File Your Window Complaint On Line

[DK]

The guy I spoke to at the DOT didn't tell me we could file via the DOT Auto Safely Hotline. But we can. Here's the link.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

It takes about five minutes. You'll need your VIN #.
============
Here's what I wrote:

I own a 2000 Vehicross by Isuzu. I bought it new four years ago and have only 26,000 miles on it. A few months ago the power window mechanism on the driver's side had to be replaced due to a failure of the track alignment.

It cost me $800 to fix.

Upon coming in contact with an organization of several hundred Vehicross enthusiasts I discovered that this type of window failure is epidemic with this model car. Some of the owners have had multiple failures -- i.e., the windows have been fixed only to fail again, sometimes three or four times.

At the moment I have 27,000 miles on the car and now the passenger's side window is beginning to fail.

I have contacted Isuzu but they deny there is a problem. On the other hand I understand there are official documents by Isuzu that do recognize this problem.

Since there was a limited distribution of this particular model car -- somewhere in the area of 4000 plus over a four year period -- it appears the window failure rate is a high percentage of that total number. I would ask that the department investigate this problem, including investigation of the internal Isuzu document mentioned above.

If there is, as it appears, a design flaw in the window mechanism, then there are hundreds of Vehicross owners who have improperly been charged to repair it, sometimes multiple times.

============

I'm going to follow up by sending them a copy of the poll and comments from this site several weeks ago.



>>>>> Merged
To follow up on the poll, etc., that we had a month or so ago, I just got off the phone with a rep at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Auto Safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

I explained the VX window failure problem and he is sending me a complaint form. He said that if the department gets enough complaints it will strengthen our case to have the government force Isuzu to issue a recall.

So I encourage everyone to call that number and have them send you a forml. With all the people on this board having had the same problem, some multiple times, they should receive a good number of complaints.

DK

[Moncha]

Did the person you talked to give you a clue as to how many is "enough complaints"?

They need to understand the total number of vehicles produced and how many afflicted.

[DK]

Did the person you talked to give you a clue as to how many is "enough complaints"?

They need to understand the total number of vehicles produced and how many afflicted.

I haven't received the form yet but the impression I got was that we could put a fair amount of information on it. I would assume this would include the number of vehicles produced. I don't know if the dept. uses some kind of percentage of failure formula. That might be a question to ask if and when you call.

DK

[kpaske]

When you get the form, maybe you can scan it and post it? For those of us too busy or lazy to call that number, it would eliminate one step for us.

[DK]

Now I'm really pissed off.

27,000 miles on the VX and now the Dreaded Window Problem has infected my passenger side window. It closes okay at the rear half but leaves about a quarter inch gap at the front -- meaning that the window glass has changed angle. This on a window that is seldom open and closed.

Someone was talking about lubricating the track. Can this be done without taking the door panel off? And if so, what kind? Graphite? Oil? I expect a liquid that would run down the track from above would be best but I'd like to avoid anything that would screw up the rubber it might come in contact with.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

DK

[Heraclid]

Mine drive me nuts too. I've sprayed white lithium grease in there before - I use the kind that comes in a can with a straw just like WD-40. But you'd really need to take the door apart. It won't run down the track but I've used it precisely because it stays put and doesn't run or evaporate. Even so, it's a very temporary and not-quite-perfect fix in my case. I tried graphite and it was useless (for me anyway). Good for things like door locks though.

I know someone who said he went out and got a cleaning oil for guns and said it worked very well for this application, but it seems like someone else told me that's a bad idea (not sure why but maybe degrades rubber?), so if you've got a mind to try it, research that one good first before taking the gamble.

[Moncha]

Someone was talking about lubricating the track. Can this be done without taking the door panel off? And if so, what kind? ...

Silicone Spray Lube.. Cleans at it lubes and doesn't attract dirt which worsens the problem.

[Heraclid]

Oops. That's what I meant to say above. I used silicone spray, not graphite.

I spent a good bit of time today fiddling with the lift mechanism in the driver's door again today. Basically I just drilled up a bit more and made the hole bigger on the bracket, trying Cascabel3's fix again. Drilled it up as far as I dare, so I can't offset it anymore. It's still kicking out but it's very nearly self-correcting before it gets to the top, so that's something at least. I'll lube up the track and it should work like a charm, but probably not for long.

[DK]

Thanks for the info, guys. I'm still waiting for the complaint form in the mail.

Just curious - how many of you have phoned to get one of these forms?

I have a feeling that if we submit a large enough number Isuzu will be forced to do something about the problem.

[tomdietrying]

Yes, I filed my complaint today. Thanks for getting this going.
Peace.
Tom

[IsuzuVXFan]

DK - I had the same problem with my passenger side window and thanks to this group and Article, was able to fix my problem in less than an hour. No problems with the process and the window works perfect now! Having just purchased my 2001, I didn't realize how much having that window problem was ruining my VX ownership experience. After fixing the window, it was so much more pleasurable to drive. Special thanks to Phines for taking the time document the solution.

I see that you're in California - if you're willing to drive up to the Bay Area, I'm willing to do the same to your VX's window(s) at no charge. I'm not a Isuzu mechanic, but have worked on many vehicles and am willing to help out a fellow VXer in need. This group has been so very helpful, both in helping me establish the confidence to buy my VX as well as lots of useful information. So, in the spirit of giving back, I'd be happy to help you out. If interested, email me at todd@milwaukeeroad.com and we'll coordinate logisitics.

[DK]

This group has been so very helpful, both in helping me establish the confidence to buy my VX as well as lots of useful information. So, in the spirit of giving back, I'd be happy to help you out. If interested, email me at todd@milwaukeeroad.com and we'll coordinate logisitics.

Thanks very much for your kind offer. I'll email you about it. It's interesting that the fix you used is so simple. You'd think that Isuzu would have figured it out -- maybe modified the track as described, etc.

I hope we get a good response from the group here with regard the Govt. complaint form.

DK

[jimbo]

I haven't had the dreaded window problem yet.

I decided when I got the VX to NEVER open my windows.

Boy it bugs the heck out of the folks at the toll booth

[IsuzuVXFan]

DK - when you email me, please put ISUZUVXFAN in the subject line. I get too much email to screen manually everyday, so that will help me not screen your message into the spam folder. Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Todd

[DK]

The guy I spoke to at the DOT didn't tell me we could file via the DOT Auto Safely Hotline. But we can. Here's the link.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

It takes about five minutes. You'll need your VIN #.
============
Here's what I wrote:

I own a 2000 Vehicross by Isuzu. I bought it new four years ago and have only 26,000 miles on it. A few months ago the power window mechanism on the driver's side had to be replaced due to a failure of the track alignment.

It cost me $800 to fix.

Upon coming in contact with an organization of several hundred Vehicross enthusiasts I discovered that this type of window failure is epidemic with this model car. Some of the owners have had multiple failures -- i.e., the windows have been fixed only to fail again, sometimes three or four times.

At the moment I have 27,000 miles on the car and now the passenger's side window is beginning to fail.

I have contacted Isuzu but they deny there is a problem. On the other hand I understand there are official documents by Isuzu that do recognize this problem.

Since there was a limited distribution of this particular model car -- somewhere in the area of 4000 plus over a four year period -- it appears the window failure rate is a high percentage of that total number. I would ask that the department investigate this problem, including investigation of the internal Isuzu document mentioned above.

If there is, as it appears, a design flaw in the window mechanism, then there are hundreds of Vehicross owners who have improperly been charged to repair it, sometimes multiple times.

============

I'm going to follow up by sending them a copy of the poll and comments from this site several weeks ago.