DEAR SUZANNE
By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 187 – From Scared Father
Dear Suzanne,
I once read somewhere that when raising kids, it’s a struggle to keep them from hurting themselves. If I’m being sincere, I couldn’t agree more. Even with adults supervising these kids, they always seem to find a way to put themselves in harm’s way. I understand why parents hire nannies to take care of and monitor their kids. I now have a nanny that takes care of my kids when I’m not around, so I’m speaking from experience.
Now, you may be wondering how the beginning of this letter relates to my car, but I’ll get to that soon enough. I drive a 2021 Chevrolet Traverse that I purchased brand new. I got it sometime late in 2021 not long after our son was born. It was the perfect SUV that would comfortably serve the family size I wanted and it was also budget-friendly.
My Traverse is now up to about 27,000 miles. At first, when I got it, I didn’t have any problems with the car. But in recent months, it’s been issue after issue.
Engine Failure
According to my research on 2021 Traverse models, I realized that the majority had the same issue as mine: engine failure. Several complaints stated that these engine failures usually came up after hitting a particular mileage that I had yet to reach. I was pretty confused when I first experienced problems with the engine.
The first day I had this problem, the car shut off while I was driving to work. It first sputtered and stuttered before it finally just died. I tried restarting the engine over and over again but to no success. In the end, I had to call the tow truck service to come take my car to the Chevrolet dealership.
There, they said it was a minor issue that could be fixed immediately. So I waited for them to finish, then I went on my way. I don’t remember what exactly they did, but it was quick.
Only two weeks after this visit, the same scenario happened where the engine just died. I took it in once more and they said they could do a quick fix, but by this second visit, I was already wiser and I told them to take their time. I did not want another case where I’d have to return because the same issue popped up again. They said that they fixed it a couple of days later and I went to pick up my car.
After that visit, things were going fine, until they weren’t.
Difficulty In Power Steering Handling
A few months after the engine issues were allegedly fixed, I encountered my second problem. This one was related to the power steering and how difficult it was to control the wheels. For no reason, the steering wheel suddenly became hard to turn and it was like I was trying to steer a ship.
You already know how big an SUV is and how difficult it is to maneuver compared to smaller vehicles. With this issue with the power steering, it was so much more cumbersome and difficult to maneuver. One weird thing about this problem is the fact that it comes and goes. Today, it could be difficult to steer and the next day, it’s back to normal.
I have taken it to the dealership two or three times but they don’t seem to have a solution for this. It’s always the same song – “we can’t replicate the problem”.
My Car Problems And My Son
This is about the day I almost lost my son to a very ridiculous accident. Early on when my son was still very young, we discovered he had an allergy to peanuts. As a result, we had to get him an Epipen that was always on our person wherever we went.
On this particular day, I left my son at home with the nanny alongside everything he needed including the Epipen, or so I thought. It was a Saturday and I needed to be at work for an impromptu business meeting. So I called the nanny, she came over, I handed over the Epipen, and then left for work.
About 10 minutes after I drove out of the garage, I received a call from the nanny and she was wailing. I asked her to calm down and explain things. She told me she made the mistake of leaving a chocolate bar containing peanuts lying around. My son saw it and took a bite which led to him having an allergic reaction. I asked her to use the epipen that I gave her, but she said she didn’t know where she put it and couldn’t find it.
I did a quick U-turn and sped home as fast as I could. I always keep a spare Epipen in the car with me just in case. Considering that my car was more difficult to steer, this was a difficult feat to pull off. Eventually, I got home and I saw the reaction was already taking its toll, he was already swelling up.
I’m not even sure how I got out of the car, but I flew out and in a second I was by my son’s side. I injected him with the Epipen, and after several long seconds, he began to calm down as I held him tightly. I couldn’t believe how close I had come to losing him, but fortunately, the reaction started out fairly mild before getting worse. That was our only saving grace.
In addition, thinking back on it, the cumbersome steering of my car did not make things any easier. If it had been any worse, I may not have gotten there in time.
It’s all well and good I guess, but I know it wouldn’t hurt to think about getting this car off my hands. I think it’s high time I find a way out before anything worse happens. What do you advise?
Scared Father
Lemon Law Gives You A Way Out Of Your 2021 Chevrolet Traverse
Dear Scared Father,
It is a scary thing to go through the emotions that come with almost losing a loved one, especially a child. I totally understand your urgency in wanting to get rid of this car. Fret not, the lemon law is here for you! Let’s look into what makes your vehicle a lemon.
The court deems a vehicle as a lemon if you have taken it two times for the same issue or three times for different issues while under warranty. That said, filing a lemon case means you submit a lawsuit against the manufacturer claiming they sold you a defective vehicle. With this in mind, your attorney will help you go after one of two options.
The Buyback Offer
The first is called the buyback offer. Here, the manufacturers buy the vehicle back from you and pay you back everything you’ve ever paid for the vehicle. This includes your down payment and monthly payments, as well as your taxes and interest. Also, if you still owe anything on the vehicle, they pay the loan off to the finance company. This way, your credit remains unaffected.
However, the manufacturers may try to take advantage of something called the mileage offset. This offset 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.
Regardless of the mileage you were at during that period, your attorney can argue to waive this fee either in half or in full. Also, they will fight to get you more compensation in addition to the buyback settlement.
The Cash And Keep Option
The second option is the cash and keep. This is basically where the manufacturers say “Don’t sue us android we’ll pay you for your troubles”. Here, you are more than welcome to keep the car and its warranty remains valid. Also, if and when you decide to sell your car, you do not have to tag it as a lemon to the next owner.
With this option, you will receive cash compensation based on certain factors. These conditions include the number of times you’ve taken the vehicle in, the type of issues you had, and how long the car stayed at the dealership.
Now, because you purchased your car in California, submitting a lemon law case is completely free for you. This is because most lemon law cases are taken on contingency. This means that the manufacturing company settles all of your legal bills. In addition, the total original settlement won will be going to your account.
Be sure to continue to take it in during the lemon claim process, as every repair order will strengthen your case. If you have any questions, your attorney is the best resource around. I hope you’re able to get into a reliable ride soon. Best of luck!
Suzanne
Featured Image: 2021 Chevrolet Traverse ©WaddlesJP13 (CC Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 license)
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 help@lemonlawyers.org. 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 California Lemon Law Attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.
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