DEAR SUZANNE
By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 146 – November 2023 | Wronged
Dear Suzanne,
I am a single father of two and I recently purchased a 2019 Chevy Traverse when I could finally afford to. For years now I had been trying to do something for myself since I had not been able to for so long, at least not until this year. Taking care of two kids on your own does that. This year I promised myself that I would do more “me things” and put myself out there more.
Not too long ago I started making more money and decided it was time to upgrade our vehicle. I paid $60,000 for my car in January, more money than I had ever spent before. I was ecstatic and felt like it was a good deal at the time, but now I’m not so sure. It seems like I just bought a bad car. When I got it, it had a mileage of about 32,000 on it. Since then I’ve put about 6,000 on it, putting it at around 38,000 miles now.
Since driving it out of the lot, I’ve had multiple issues to deal with. The major one is that my car sounds like it was involved in an accident and didn’t get a good fix. I have never had any accidents in it myself, so I’m wondering if the previous owner was in one. When I checked the records on the purchase contract, there was no such detail listed.
POWER STEERING AND STRANGE NOISES
The noise I’ve been hearing sounds like metal on metal scraping each other. These sounds usually happen when I’m either hitting the brakes or when I steer to the right. Strange, I know. To top it off, the check engine light illuminates when the sound begins, and the dash displays a message saying “Reduced power steering, drive carefully”.
Once the issue became too persistent for me to ignore, I took it to the Chevrolet dealership. They said the problem was with the gas pedal, so they changed it and the check engine light went off. I was still curious about the message that mentioned the power steering. Since I wasn’t satisfied, I asked them to take a look at it, but they told me everything was fine with the car.
I ended up taking my car and leaving. Everything was fine for a while until about two months ago. The noise started up again and this time it was louder than before. Also, the check engine lights were back. This time I took the car to another Chevy dealership where I paid a little above $200 for a diagnostics test. They once again didn’t find anything wrong.
Fast forward to a week ago when things took a turn for the worse. There’s this lady I’d been talking to whom I felt a genuine connection with – haven’t felt that in a very long time. Long story short is that we set a dinner date for last week and I was so giddy about it because it seemed I was finally getting back to my old self.
On the day of the date, I dressed up – something I don’t usually do – and I set out for the diner where we would meet. All throughout the date I was praying that everything would go well, but unfortunately it didn’t go as planned.
FROM A TRAVERSE TO A TOY
It first began with the noise coming back up. When I realized it showed no signs of dissipating, I had to pull over. As I turned the steering wheel, it barely responded. I had to turn to the point where it felt like I was driving a toy car.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the steering was difficult to turn, it was just that it didn’t respond as it normally should. On a normal day, the way I was turning the wheel I would have ended up in a ditch, but that was not the case.
To compound an already chaotic situation, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. All the lights were flickering including the check engine light followed by the same message that said “Steering power reduced, drive carefully”. It was then I understood what the dashboard message meant. I had to call the tow company to help me get my car to the dealership.
DINNER DATE RUINED
Remember that in all of this, I was keeping my date waiting at the diner. I had to call her and explain things, but I knew it wasn’t looking good. To her, it probably seemed like I got cold feet and didn’t want to come anymore, basically standing her up. In short, my car troubles ruined what would otherwise have been a great dinner date.
Besides all of the car issues I’m having, there are also some problems with the dealership. Twice now they tried to charge me for what I assumed was covered by the warranty. I’m not a lawyer, but I was under the impression that I had a year of bumper-to-bumper coverage, so why am I paying for anything?
Remembering all of this now I feel so wronged. This wasn’t what I signed up for when I bought the Traverse.
Wronged
Don’t Let Your 2019 Chevy Traverse Be A Third Any Longer
Dear Wronged,
It is clear that you are having issues with the vehicle even if the dealership is unable to replicate the problems. I’m so sorry for the inconveniences you’ve had to deal with. Taking the vehicle to the dealer for these sorts of serious problems at your low mileage is definitely unusual. This supports the idea that your vehicle is defective.
Now, if your dealer is playing games with you, it is important to get your lemon law case started as soon as possible while you’re still at low miles. This is to avoid any form of deductions from the settlement and helps to prevent the dealership from countering the issues you’ve been having.
If you are having these kinds of issues this early on, it is usually best to get rid of it. This is because many hard to pinpoint issues like this only get worse down the line. This would pose a huge problem to you when the vehicle is no longer within the manufacturer’s warranty period.
If your car is deemed a lemon, you will be seeking compensation for the issues you’ve been dealing with. There are a couple of common options available to you.
OPTIONS FOR COMPENSATION
The first option is the buyback. It is a case where the manufacturer buys back the vehicle from you and pays back all that you have spent on the vehicle. With this option, you receive any down payment, monthly payments, taxes, and interest that you may have spent on the car. In addition, you get a reimbursement from the automaker for any loans taken out on the vehicle. With this we often see the owner’s credit actually improve.
The only deduction that they can take from the settlement is the mileage offset. This means that the manufacturers reserve the right to charge you for the number of miles you drove the car without any issues. It will be based on your mileage on your first visit. Regardless of your mileage, your attorney may be able to waive this mileage offset in half or in full.
The second option is called the cash and keep. The cash and keep is simply you receiving cash compensation for all the inconveniences you’ve experienced with the vehicle. This option allows you to keep the vehicle and your warranty will not get voided or canceled. Moreover, if you wish to later sell your vehicle, you can do so without having to deem it a lemon to the next owner.
LEMON LAW TIPS
As for your attorney fees, you have nothing to worry about. Since you purchased your car in California, a very customer-friendly state, all lemon law cases get taken on contingency. This means that you will not get charged anything as they are all taken care of by the automakers. As a result, the entire original settlement goes to you.
Hopefully you’re able to explain to your date what happened and I hope she’s understanding. It’s not your fault the manufacturer made a defective vehicle, but at least there’s something we can do about it. In case of any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to your attorney. Best of luck!
Suzanne
PS. If you think your vehicle sucks and want to actually do something about it, you definitely can! Find out quickly if you have a case by visiting www.yourvehiclesucks.com right now. This website is owned by our partner law firm Quill & Arrow LLP, California’s #1 “settled” Lemon Law attorneys.
Free Legal Advice About Your 2019 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 California 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 Lawyer to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.
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Featured Image:
- 2019 Chevy Traverse ©Wagon Master Johnson (CC BY-SA 4.0 License)
