GM sends outs Technical Service Bulletins but they DO NOT APPLY to all customers, WHY?

Question

Bought a 2004 Duramax Diesel, now on our 4th set of fuel injectors, no one seems to know they keep failing and GM just keeps replacing them! Now we are nearing the end of our warranty and I just know we are going to have to pick up the 3-4 thousand dollar tab next time! When I asked the GM dealership they assured me that this TSB applies to my particular vehicle, but when questioned in an arbitration hearing the GM rep Mr McWhorter denied it's very existence, after the hearing I went and was able to obtain it from a local dealer! Why is there selective compliance to this TSB. They know they have problem with this particular engine, why would they try to purposely deceive me?

This is a copy of a financial blog post that GMworkerbee sent me just this morning, what do you think???
"I would say that 1 million GM duramax diesel trucks says YOUR wrong. According to what you have said currently your truck does NOT have a problem but you continue to *****. I hope you have a good lawyer. People who continually address a company with false accusations causing public loss of sales and image end up in court where they learn the hard way to SHUT UP. You have been warned"

Answer 1

GM just extended the warranty on the 2003 and 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 models only. How many Chevrolet products have a problem with the electronic instrument cluster? ALL of them since 2001. They claim that due to high demand and short supply they are phasing in the extended warranty on these as supply becomes more available. They are doing the same thing with the intermediate steering shafts. They are also limiting at what date you must have a part fail. For instance, the instrument clusters are limited to one model for only 2 model years, but if you paid to have the cluster replaced on this model BEFORE 9/7/2007, they will not reimburse you for it. Same with the intermediate steering shafts. They have an updated part available for certain models, but TSB on the rest to remove the shaft and relubricate it and reinstall it. It is about the money, as usual. GM is putting out such crap nowadays, KNOWING all of the models have the same defects, but only helping out with certain models. TSBs are usually tossed out there when there isn't a safety issue associated with the failure, but more of a consumer comfort issue. I can't wait for the lawsuits. They are coming ;)... the same thing happened to Toyota on the 1997-2002 engine sludging problems. They were sued to acknowledge the problem, sued again to extend the warranties on the bad engines, and sued again to force them to notify customers of the extended warranty. Toyota tried to keep it quiet. Chevrolet will have no choice but to clean up their act soon, and get these recalls going.

Answer 2

I have had that very problem- one that, of course, does not exist. You are lucky that they helped you in the first place. They do not like to admit they have a problem. Take anything they have told you with a grain of salt.
Dump your truck for another. It has a problem that nobody is going to be trained to find, because they can just sell injectors instead. Your dealer got paid for their work by GM, but soon they will be paid by you and they do not care. The Duramax is a great engine, and I doubt the engine itself is at fault. But fixing the real problem is what they apparently cannot do... unless you tell them you're heading towards Cummins-land unless they do. And if the warrantee is almost up, they probably won't anyway. Sorry this isn't the greatest suggestion, but it's what I would do. Good luck.

Answer 3

A technical bulletin is only a document to help the techs out..more then a few vehicles have this common problem happening so before replacing this part, check and/or replace this one. So many people confuse bulletins with recalls. Recalls deal with safety issues and bulletins are only to advise. I realize you have a problem with the injectors, they, meaning GM hasn't come up with the "best" fix for them. I assure you, if you continue to go to the same dealer, they will honor the problem that you've been having for as long as the dealer empowerment will allow. Dealers have to abide by mfgs guide lines but after warranty they have what they call "policy dollars" and are able to extend warranty and spend money on repairs they deem fit or that fall under an allowable repair. So, as long as you continue to have the same (exact) problem you shouldn't have any problems getting the repairs paid for.

Answer 4

It all boils down to money needed to repair vehicles under warranty...GM is not the only one to keep things quiet or hush-hush or even deny the problem. Many people that bought GM, Chrysler and Ford vehicles in the late 80's to mid 90's got stiffed when their clear coat started peeling and none of the manufacturers recalled them or sent out notices to customers. They cut a deal with the government to only repaint vehicles if a customer complained. So much for honesty and backing up your product.
I would get something in writing that they will extend the warranty on the injectors or ask to trade it in.