Greetings to the motoring public.
This information is at a .GOV INTERNET SITE FOR FREE.
Consumer protection information below! Important for all to read.
The public should insure that this .gov site is never deleted!
I have worked in the automotive computer software industry for over
15 years and I view this as the consumers best source for protection.
I am posting this message/warning to all places I can find that
might be able to use the information below to help the public
protect car, truck, & van owners.
I am sorry if this seems to be another useless spam, but my last
employer has terminated me and has not paid compensation promised
by a given date. I am diabetic and have just run out of money and
insulin. I now have a check that is being held for two days by the
bank 9 Nov. 1997. I wanted this information to be made available to
everyone possible in the event I am not able to print this at a
later date in a book I am working on.
I hope those smart-ass lawyers and the employer rep' who said I was
a web page genius and then laughed at me when I replied that I wasn't
being paid like one can laugh this off as easy.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The location (URL) for this free information is located at the
NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
http://www.racesimcentral.net/
From the front page select Problems & Issues or
http://www.racesimcentral.net/
From the Problems & Issues page select Technical Service Bulletins or
http://www.racesimcentral.net/
This page allows the Make, Model, and Year of a vehicle to be
entered to search the Service Bulletins Database.
The resulting list of data MAY CONTAIN KEY WORDS that should cause
action to be taken by the owner to have potential serious problems
fixed. Many of these problems may be covered under
Also don't forget to check the Recall Database too. Might be that
your vehicle may already have had a recall issued.
As for my personal experience. I had a 1987 vehicle that was
stalling (engine quit dead) at various times. Back then when the car
was new, I didn't know how 'picky' to be. For me the question was how
often is to much. However! in my I had access at that time to the
company computer release libraries and had found that a "service PROM"
had been released to fix the problems I was experiencing.
I was surprised that I had not seen a recall since the car was new
and it was stalling dead with no unusual driving conditions and
I assumed at that time a recall would be issued soon.
So I took mine back to the dealership on 7 April 1988 and the PROM
part number 16081290 was changed under warranty while I waited.
A PROM is a computer part that contains the Software and/or
Calibration information that can control the vehicle engine. (or not)
/////////////////////////////////////
Your use of the data available becomes a personal choice.
Go fix things yourself, getting back to the dealership for repairs,
litigation, doing nothing etc..
The problems listed in the database is anything from defective trim,
to important mechanical parts, to computer program/calibration flaws.
If I were new to viewing this data, I would find out all I could about
anything that was on a list for my vehicle.
When the information is returned, you can search for KEY words by
using the Netscape Edit selection FIND.
Key words might be things you would be real worried about like
STALL, DIES, FIRE, etc. Pick your own key words after you read
several bulletins. If you don't have an old vehicle and the list
is short you can practice using another make, model, and year.
I don't have any reason to believe that unreported & potentially
serious problems are limited to any particular manufacturer,
model, or year; or that there are any other situations like the
one I had.
Also note that recent vernacular has changed to list problems to be
written about as "quality spills" to mask important problems in
the general discussions of quality.
I am now unemployed and searching for a new position and I can not
answer questions because, I am writing a book to sell to make
up for the lost money I should have got when I separated with my
last employer. I believe that my career has been destroyed by
my last employer through age discrimination and that is the story
I am putting in a second book. The way I was treated, the process
of the litigation, the discriminatory actions I believe were taken
against me, how this can happen to anyone, and what they should
be aware of.
Anyone know of a good/honest publisher?
Have a safe drive y'all. :-)
//////////////////////////////////////
MY EXAMPLE today 7 November 1997=======>
From the NHTSA:
Recall Database
There were no matching records for your entry: buick century 1987.
---------------
From the NHTSA:
Service Bulletin Number: 87-6E-8
Bulletin Sequence Number: 078
Date of Bulletin: 8706
NHTSA Item Number: 91717
Make: BUICK
Model: CENTURY
Year: 1987
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT
Summary: ENGINE DOES NOT STAY RUNNING ON INITIAL COLD START,
INTERMITTENTLY WILL NOT STAY RUNNING ON DECEL, OR EXHIBITS A FALSE
CODE 32 OR E032-IF BASIC ENGINE CONTROLS AND SYSTEMS PERFORMING
PROPERLY AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED BY USING SERVICE AND DIAG NOSTIC
PROCEDURES NECESSARY TO INSTALL A NEW SERVICE PROM-PROMIS PART
NUMBER CUR RENTLY AVAILABLE THROUGH GENERAL MOTORS PARTS
OPERATION-ALL 1987 BUICK CENTURYS, LESABRES, ELECTRAS AND RIVIERA
EQUIPPED WITH 3.8L SFI ENGINES (VIN CODE 3)
---------------
From the NHTSA:
Service Bulletin Number: 87-6E-6
Bulletin Sequence Number: 105
Date of Bulletin: 8701
NHTSA Item Number: 92377
Make: BUICK
Model: CENTURY
Year: 1987
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT
Summary: ENGINE SAG, HESITATION, OR POOR DRIVEABILITY-ON A TIP-IN
MANEUVER FROM STANDING START OR AFTER A COLD START-A NEW SERVICE
PROM FROM GMS O, PART NO. 16072835, SH OULD BE INSTALLED-ALL 1987
BUICK CENTURYS WITH LR8 2.5L L4 ENGINES (VIN CODE R), FEDERAL AND
CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS
end of file##########################################################