Shortly after purchasing a new Hyundai Entourage in 2009, a Tulsa family started to have problems with the mini vans side door opening while they were parked or backing down the driveway. After two years, 12 repair attempts, and over 65 days in the shop, the problem still wasn’t fixed. When the company finally offered to replace the vehicle, the manufacturer no longer carried a vehicle that would work for the family. The company agreed to buy back the van under the state’s lemon laws, but the offer did not include paying off a $22,000 loan on the vehicle. The family went to 2News Problem Solvers, who contacted the manufacturer and eventually got the families money to go buy a vehicle that suited them.

The story eventually had a happy ending, and the TV station got a good story, but under the California lemon law, the problem should have been solved much sooner. Because the requirements of the lemon laws are technical, and different manufacturers may interpret their obligations differently, it is important that you contact a qualified California lemon law firm to protect your rights.

The law offices of Delsack & Associates have over 23 years of California law experience. The legal services provided by the Law Offices of Delsack & Associates are FREE in most lemon law cases. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making only one toll free call to our offices at 888-395-3666 or completing and submitting our Lemon Law questionnaires. Find out if you qualify under California’s lemon law and Get Rid Of Your Lemon Vehicle Today!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into General Motors electric hybrid vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt. The investigation comes after a battery fire consumed three vehicles at their test facility, two weeks after performing side impact and rollover tests. Follow-up tests to simulate the incident resulted in two out of three vehicles resulting in a thermal reaction within the battery. According to the NHTSA there have been no reports of real world crashes resulting in fire.

GM has assured customers the the Chevy Volt’s fire risk after an accident is lower than any standard gas engine vehicles. The company said that the vehicles OnStar safety system notifies the company of any crashes involving a Chevy Volt and a team is dispatched within 48 hours to drain the battery. GM has offered to buy back vehicles or offer loaner cars at the customers request. If the investigation should lead to a recall, over 6,000 Volts could be affected.

Like any other small business owner, California lemon law attorney Kurt Delsack is trying to keep his expenses down, so when he noticed and unauthorized charge on his phone bill, he decided to investigate. The charges came from a third-party billing company called Operated Assistant Network (OAN), and according to Kurt’s investigation, he wasn’t the only person being scammed.

The Federal Communications Commission says about 15 to 20 million households are overcharged on their telephone landlines, costing consumers almost $2 billion a year. Also known as, “cramming”, the overcharges come from third party billing companies for features like voice mail and call waiting. Because these charges are buried within the phone bill only about 5% of households even realize that they are victims.

Don’t become a victim. There is something you can do:

  • Know your phone bill, so you can recognize unusual charges. Most local phone companies require you to opt out or shut off any third party billing, so make sure you contact your phone company to do so.
  • Don’t provide your name, address and phone number for promotions, coupons and sweepstakes without knowing exactly where it’s going. That’s how scammers get your OK to charge you.
  • Contact your phone company right away to dispute any charges you didn’t authorize. You should also contact the third party provider and make sure they are permanently removed from your bill.
  • .

After Kurt talked to Verizon, they reimbursed him for one year of the charges. But now he checks his bill more carefully.

Consumer Reports’ 2011 annual car reliability survey, seems to mimic JD Power & Associates annual automobile quality study, by reporting that the overall quality of 2011 vehicles has dropped. Ford, suffering the biggest drop, went from 5th to 23th spot, the biggest drop for any major automaker in Consumer Reports’ 2011 Annual Auto Survey. According to the report, the new Ford Explorer, Fiesta, and Focus all had below average reliability, but the problems were attributed to new technologies like the new MyFord Touch infotainment system and the new automated manual transmission. Chrysler had better results with its new Chrysler 200 (formerly Sebring) sedan, the redesigned Dodge Durango and the Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs. Of the 91 Japanese models for which Consumer Reports collected data, 96%, were rated average or better in predicted reliability. These vehicles, however, offered little in new technology from previous models.

Floods in Thailand are threatening to affect automotive production for auto makers and suppliers, such as Toyota, Honda, Ford, Mitsubishi, and Michelin. Work in many of Thailand facilities will be halted through to November 5th, affecting production in Japan, the U.S., Canada, South Africa, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia. It is expected that it will take months before the water recedes and residents can start to rebuild. The disaster comes shortly after Japanese car makers return to full production after the March earthquake and Tsunami shut down factories in Japan.

Cadillac hopes to distinguish its luxury brand from others, by offering an in car data, navigation and media system with a touch screen tablet computer. According to Micky Bly, GM’s executive director of global electric systems and infotainment, “The Cadillac User Experience (CUE) will offer a broad range of data and applications beyond what our competitors offer. People have become accustomed to iPhone, iPad and Droid device navigation, that it only makes sense to offer it in our vehicles.”

