This Is Disturbing, GM!

Last August, my Dad gave Josh his car. It's in my name, but that Buick Regal is what Josh drives. It's old, but it runs well. It technically still runs well. It just might ignite on fire within 5 minutes of the engine being turned off. But I didn't hear that officially from Buick or GM yet!

There is an article in about a recall. This wasn't the article, but it's the same recall.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/10/27/autos/gm-recall-fire/

After reading about this my anxiety kicked in. I went to the GM website. The had a link to Buick where I talked to a representative. After providing Josh's VIN number, they informed me of the following:

Yes, that car is being recalled. We don't have a remedy yet. We'll send a letter when there is a remedy. We don't know if it's safe to drive or not. You have to ask the mechanic at the dealer.

Flash to the next day when Josh called the dealer's service department:

I don't even know the recall you're talking about. Oh, there it is, in my email. I won't know if it's safe to drive until we get the remedy.

This is what could happen. A leak could form in the gas tank. If it does, thanks to erosion, it could burst into fire five to fifteen minutes after being turned off. That means anything near it could catch fire and people too close or in nearby structures could die.

No one has died yet. A couple of structures have burned down. But, damage overall has been minimal. So they take their time. Why do a large number of innocent people have to loose their lives for this to be taken seriously? Oh, right, lawsuits. There is no urgency if they aren't being sued for a lot of money. Frankly, a murder charge is more realistic in that scenario. They know people could die right now. It's a risk they are taking. It's murder if it happens.

But the court won't see it as murder. Corporations are human enough to force a religion on people. But not human enough to be properly punished for, say, the corporate version of a Ponzi scheme that ruined the economy. Or for not rushing to get dangerous vehicles off the road. That car is so old instead of a recall they should just offer a free upgrade!

Thanks to Hobby Lobby, businesses are people. That means they need to answer for their crimes just like people too. Not someone low on the ladder, but, the dumb ass who went for cheaper materials to help the profit margin. The inferior materials now risking lives.

That's disturbing but common. People's lives are in danger whenever they turn these cars on. But the makers aren't formally saying anything because they don't know how to fix it. Wouldn't the "remedy" be to replace the gas tank? We are in complete limbo before anything can be fixed. Yet Josh has to move quickly as soon as that engine is off. Great idea! take the dude with a hip replacement and make him run for his life whenever he gets to work or home from work.

Warning: don't leave an empty parking space next to you. Your car can burn if one of these ticking time bombs pulls next to you. Most owners don't know about this recall. We haven't gotten letters yet. So no one will do something different unless they read that article or this blog post. Even then, we don't know what to do! The last ignition recall simply said to not have other keys on the keychain. Okay, we can do that, but that's just too simple to work this time.

Zach used to ride in that car. After reading about this recall, we've changed things. Zach can only ride in my car. Josh only drives where absolutely necessary. At the pizza place his boss is letting him use the restaurant's truck. I drive everywhere else.

My main concern is that he has to start the car twice sometimes to get it going. That can't be a good sign when the recall has to do with an ignition problem!!! When exactly will this letter arrive? It could be Monday, It could be Monday, October 24, 2016.

It's disturbing that companies put lives in danger. They take their time announcing a recall. They take their time sending out the letters! They take their time forming a remedy. His car wasn't on any previous recalls. Neither was the GMC Envoy he used to drive. It seemed like they were the only two NOT recalled by GM!. So I'm not surprised now. But it's mostly disturbing that Buick and GM won't be held accountable for what happens in the time it's taking them to solve the problem. There is no hurry until enough people have suffered.