Well-Written Complaints
Complaints by people who paid attention in English class.
- 2006 Toyota Avalon: sunshade failure I have compiled a lot of experience and research on this sunshade issue and, to support others, have summarized it all here. (Of course, some of this information will have already been stated in this forum.) Issue: 2005-2014 Toyota Avalons, rear window sunshade assembly failure, complete and total, in the 'up' position; most common over 2005-2008 Avalons. The failure obstructs rear view at nighttime, especially if the rear window is also tinted. The sunshade is designed to automatically retract into the 'down' ... read more »
- 2008 Hyundai Veracruz: oem fuel pump gone bad twice We have 4 Hyundais in my family, and I’ve gotten a lot of people around me to buy Hyundais. I’m the weird guy in a circle of friends that brags about having the oldest car. I’m the original owner of a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz Limited.  We actually own two of them (one is a 2009).  On August 16th, my wife and I took a trip out to Oregon, and the fuel pump went bad outside of Omaha, Nebraska.  It involved a tow truck, repair shop, rental vehicle, overnight stays, etc. - all the things ... read more »
- 2013 Honda Fit: premature engine failure On Dec. 25, 2019, I was driving from California to Colorado in my 2013 Honda Fit when my engine light began to blink. My car lost power and I was forced to exit the highway and immediately pull over. I called my roadside assistance program, but because it was Christmas night, they were unable to find a towing company available and told me to call the police instead. I called the Colorado state police, informed them of my situation, and they said they would send out an officer. While I was waiting, I called ... read more »
- 2012 Chevrolet Malibu: timing chain tensioner failure Engine began making a chattering / slapping noise from the passenger side under the valve cover. The noise always occurred between 1500 and 2500 RPM, at high load conditions, i.e. accelerating from a stop. Removal of the valve cover revealed a severely slack timing chain, a destroyed upper timing chain guide, and pieces of metal and nylon sitting in the cylinder head by the cam towers. Mind you, I've maintained this car since it was purchased new. Ive changed the oil more often than the computer "oil life" ... read more »
- 2011 Subaru Forester: engine failure I hope to save people from heartache and financial loss with my story. Subaru engines appear to be highly questionable from head gaskets to excessive oil consumption and instead of a recall they just extend warranties a little bit. In 2016 there was a class action lawsuit against Subaru for the very issue I had - excessive oil consumption & engine failure https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/closed-settlements/332670-subaru-oil-burning-class-action-settlement/ In January of 2020 I purchased a used ... read more »
- 2013 Ford Edge: brake booster failure I started noticing issues with my 2013 Ford Edge before I ever had to bring it in. Before it went out, it would malfunction off and on. At the time I noticed my rpms bogging down, my check engine light almost always after hitting a bump while breathing. I would notice the brakes would go out to where I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop. I've noticed that sporadically since 35k miles. January 2018 my brakes when out and this time didn't go back. It would go from a spongy non stopping issue to a hard pedal. I ... read more »
- 2018 Honda Civic: oil mixing with gas Buyer Beware! Honda Canada is selling serval vehicle models including 2018 Honda Civic Ex-t with an undiagnosed engine problem of fuel getting into the oil. I mean excessive fuel causing the oil level to be extremely high, strong gas smell when checking the dipstick, hesitation and a flashing check engine light as well as many other issues. I first noticed the problem in April when my car threw a flashing check engine light and went into limp mode refusing to go above 7kmph. I took it in to Go Honda to be looked ... read more »
- 2017 Honda CR-V: high oil level with gas in oil I am the 2nd owner of a 2017 CRV Touring class which only had 27k miles. After owning it for only a few months I receive a product update letter from Honda regarding a needed software update and A/C control unit replaced. I wasn't experiencing any of the noticeable signs that other owners cited regarding gas smell or heater problems. However, I did have the shift button on the handle come off (cheap part!). As I was enroute to the dealership to have my product update performed my car suddenly lost power from 65 ... read more »
- 2004 Ford F-150: engine turns over, won't start engine stalls/misses/won't start during rain/heavy humidity I have had recurring issues with my 2004 F-150 Lariat 5.4L V8. I noticed that the Engine would occasionally miss or stall or completely shut down leaving me stranded. Eventually after several tries I would get it to fire back up but this morning it would not start at all. I was able to correlate each of these instances to times of heavy rainfall and/or humidity. Trouble code at AutoZone called it P1235 "Fuel Pump Driver Circuit Out of Range". I visually ... read more »
- 2011 Toyota Tundra: reduced power issue My 2011 tundra is showing the P2442 code, which is the secondary air injection pump moisture intrusion code. I found out about the TSB-0160-11 that was released on the 07'-10' models, which fell under the warranty enhancement program. My truck came off of the production line in early December of 2010 and the sold/in service date was late January of 2011. After calling the toll free line (1-800-331-4331) several times, I spoke with a gentleman by the name of Brenton Hughes, who informed me that my truck was not ... read more »
