A Mirabel company had to leave one of its trucks aside for months due to a lack of parts to repair it.
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Last spring, the director of Signaleurs du Nord was unable to obtain the part he needed for one of the vehicles in his fleet, a 2015 Chevrolet Canyon, purchased used in 2018.
This part is leaking coolant and the consequences could be serious if it is not replaced, explains Mr. Luc Lacasse. “It could cost an engine. That’s why I isolated the truck, that I don’t make it work,” he maintains.
The dealership does not have the part in stock and GM no longer makes it, Mr. Lacasse noted: “I have four other trucks like that. I don’t want to wait for them to break through before I get the part. I’ve been waiting for three months.”
The Signaleurs du nord van, a Chevrolet Canyon, spent several months immobilized in the company’s yard in Mirabel, due to a lack of parts to repair it.
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By searching the Internet, Luc Lacasse finally found two copies of the play in China and was able to get his truck back on the road. For their part, neither the dealer nor the manufacturer GM has found a solution to the problem.
A new law passed by Quebec should bring auto manufacturers into line to correct this unfortunate situation. The new regulations will specify in the fall of 2025 what is meant by a reasonable duration for keeping certain parts in stock. According to the law, the merchant will also have 10 days to inform the consumer of the deadline within which he proposes to carry out the repair. Even more interesting, failing to comply, the law says that “the merchant or manufacturer must replace the consumer’s good with a new or refurbished good […] or reimburse him for the price.”
These new provisions of the law make Mr. Lacasse salivate: “I can’t wait for the law to come into force […] This will solve the problem completely.”
What are your recourses
CAMVAP (Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Program)
It’s a free national program funded by automakers. CAMVAP appoints an arbitrator to resolve a dispute between the consumer and the automobile manufacturer over assembly defects or with the vehicle warranty. The Corporation des concessionaires du Québec calculates that files are resolved in approximately two months. All you have to do is register online to start the process.
The anti-lemon law
Since October last year, Quebec has made it easier for consumers to take legal action. The law says that a vehicle can be declared seriously defective if there has been either:
- three unsuccessful repair attempts;
- twelve attempts to repair unrelated defects;
- if the vehicle is kept for more than 30 days in a repair shop.
If he wins his case, the consumer will then be able to obtain the cancellation of the sale, the reduction of the price or the replacement of the vehicle.
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