CUE will pair entertainment and information data from up to 10 Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices, USBs, SD cards and MP3 players with the CUE system. The system reduces complexity through customized information, natural voice commands, fewer buttons and larger icons. Consumers can store those mobile devices as well as channel the information on those devices, along with your navigation tools, weather maps with Doppler radar, AM/FM and XM radio, instant messages and emails, through a central portal in your Cadillac. This system will allow the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

To improve simplicity and connectivity for consumers, CUE will feature several auto industry firsts:

  • Proximity Sensing: As the user’s hand approaches the elegant, uncluttered LCD screen, command icons appear. Icons can be customized and arranged by consumers to improve ease of use.
  • Haptic Feedback: Buttons on the fully capacitive faceplate pulse when pressed to acknowledge the driver’s commands and keeps the driver’s eyes on the road.
  • Multi-Touch Hand Gestures: interactive motions (tap, flick, swipe and spread) popularized by smartphones and tablets allow tasks on the LCD screen, such as scrolling lists, zooming maps and searching favorites to be easily accomplished.
  • 12.3 in. LCD reconfigurable gauge cluster (on select models) offers four selectable displays – Simple, Enhanced, Balanced and Performance – that can mix traditional vehicle data such as a speedometer and fuel gauge with navigation, entertainment and 3D vehicle image.
  • Natural Speech Recognition: lets consumers speak logically with fewer specific commands to recall stored media or input navigation destinations. CUE’s text-to-speech feature will also allow consumers to receive text messages by system voice and to send recorded text messages in return.
  • Linux operating system, “open source” software platform and ARM 11 3-core processor, each operating at 400 million of instructions (mips) per second. This efficient hardware setup offers 3.5 times more processing power; than current infotainment systems, and allow developers to write applications to CUE that be downloaded by consumers.

CUE will debut in 2012 in the Cadillac XTS and ATS luxury sedans and SRX luxury crossover.


General Motors (GM) has announced a new safety feature designed to protect drivers and front passengers in side impact crashes. This front center air bag deploys from the right side of the driver’s seat and positions itself between the front row seats near the center of the vehicle. It acts as an energy absorbing cushion between the driver and front passenger in both driver and passenger side crashes. The front center airbag will be introduced standard on all 2013 Acadia and 2013 Traverse vehicles with power seats and on all 2013 Enclaves.

The front center air bag is expected to add to the vehicles’ record of third-party crash test performance. The 2012 model year editions of these crossovers vehicles have received five-star Overall and Side Crash safety ratings from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program, and 2011 Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The air bag also is expected to add extra protection during rollovers.

Any time there is major flooding in an area, the increase of flood damaged vehicles on the market also increases. Many of these these vehicles have been picked up by “middle men”, who take them to states unaffected by flooding, and unload them. Consumers looking to buy a vehicle may not suspect a vehicle as being flood damaged, and because they have been quickly “unloaded”, obvious sings may not be noticed right away. But, “Water Leaves Lasting Damage!” When problems start to arise, there is no protection for a flooded lemon. As soon as an auto manufacturer knows the vehicle has been flood damaged, it is difficult to get it bought back under the lemon law.

Your best bet is to avoid buying these vehicles all together. Here are a few tips to help you avoid buying a flood damaged vehicle.

  • Moisture and Dirt: Moisture and gritty dirt in lights, the glove compartment, console, under seats and under the hood are a good sign the vehicle has been flooded. Many of these vehicles have been cleaned up and dried out, but missed areas is a good give away.
  • Moldy Smell: Carpets and seats take a long time to dry out and it doesn’t take long for odors to appear. You may also notice fuel and oily smells that may have gotten into flood waters.
  • Mismatched Interior Components: Mismatched components, could be a sign that parts may have been changed in a hurry after the vehicle was pulled from flood waters.
  • Malfunctioning Electrical Devices: The electrical components will be the first thing affected by flood water. Corrosion on connections and water damage on electronic circuit boards could lead to electrical system glitches or systems not working at all.
  • Get The Vehicle Inspected: Even if your don’t suspect the vehicle of flood damage, you should still get the vehicle inspected. A trained technician knows what to look for and will notice anything odd about the vehicle.
  • Get The Vehicles History Report: Finding a vehicles history report is as easy as entering the vehicle identification number (VIN), but it is not a guarantee the vehicle has not suffered water damage. Look for signs that the car has recently been titled in multiple states, especially if it has been recently titled out of flood areas or into areas where damage disclosures don’t exist.

If you suspect a vehicle has been involved in a flood, “Don’t Buy It!”. It could take a while before problems start to show up, and the price of replacement costs not covered under warranty could far outweigh the “great deal” you got when you purchased the vehicle.