The Case of the Swinging Surburban
Mike and Marcelle Powers of Elk Grove loved their new 1999 GM Chevrolet Suburban. But the honeymoon was short-lived. The $50,000 sport-utility vehicle did not know how to stop on a dime. Instead it tried to take over the entire road -- even swerving into oncoming lanes. It caught fire. It broke down, leaving Marcelle and their two children stranded.
Finally, the Powers lost confidence in the vehicleand in General Motors. Despite a litany of horrors, GM failed to fix their car and lowballed them on terms for trading it back to the dealership. Unwilling to take a loss of thousands of dollars, the Powers persisted.
Mike spoke on behalf of consumers at CARS' news conference. He got some satisfaction out of telling reporters about his harrowing experiences and treatment at the hands of GM. After the news conference, Powers invited reporters to videotape his lemon Suburban, festooned with lemon signs.
Shortly afterward, GM said they would finally agree to give him the full refund he was entitled to by law. He also heard they were inundated with inquiries from other GM lemon owners. Now he is just waiting for his check. And looking forward to driving a peach.
"Because of my work, I know what can happen to people when something goes really wrong on the road," said Powers, a law enforcement official. "No one should be put in a position where you buy a new car for protection, but it's actually more likely to cause a crash."
