2021 Chevy Traverse Almost Cost Us Our Unborn Child

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 83 – January 2023 | Angry And Disturbed

Dear Suzanne, 

When you own a car that has had no accidents or aftermarket parts, you expect it to run smoothly. Sadly, this is not the case with my 2021 Chevy Traverse which has a mileage of just 28,000. 

To be fair, the first few months after I purchased the car, I enjoyed driving but in recent times, it has been nothing but a heck of a burden. The first issue was with the exhaust pipe that we discovered was cracked so I took it to the Chevrolet dealership for repairs. Once they were done, I left and for a couple of days, my car was okay. 

However, some days after this first visit, the check engine light came on and so I had to take it back to the dealer. They checked through the car but they were unable to discover where the problem was so I then left with my car. 

The second issue was due to the brakes that kept on malfunctioning incessantly. The first time this issue came up, I was returning from the hospital with my pregnant wife and we reached a stop light. As we were approaching, I pressed down on the brakes but my car did not respond. I kept on hitting the brakes but still nothing, the car only came to a stop after hitting the pavement. Luckily for us, the damage wasn’t so bad so we returned the car to the dealer and they repaired the faulty brakes. 

While driving back home, the check engine light came on once again and I called the dealership to let them know. I was told to bring it back in three days which I did but by that time, the light had gone off. However, they said they would still check it out, which they did. When I got the paperwork, I saw that all they did was reboot the programming stuff. 

Now, to the main incident that almost cost me both my wife and unborn child. Like I said before, my wife was pregnant, at least not until last two weeks ago when she gave birth. On this fateful night, I got back from work and went straight to bed because I was dead tired only for me to wake up to groaning sounds later that night. 

I asked her what was wrong and she said it seemed like the baby was on its way. This came as a shock to me as she was about a week early but there was no time to think about that. I immediately stood up and began carrying her to the car so we could be on our way to the hospital. 

We got into the car and I started the engine but it refused to turn over. I tried it over and over but the engine failed to start up so I began to think of alternatives. I called my neighbor and fortunately, he was awake so I explained my predicament to him and he offered to drive us instead. 

We got to the hospital just in time and my wife was rushed to the delivery ward. The doctors there told us we were lucky to have brought her in early or else there might have been some nasty ass complications. Thinking back, I was imagining what I would have done if my neighbor had not been available. 

Between my first visit to the dealer and now which is my fifth visit, I haven’t put in more than 2000 miles and that says a lot about the state of the car. All these that I’ve said and more are the issues I’ve experienced with my car, the scariest of them being that I almost lost my wife and kid in one night. I can’t wait to get this car off my hands and be done over with it. I just want to know what options are available to me regarding lemon law. 

 
Angry And Disturbed. 

 
Watch: Know Your Rights: Chevrolet Lemon Law Buyback Information You Need to Be Aware Of

 

Your Lemon Vehicle Needs To Be Discarded

Dear Angry And Disturbed, 

First of all, let me say congratulations and I hope your wife and newborn kid are okay. Also, sorry about the issues you experienced with your car but it definitely does qualify to start a lemon law case. 

Sometimes, some of these issues are not necessarily the mechanic’s or the dealership’s fault but rather the manufacturers’. This is because the dealership is only doing its best in wrapping a band-aid around the defective vehicle that was built by the automakers. This is why you keep taking your vehicle in and they find it impossible to figure out what exactly is wrong. 

Now, your vehicle is considered a lemon if you have taken it two times for the same issue or three times for different issues. And at 28,000 miles, you have taken the car to the dealer five times, which is a lot for that mileage. It makes it seem like the car has spent more time at the dealership than with you. 

Now, submitting a lemon case is simply submitting a lawsuit against the manufacturer because they sold you a defective vehicle. Your attorney helps you to get one of three options. 

The first is the buyback which is when the manufacturers buy back the vehicle from you and they pay you what you’ve already paid for the vehicle. It includes your down payment and monthly payments, as well as your taxes and interest. If you’re still owing on the vehicle, they pay that off also to the finance company so that it doesn’t affect your credit negatively. 

What the manufacturers try to exploit in this situation is known as the mileage offset and it is the right they have to charge you for the period you drove the car without any problems. They usually base this on your car mileage at the time of your first visit to the dealer. 

Now, irrespective of the mileage you were at during that period, your attorney can argue to waive this fee either in full or half. Also, they can also fight to get you more compensation in addition to the buyback settlement so that you not only get what you paid for the vehicle but more. Find out more about the Chevrolet Lemon Law Buyback settlement option here.

The second option is the cash and keep and this is the option where the manufacturers say “don’t sue us but we’ll pay you for your troubles”. With this, you are more than welcome to keep the car and its warranty, and also, if and when you later decide to sell off your car, you do not have to tag it as a lemon. Here, you will be receiving cash compensation based on the number of times you’ve taken the vehicle in, the type of issues you’ve been experiencing with the car, and how long it spent at the dealership. 

The third option is a trade-in in which they swap your car with another one of approximately the same value and the same miles as yours has at the moment. However, of all the options, it is the one that is the least recommended. This is because you run the risk of receiving a defective vehicle as a replacement and beginning a whole new lemon process on such a vehicle would be very stressful. 

Now, because you purchased your car in California, submitting a lemon law case is completely free to you because all lemon law cases are taken on contingency. This means that all legal bills are settled by the manufacturing company. In addition, the total settlement won will be going over to your account. 

The whole process may take between 6 to 9 months to finalize and if within that period you still have issues with the car, you are free to take it to the dealership for repairs. However, always make sure to collect the complementary paperwork for each repair as it is proof of your vehicle’s defects.

Suzanne

Free Legal Advice About Your 2021 Chevrolet Traverse Lemon Law Claim

Dear reader, are your vehicle problems ruining your life? Confused about what legal route to take? We’re here to help! Find information about California’s lemon law protections here, fill out the form on this page, or give us a call at (323) 553-7525 to discuss your situation with someone who understands how frustrating it can be to have a lemon car, and what to do about it.

DEAR SUZANNE is a weekly column written by Suzanne Henderson and published in LemonLawyers.ORG. If you have a defective lemon vehicle and have questions about CA Lemon Lawyer or how to file a claim in California, please write to [email protected]. While not guaranteed, we will try to feature your letter in this column to provide you the answers you need, as well as enlighten other consumers who may have lemon problems similar to yours.

Disclaimer: Suzanne Henderson is not a lawyer and the points discussed here are intended for general information and reference purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult a CA Lemon Law Attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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Featured Image:

• 2021 Chevrolet Traverse ©RL GNZLZ (CC BY 2.0 License)