1997 Chevrolet Lumina

I NOTICED THE SMELL OF GASOLINE. INITIAL SEARCHES FOR THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK WERE UNSUCCESSFUL, BUT AFTER1 - 2 WEEKS IT GOT WORSE AND I WAS ABLE TO FIND IT EASILY. THE PRESSURE REGULATOR WAS LEAKING. I CHECKED FOR A RELATED RECALL AND FOUND THAT UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGULATORS (UPR'S) PRODUCED AFTER 1/9/07 HAD BEEN RECALLED, BUT MINE, I BELIEVE, IS THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PRESSURE REGULATOR. NEVERTHELESS, IT MAY HAVE A DESIGN DEFECT. THE CAR HAS ABOUT 161,000 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT FAILURE OF A PART WITH THAT MANY MILES ON IT WOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO A RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A SAFETY-RELATED FAILURE. I SOUGHT OUT THE NHTSA SITE TO TRY TO FIND OUT IF THAT IS THE CASE, OR NOT. THE "INCIDENT DATE" NOTED BELOW IS THE DATE I FOUND THE LEAK. NO DAMAGE WAS DONE, AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. *TR

ON JUNE 8, 2004 MY DAUGTER INFORMED ME THAT SHE AND HER MOM HAVE BEEN SMELLING A STRONG ODER OF GAS IN THE CAR. WHEN I CHECKED THE CAR I FOUND LARGE PUDDLE OF GAS UNDER THE CAR. I MOVED THE CAR AND TOUCHED IT, SMELLED IT AND IT WAS GAS, I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND FOUND THE GAS TANK WAS DRIPPING. WHEN I GOT HOME I CHECKED AND FOUND A ROUND RUSTED AREA ABOUT THE SIZE OF DIME. BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION, IT APPEARED TO BE LOCATED RIGHT UNDER THE FUEL PUMP. THERE WAS NO VISIBLE EXTERIOR DAMAGE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS FROM THE OUTSIDE. TODAY, JUNE JUNE 12, 2004 I DISCONNECTED THE FUEL LINES REMOVED THE TANK AND PUMPED THE GAS OUT AND DISCOVERED THAT THE FUEL PUMP FILTER, WHICH IS LOCATED UNDER THE FUEL PUMP, HAS CAUSED THE PROBLEM. IT RUSTED WHERE THE BRASS FILTER SCREEN HAS BEEN RUBBING ON THE TANK.*AK THE REASON IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE DESIGN OF THE FUEL PUMP, ONCE THE PUMP IS DROPPED IN THE FUEL TANK THE PUMP IS HELD UNDER SPRING PRESSURE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK. IN TIME THE CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE, AS WELL AS FUEL, SLOSHING IN THE TANK HAS CAUSE THE FILTER TO RUB AGANIST THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK AND HAS DAMAGED THE SPECIAL COATING THAT G.M. LITERATURE SAYS THE TANK IS COVERED WITH. ONCE THIS COATING WORE OFF, THE TANK BEGAN RUSTING AND THE BRASS FUEL FILTER SHOWS THE DISCOLORATION FROM THE ELECTROLISIS CREATED BY THE CONTACT WITH THE STEEL TANK. THIS IS ALSO A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, WHICH CAN LEAD TO AN EXPLOSION. IN FACT MY WIFE WAS GLAD YESTERDAY THAT SHE WAS DRIVING WITH OUR DAUGHTER IN OUR CONVERSION VAN WHEN SHE WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT TWO DAYS AGO. SHE FELT THAT THE CAR COULD HAVE EXPLODED IF SHE HAD BEEN REAR ENDED IN THIS CAR. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM THAT I THINK NHTSA SHOULD LOOK INTO AND HAVE GM RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND REPAIR THESE DEFECTS PLEASE LET ME KNOW IS THERE IS ANY SAFETY RECALL ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM.

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE STALLED. THIS CAUSED CONSUMER TO DRIFT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT DEALER COULD NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER EXPERIENCED LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WHILE EXITING THE HIGHWAY; HOWEVER, CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE AND DRIVE HIS WAY HOME. AS CONSUMER INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, GAS WAS SPRAYED AROUND AND WERE DRIPPING FROM THE HOOD TO THE WINDSHIELD. ALSO, CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE FUEL LINE WAS LOOSE. *LA

MY WIFE HAD BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL THAT SHE COULD SMELL WHILE BOTH IN HER VEHICLE DRIVING, AS WELL AS, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SHE WAS OUTSIDE OF IT. I INVESTIGATED AND DETECTED A STRONG ODOR OF FUEL AS WELL. WE THEN HAD OUR MECHANIC INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM FURTHER AND HE DISCOVERED THAT THE TOP OF THE FUEL TANK WAS SEVERELY CORRODED, AS WELL AS, IN THE AREA OF THE TANK'S SEAM. THE MORE FUEL IN THE TANK, THE WORSE THE RELEASE OF FUEL VAPORS BECOMES, AS THE TANK ITSELF BECOMES SATURATED DUE TO THE SEVERE CORROSION. MY MECHANIC TRIED TO LOCATE A NEW FUEL TANK THROUGH A LOCAL DEALERSHIP BUT SOON DISCOVERED THAT THE FUEL TANK FOR THIS VEHICLE IS NOT AVAILABLE. THERE ARE NO AFTER MARKET, NEW OR SALVAGE TANKS AVAILABLE FOR THE 1997 LUMINA - NATIONWIDE. I FILED A REPORT WITH GENERAL MOTORS 1(800) NUMBER ON DECEMBER 23RD, 2002. THE DEALERSHIP ALSO OPENED A SPAC CASE THROUGH THEIR PARTS NETWORK. I HAVE FOLLOWED UP WITH GM'S 1 (800) NUMBER TWICE SINCE. THERE ARE NO FUEL TANKS AVAILABLE FOR THIS VEHICLE. I AM BEING TOLD THAT THERE MAY BE A TANK AVAILABLE IN LATE FEBRUARY OR MARCH BUT NO ONE CAN GIVE ME A DATE. ALL I'M BEING TOLD IS THAT EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE IS BEING DONE. MY LOG NUMBER WITH GM'S 1 (800) NUMBER IS 1-57851557. I HAVE NOW BEEN WITHOUT A VEHICLE (DUE TO SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS) FOR OVER FIVE WEEKS. RESEARCHING EXISTING COMPLAINTS, THE FOLLOWING EXHIBIT THE SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEM OR COULD BE SOMEHOW RELATED: 567617, 725489, 769287, 785477, 816599, 8013382, 8020645. TODAY, WITH NO FUEL TANKS AVAILABLE, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW MANY PROBLEMS HAVE GONE UNREPORTED.