When a vehicle slips through any one of the many stages of quality control with a serious performance issue, then the affected consumer would expect that the manufacturer would have a deep and genuine concern to investigate why their product has performed below what has come to be known as an ?industry standard?. When an intake manifold gasket leaks engine coolant on a GM vehicle that is less than 3 years old and has less than 25,000 miles on the odometer, then this also is an example of premature, but not unheard of, behavior. If the same engine develops another leak of the same nature within one year AND 3,000 miles of the first replacement, AND the service was performed by an AUTHORIZED GM DEALER, then there is a strong indication that there is an underlying problem that is no longer under the control of the GM DEALER, but is an issue that should be directed to the engineers and designers of the vehicle. Two intake manifold gasket replacements within a 4 year / 30,000 mile period is certainly ?sub-standard? behavior from virtually all mechanics? and consumers? point of view and experience, and that a truly concerned and customer receptive company would, without hesitation, conduct an investigation as to where the inferior component or procedure resides. A company concerned about the economy where they conduct their business and the people that purchase there products on good faith would expeditiously engage in a thorough investigation? unless, of course, they already knew where the error existed and were being less than forthcoming about their discoveries. Well, let?s take the above scenario just ONE STEP FURTHER. What if the above vehicle was diagnosed by an AUTHORIZED GM DEALER for the THIRD TIME to have an intake manifold leak of the same nature, with barely 12,000 miles since the previous replacement and 40,000 total original miles, on the same well-maintained car, owned by a conscientious person that was insistent on performing preventative maintenance - would you then agree that, in all fairness to the affected consumer(s), this vehicle has NOT met the conditions of a product as described under the legal definition of ?Warranty?, that is, to be a product free of defective materials or workmanship. This vehicle has NEVER met the requirements set forth and understood by both parties? not since the day it left the factory! This vehicle has never been defect free, and has yet to exhibit the ability to perform through a ?normal? mileage AND time period WITHOUT an intake manifold leak! There is an indigenous defect associated with this motor, and the experiences described within this paragraph have unfortunately been my own. My car is a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am 3.1L V6. If you have had Intake Manifold Gasket failures under warranty and now your out of warranty but still under 50,000 please email Linda and Paul at snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com with a concise brief letter explaining your issue. Please include what organizations you have filed a claim with, case number issued to you, and all results of the claim you filed, wheather it's the BBB, General Motors Customer Service. Please be able to provide proof of work/repair done at authorized General Motors dealership in regards to your Intake Manifold Gasket repair. I am gathering information for a class action suit I am persuing. I have retained a class action lawyer to review all evidence I can provide to them of my own records and other consumer records that will substatiate a solid case against General Motors.
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18 years ago