GMC AC Delco Defective Battery warranty ripoff Detriot Michigan

I replaced my 7 year Delco battery after 30 months. It was pro-rated for a 5 dollar refund. There is no warranty on AC Delco batteries.

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I own a 2002 Buick Rendezvous and I had no problems with the car after 46,000 miles until Nov.24,2006 which was the day after Thanksgiving. After stopping at a convenience store, the SUV just would not start. I tried to jump start the engine, but it did not help. The green indicator was showing so I believed my 5 year battery was still in good condition although it was 4 years old.

The next day and on a hunch, a friend and I went back with tools and a new battery. Using a very small wrench, with hardly any torque strength, the positive terminal broke off at the base and fluid leaked. Eventually, we put the new battery in and the car has worked well. Initially, I thought I was the victim of a 1 in a million bad luck incident.

A few days later I spoke in confidence to a mechanic who works for the GM dealer where I purchased the car. He said that they knew about the internal rotting of the positive terminal of the AC Delco battery. They experienced these problems because batteries have to be disconnected to perform many repairs.

It is simple to understand why nothing is being done. Delco is in bankruptcy and GM is already contractually liable for much of Delco's debt. A defective battery recall will only cost GM, not Delco. GM has enough trouble with leaking gaskets. They will not advertise that Delco also screwed-up.

In this case, Steve from Big Fork, MT, you are wrong.

I own a 2002 Buick Rendezvous and I had no problems with the car after 46,000 miles until Nov.24,2006 which was the day after Thanksgiving. After stopping at a convenience store, the SUV just would not start. I tried to jump start the engine, but it did not help. The green indicator was showing so I believed my 5 year battery was still in good condition although it was 4 years old.

The next day and on a hunch, a friend and I went back with tools and a new battery. Using a very small wrench, with hardly any torque strength, the positive terminal broke off at the base and fluid leaked. Eventually, we put the new battery in and the car has worked well. Initially, I thought I was the victim of a 1 in a million bad luck incident.

A few days later I spoke in confidence to a mechanic who works for the GM dealer where I purchased the car. He said that they knew about the internal rotting of the positive terminal of the AC Delco battery. They experienced these problems because batteries have to be disconnected to perform many repairs.

It is simple to understand why nothing is being done. Delco is in bankruptcy and GM is already contractually liable for much of Delco's debt. A defective battery recall will only cost GM, not Delco. GM has enough trouble with leaking gaskets. They will not advertise that Delco also screwed-up.

In this case, Steve from Big Fork, MT, you are wrong.

As a former Service Manager at a large GM dealership (for 17 years) I am responding in general about AC Delco batteries. In my experience I found them no more prone to failure than any other name brand battery . I found that "human hands" and after market accessories had more to do with battery failure than the product itself.
Typically, the separation of the post from the battery occurs because :
1. Somewhere along the line a "gorilla" has overtorqued the battery cable bolt and caused threaded insert to come loose in the battery which in turn allows battery acid to leak out and makes the problem worse.
2. Aftermarket systems (alarms, high powered stereos, etc) are direct connected to the battery instead of to an accessory bus bar and are torqued too tight (as stated above) or are to loose and allow arcing at the battery bolt connection causing the battery plastic case to actually melt from the heat that is generated and then the acid leaks out which again, compounds the problem.
3. Most if not all professional mechanics will disconnect a battery whenever they do any repair that affects the electrical system. This would mean any SES, Check Engine Light, SIR, ABS as well as conventional electrical repairs might require disconnecting a battery at the terminal in order to complete the repair. This can also be a cause of battery terminal failure due to repeated disconnecting and connecting and not paying attention to properly threading and torquing the battery bolts.
I have seen many a battery that should have had a much longer life but failed because of the above reasons. And this is just to do with the connection failure. The usual reasons for battery failure or shorter battery life still apply. Running a battery dead once and or repeatedly will usually shorten its life. Running it dead and then relying on the alternator to bring it back may not only shorten the battery life but also the alternator life. Extreme heat and extreme cold was usually when a battery will fail but not always. Accident/impact related damage that won't necessarily be directed at the battery itself just the shock of a hard hit can shorten the battery life. I could go on but suffice to stay that in my experience AC Delco produces one of the best batteries on the market today comparing product to product. Price, labor etc. will always be different from one shop to another and one region to another so will not get into that .