My wife, who is 8 1/2 months pregnant, my 1 year old daughter, and me were running errands to prepare for our new arrival. After loading my 99 GMC Sierra, I was shocked when my engine would not turn over. I instantly assumed the battery was dead. I asked for a jump from a total stranger, only to find that the positive terminal had completely separated from the battery. The battery was an AC Delco Freedom 78 6yr battery.
Assuming that a product with a manufacturing defect would be covered by my warranty, I called the GMC Roadside Assistance for a tow to the nearest GMC dealer. My pregnant wife, my daughter, and me had to sit there in 94 degree heat for an hour and a half for the tow truck to pick us up. The tow truck driver said he sees AC Delco battery failures all the time. They are always on the positive terminal.
The truck was dropped off after hours, so I left the key with a detailed report on the defect in the battery. The next day, I found out that the battery was not under warranty because within two years I had surpassed the 36,000 miles limit on the warranty. It did not matter that I had purchased an extended warranty when I purchased the truck.
After several phone calls to other GMC dealers, I came to the conclusion that GMC would not stand by their product when obviously there was a problem with a component. My next step toward resolution was to call the AC Delco customer service line.
The customer service rep told me that once the battery is sold to General Motors, the 6 year warranty is void, and the warranty by GM is then valid. I asked him since I was in the market for a new battery if AC Delco was going to do anything to replace my defective battery. I was told that AC Delco was not going to do a thing.
Did I mention that the quote from the GMC dealership to replace my battery, with labor would come to $180. It seems to me that GM knows about the problem, AC Delco knows about the problem, but it is in there best interest to refuse to warranty the battery. There seems to be big money in after market battery replacement.
I chose to replace the battery myself. I am out $80 dollars for the new battery. I also found out that since my battery was not under warranty, I will be paying the towing bill as well, another $75. Add to this all the time spent dealing with the defective battery, and you can understand why I am writing this report. I will tell as many people that will listen to me about getting ripped off by General Motors and AC Delco.
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