- 2009 Volkswagen GTI: timing chain tensioner failure Volkswagen is very well aware of the potential for failure of the 2.0 TSI engine timing chain tensioner. The ratchetting latch/pawl of the tensioner that should prevent the tensioner from retracting after oil pressure bleeds off when the engine is shut off is poorly secured by the spring clip. If the clip dislodges from the correct position the cam chain will not stay tight and easily will cause the cams to jump timing and allow the pistons to hit valves. Volkswagen and Audi TSI engines with the timing chain were ... read more »
- 2016 Honda Pilot: transmission jerks Pilot had no known issues until the transmission started the jerk/stutter. It started not too long after the 30k service. I was going up a freeway on ramp and immediately noticed the car struggling/jerking a bit until I got up to speed. A huge telltale sign of it was watching the RPM needle jumping as the RPMs were going up. It is supposed to be a linear increase as the RPMs go up. After I let off the gas (speed of traffic already) the problem went away. It happened once in a while after that but I never was able ... read more »
- 1997 Volkswagen Jetta: power door locks don't work properly Last year in January while on a road trip, it got cold far away from home and I got locked out of the car. all four and the trunk. Only thing that worked, since I was actually staying in an auto shop overnight, was to put bullet heater next to car door for about 8-10 mins. Once air inside door warmed up, door opened, but only the one I heated. I heated the rest and got on the road; at next fuel stop I had to climb out window (until I got down south), and that's how it stayed until I got to a warmer clime. Haven't ... read more »
- 2003 Chevrolet Impala: catalytic converter plugged I have a 2003 Impala 3.8L that has developed a problem with the catalytic converter. The tell-tale signs are all there: 1. Sluggish Acceleration 2. Won't downshift to lower gear to pass or when going uphill (i.e. no power) I spoke with Chevy Customer Assistance (1-800-630-2438) and they told me that my SPECIFIC car is not covered. Are you kidding me?!?!? This is a very common problem with this car and when I called them they said it's only for specific vehicles. The 2001-2002 impala's are covered, but not mine! ... read more »
- 2006 GMC Envoy: fuel leaking Fuel pump/sender units on these trucks usually fail and do not give accurate readings. In addition, if you live where it snows, and they use road salt and chemicals, the sending unit tubes rot out and start spraying fuel all over the underside of the car. This is a fire hazard and is very dangerous. GM knows that these fail and they even recalled some earlier years. This should be a safety recall asap. The location traps the road salt and chemicals on the top of the plastic tank, where they sit and corrode the ... read more »
- 2006 Mini Cooper S: steering pump failure I really loved my 2006 MINI Copper S despite how bad she was to me. Driving it always made you forgot how bad the relationship was (like an abusive spouse). I would forgive her and move on...and then her tirade. But time and time again, I'd pay the bill and hope for better days only to leave black, blue and smiling. Her name was Zoe, it meant "love of life' because that's how she made me feel whenever I was with her. Cool month of January, 2014 - I was driving home one day and the lights on the dash danced like ... read more »
- 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid: excessive oil consumption An auto technician told me this is a very common problem (in fact Honda has a recall for the exact same issue) due to the oil viscosity being too thin and allowing the heat to build up. He indicated that (and bear with me here, I'm no mechanic, so some of what I describe is in layman's terms) there are rings around the piston heads that sit in a groove....these rings are supposed to be able to expand and contract. When they expand appropriately, this keeps the engine from burning too much oil by not allowing it to ... read more »
- 2015 Jeep Cherokee: tansmission shifts on its own While going to work, I was pulling out of my driveway. There was a car coming, but was plenty far away enough that I thought I'd have plenty of time to get up to speed and still be far away from him. When I pulled out my tire caught some icy slush. My tire started to spin and my engine revved. My other tires did not engage or pulse as is suppose to happen with traction control system. By now I'm out in the road but I'm spinning. Starting to panic, I accelerate. The car revved and I noticed the rpms had pegged to ... read more »
- 2009 Nissan Versa: muffler neck rusted with hole After searching on the internet, I see dozens of complaints about Nissan Versa muffler systems rusting through or breaking at the flange on vehicles with significantly low mileage, 30,000 and up. The underside of all these vehicles, like mine, look almost brand new, but the muffler is obviously been constructed of inferior quality metal and if subjected to normal northern winter driving it rusts through. It seems like more of a quality control problem for Nissan then a "normal wear and tear" "open your wallet" ... read more »
- 2014 Ford C-Max Hybrid: battery completely dead. car would not start I have now had 8 instances of the dead battery syndrome. Apparently it was "fixed" in the 2015 15B04 program. However, the problem is clearly NOT FIXED. I suspect that there is deliberate fraudulent behavior by the dealer. I have had many conversations about this with my dealership, but they gas-lighted me, saying that I must have left the lights on. Claimed that there was no issue on record for this model. Quoted me $1100 to check the car over. Now, I see that there was a repair program (15B04) in 2015. The ... read more »