1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN HEADLIGHTS ARE NEEDED,THEY FLICKER OFF AND ON. ALSO, HEADLIGHTS ARE VERY DIM, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER. THIS IS CONSUMER'S SECOND VEHICLE WITH THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

DEALERSHIP HAS HAD THE CAR A TOTAL OF 25 DAYS SINCE I PURCHASED IT 1/31/00, TODAY IS 3/22/00. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN THE SUMMARY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH AND WITHOUT A COLLISION OCCURRING, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. *AK *TT

WHILE TRAVELING AT LOW SPEED VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT ANY INDICATIONTONS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATON. *AK

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH HOOD, PULLED OVER, AND WITHIN MINUTES, FLAMES HAD ENGULFED VEHICLE. TOTAL LOSS. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. *AK

WHEN ACCELERATING A STOPPED POSITION, THE LOW TRACK WHICH DOWNSHIFTED VEHICLE FAILED, ENGINE CUT OFF. DEALER COULDN'T FIND THE CAUSE. *AK

THE COMPUTER-CONTROLLED EXTERIOR LIGHTING SYSTEM DOES NOT ALLOW THE HEADLIGHTS TO BE SELECTED "OFF" WHEN IT SENSES DARKNESS. THIS PRESENTS SEVERAL PROBLEMS. AMONG THEM ARE BLINDING DECK PERSONNEL WHEN EMBARKING/DEBARKING FERRYBOATS, CREATING SECURITY CONCERNS WHEN ENTERING/LEAVING MILITARY BASES, AND THE PERCEPTION OF A HEAD-ON COLLISION THREAT BY OTHER DRIVERS WHEN VEHICLES ARE ON THE "WRONG" SHOULDER OF A ROAD AT NIGHT (PICKING UP MAIL, ETC.). IT IS ALSO AN EXTREME ANNOYANCE AT DRIVE-IN MOVIES. IN SOME SITUATIONS, IT COULD PROVOKE A "ROAD-RAGE" RESPONSE FROM OTHER DRIVERS, RESULTING IN POTENTIAL FATALITIES. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A CLASSIC CASE OF AUTOMATION THAT'S "RUN AMUK". IT IS THE RESULT OF ENGINEERS/COMPUTER GEEKS WHO ARE ALLOWED TO OPERATE WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION. AUTOMATION IS FINE, BUT IT MUST ALWAYS HAVE MANUAL OVER-RIDES. THE INTRIGUE'S DESIGNERS ARROGANTLY (AND INCORRECTLY) DECIDED THAT THEY KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR DRIVERS. FWIW, I AM NOT A TECHNOPHOBE. OUR HOME HAS 5 PC'S THAT ARE USED REGULARLY, PLUS A FEW OTHERS. I AM AN AIRLINE PILOT, FLYING THE BOEING 757/767, WHICH IS EQUIPPED WITH A SOPHISTICATED FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. I AM THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION'S "NATIONAL EXPERT" ON FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, REPRESENTING THEM IN NATIONAL SAFETY FORUMS. I AM A STAUNCH ADVOCATE OF USING THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY. OLDSMOBILE DESIGNERS DID NOT USE AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY. THEIR ARROGANCE AND STUPIDITY IS APPALLING. I ASK THAT THE NHTSA DIRECT GM TO ISSUE A RECALL OF ALL AFFECTED AUTOMOBILES, REPLACING THE CURRENT EXTERIOR LIGHTING SYSTEM WITH ONE THAT ALLOWS MANUAL OVER-RIDES OF ALL AUTOMATION MODES. *AK

THIS VEHICLE HAS A PASSIVE RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SEATBELTS) IN THE REAR SEAT. THE UPPER STRAP OF THESE 3-POINT BELTS EMERGE FROM REAR PLATFORM BENEATH THE REAR WINDOW. THE STRAP IS GUIDED THROUGH THE PLATFORM BY A PLASTIC EYELET. THIS EYELET HAS A SLOT IN THE SIDE FACING THE PASSENGER. ON AT LEAST SIX OCCASIONS THAT I CAN RECALL, MY CHILDREN HAVE PUT ON THESE SEATBELTS WHILE SITTING IN THE BACK. WHILE PULLING THE BELT FORWARD, THE STRAP PULLS ITSELF INTO THE SLOT AND CONTINUES DOWN A MATCHING SLOT IN THE SEAT-BACK. THE BELT THEN CANNOT BE TENSIONED ONCE THE CLIP IS ATTACHED. THE BELT REMAINS LOOSE AROUND THE WEARER'S WAIST, OFFERING NO PROTECTION DURING A CRASH. *AK

MY 1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE HAS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH ALL INTERIOR LIGHTS THAT OPERATE WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE ON. THE HEADLIGHTS AS WELL AS THE DASH LIGHTS, DOME LIGHT, TRUNK LIGHT, ETC ALL FLICKER/DIM DRAMATICALLY AND INTERMITTENTLY AND AT THE SAME TIME WHENEVER THEY FEEL LIKE IT. IT HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED TO BE REPAIRED 5 TIMES BY THE DEALER, AND IS NOW AT THE OLDSMOBILE TECH ASSISTANCE LEVEL. PARTS SUCH AS THE DEALER MODULE AND THE ALTERNATOR HAVE BEEN REPLACED TO NO AVAIL. OLDS IS SAYING THAT THERE IS AN EXISTING TAC CASE #3668071 FOR OTHER 1999 INTRIGUES EXPERIENCING THE SIMILAR PROBLEM ACROSS THE US, BUT NO FIX IS AVAILABLE. ALL THE WHILE, I AM BEING TOLD TO DRIVE THE CAR AND BE PATIENT. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING AT NIGHT AS THESE LIGHTS MAY SOMEDAY JUST NOT FLICKER, BUT TOTALLY GO OUT! OLDS HAS NOT OFFERED ANY INFO OTHER THAN THAT THEY ARE WORKING ON THIS AT THE ENGINEERING LEVEL, AND THAT THEY SUSPECT IT IS A COMPUTER PROBLEM THAT NEEDS A SOFTWARE FIX. I AM JUST UPSET THAT I SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON SOMETHING THAT I FEEL IS POTENTIALLY VERY UNSAFE! AND GETTING WORSE. ANY ASSISTANCE RENDERED WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED! *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON ROUGH SURFACE ROADS AND MAKING TURNS THE VEHICLE'S STEERING RACK MAKES NOISE AND BRAKES FAIL INTERMITTENTLY. *MJS