
2021 Chevrolet Camaro
2021 Chevrolet Colorado
2021 Chevrolet Equinox
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2021 GMC Canyon
2021 GMC Sierra 1500
2021 GMC Sierra 2500
2021 GMC Sierra 3500
2021 GMC Yukon
2021 GMC Yukon XL

Dealers will correct the problem by replacing any suspect bolts. GM’s number for this recall is N202322230 and the NHTSA campaign number is 20V-811.

A defect relating to seatbelt safety will have approximately 624,000 Chevrolet and GMC truck owners returning to their dealerships for an inspection and repairs. These vehicles are equipped with a center front row seating position.

According to the NHTSA defect report, the center front row seatbelt bracket may not be properly secured to the seat frame. If the bracket is loose, the seatbelt will not restrain the occupant during a crash or high-speed braking event.

WARNING: Signs that the problem exists include a rattling coming from the center seat / console area, the center front seat belt will feel loose or could detach from the seat completely.
Vehicles Affected Include
2019-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
2020-2021 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
2021 Chevrolet Suburban
2021 Chevrolet Tahoe
2019-2021 GMC Sierra 1500
2020- 2021 GMC Sierra 2500
2020- 2021 GMC Sierra 3500
2021 GMC Yukon XL

Dealers will inspect the left-side and right-side front-row center seat-belt bracket attachments and reassemble it correctly as necessary. GM’s number for this recall is N202314670 and the NHTSA campaign number is 20V-792.

A seat belt safety problem will have approximately 177,000, 2014-2019 Outlander and 2018-2019 Outlander PHEV owners returning to their dealerships for repairs. This recall is expected to begin in September.

According to the defect report, the seat belt buckle cover on the second row seat can become damaged when folding the left hand side seat back. If this happens the latch may become inoperative and may not be able to engage the seat belt tongue. Occupants sitting in this position will be unprotected.

Mitsubishi dealers will correct the problem by modifying the second row center seat belt buckle cover. They will install a new warning label to the second-row seat support base and provide a new warning label insert for the owner’s manual. Mitsubishi’s number for this recall is SR-20-004 and the NHTSA campaign number is 20V-403.

Volvo will be contacting owners of certain 2007-2020 S, V and X model automobiles because of a problem affecting the front seat safety belts. It is estimated that over 307,000 vehicles are affected by this recall.

According to the defect report, the steel cable mounted on the outboard side of the seats to the front seat belts can suffer fatigue from being repeatedly bent as occupants enter and leave the vehicle. Over time, the strength of the cable could deteriorate to a point where it cannot restrain an occupant during a crash.

Vehicles Affected
2011-2018 S60
2016-2018 S60CC
2014-2020 S60L
2007-2016 S80
2009-2015 S80L
2011-2018 V60
2015-2018 V60CC
2008-2016 V70
2009-2016 XC60
2008-2016 XC70

Owners receiving notices will be asked to return to their dealership to have the seat belt anchor cable for both front seats replaced. Volvo’s number for this recall is R10029 and the NHTSA campaign number is 20V-378. This recall is expected to begin in August.

General Motors will be contacting certain 2018 Buick Regal owners regarding a problem affecting the safety of the seat belts in their sedans. According to the defect report, the rear outboard seat belts may have been improperly routed around the rear seat bolster bracket during manufacturing. This improper routing could result in inadequate restraint to passengers during extreme loading conditions and an increased risk of injury to occupants.

Owners will be asked to return to their dealerships to have the rear outboard seat belt routing inspected and rerouted as necessary. Owners wanting more information about the problem are asked to contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM’s number for this recall is 18117 and the NHTSA campaign number is 18V-230. (It is expected that fewer than 1% of the vehicle population have incorrectly routed seat belts.)

Ford will be contacting the owners of certain 2013-2016 Ford Fusion and 2013-2015 Lincoln MKZ vehicles regarding a problem that could cause the front seat belt anchor cable to fail. According to the defect report, the strength of the cable can be degraded due to internal pretensioner temperatures created during deployment. If the driver or front passenger seatbelt cables cannot properly restrain occupants, they would be at an increased risk of injury during a crash.

Owners will be notified of the safety issue beginning on January 20, 2017, and a second notice will be mailed when parts become available. For more information about the problem, owners can contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 16S42 and the NHTSA campaign number is 16V-875.

Mercedes-Benz will be contacting the owners of certain 2016-2017 Mercedes Benz S63 AMG, S65 AMG and S550 coupe/convertible vehicles because the seat belt extender may not retract as intended. According to the defect report, the control unit for a specific production range was not properly coded to account for friction conditions during activation of the extender. In the event of a crash, the extended seat belt extender could break, minimizing the full protection of the seat belt and may create edges that could inflict additional injuries.

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will update the control unit software. The recall is expected to begin in mid-December 2016. Owners wanting more information about the problem are asked to contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372. The NHTSA campaign number for this recall is 16V-829.