Hope this isn't a duplicate post, I've been off the forums for a while and didn't see this listed.
I dunno, but shouldn't there be some kind of quality control to make sure this doesn't happen???
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111230/CARNEWS/111239995
General Motors is recalling 4,296 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact models to inspect for missing brake pads. The missing part could lengthen the stopping distance, potentially contributing to a crash, the company said today in a statement.
The recall targets 2012 Chevy Sonic models. The subcompact car--a replacement for the South Korea-built Chevrolet Aveo--went on sale this fall.
GM said the company isn't aware of any crashes or injuries resulting from missing pads. The problem was discovered when a rental Sonic was brought in for warranty service.
The missing brake pads--part of a subassembly of components--fell off before the cars were assembled and had remained unnoticed at the bottom of containers being shipped to the Orion Township, Mich., factory, said GM spokesman Alan Adler.
"This has been fixed by adding a clip to the shipping containers," he added.
Delphi Automotive's subsidiary in South Korea provides GM with the brake assembly for the Sonic.
Customers affected by the recall will start receiving letters from their dealers Jan. 14. GM said it expects "very few cars" to be affected by the problem.
"Dealers will inspect the front brakes for missing inner or outer pads," GM said in a statement. If a pad is missing, the dealer will install a new one, and if necessary, a new brake caliber or rotor. There will be no cost to the customer, the company said.
The Sonic is the only subcompact car built in the United States.
GM moved production of the redesigned small car to Michigan after striking a plant-specific deal with the local union at the Orion Township factory.
As part of the agreement, 40 percent of the plant's work force earn an entry-level wage, which starts at $15.78 an hour--well below the base $28-an-hour pay for veteran auto workers.
The factory, which employs about 1,590 hourly workers, also builds GM's all-new compact car, the Buick Verano.
Source:Automotive News
Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111230/CARNEWS/111239995#ixzz1iPRfv3jw
It's not a duplicate, don't worry. 
It's a triplicate. 
Oops, I missed it. Now that I dug through some posts, I found it.
Nothing to see here, folks, keep moving...
Fist time seeing it for me. 
just a quick observation though.
The article says:
"The Sonic is the only subcompact car built in the United States. "
And 3 lines later:
"The factory, which employs about 1,590 hourly workers, also builds GM's all-new compact car, the Buick Verano. "
BBsGarage wrote:
Fist time seeing it for me.
just a quick observation though.
The article says:
"The Sonic is the only subcompact car built in the United States. "
And 3 lines later:
"The factory, which employs about 1,590 hourly workers, also builds GM's all-new compact car, the Buick Verano. "
What's the problem? Sonic = subcompact. Verano = compact.
"Could increase stopping distances"
Could? A lack of brake pads will only potentially increase stopping distances? How crappy are the brakes anyway?
pinchvalve wrote:
"Could increase stopping distances"
Could? A lack of brake pads will only potentially increase stopping distances? How crappy are the brakes anyway?
Its a sub-compact, you use the 2x4 friction brake to get it mostly slowed down.
So you think any of these cars could make it all the way to a customer before someone notices that the brake pedal goes to the floor and doesn't stop the car?
For the hour a tech gets paid to PDI a car, you bet! Some don't even test drive them, which saves 20 min.
Oh and for that hour, if i do everything listed they want checked plus a test drive, I am losing money PDI-ing.
Lots of the bigger rental companies (Thrifty, Enterprise, etc) buy cars direct , have them shipped direct to their facilities then have their own in house techs to PDI and otherwise routine service them.
They can even file their own warranty claims in some cases. Only when it gets into a MIL or other warranty problem does it go to a dealership. Yeah, it pisses the dealership techs off big time. So since the first car to have the problem discovered was a rental, it's very possible it was not PDI'd at a dealership.
Ranger50 wrote:
For the hour a tech gets paid to PDI a car, you bet! Some don't even test drive them, which saves 20 min.
Oh and for that hour, if i do everything listed they want checked plus a test drive, I am losing money PDI-ing.
So the answer is to Skip some of it?
That's pretty shady. I mean it's Shady for GM to give your dealer 1 hour to do something that will take 1.5-2. It's further Shady of your Dealer to not recognize the issue and not eat the .5-1 hr of labor to do it right.
Klayfish wrote:
a new brake caliber
Really, no one else noticed this but me?
In reply to nocones:
Normally you skip the 10+ min of berkeleying with a lift and checking for loose or leaking E36 M3 under the vehicle. Even then, I was breaking even. BARELY.
PDI = Pre Delivery Inspection. Dealership lingo. 
PDI times are set by the manufacturers and have plummeted, this isn't a good thing. If the dealership boosts the techs' time the money has to come from somewhere and it usually winds up being part of one of those 'dealer add' stickers that everyone hates. No I am not interested in an int3rw3b argument about that.
Oh you mean the bogus ADM, adjusted dealer markup, aka free money from a suck, errr, customer, stickers on EVERY car here? Never seen such a blatant sales or free profit "negotiating" tactic as that. Too bad I still only got the hour of time for 2k in ADM....
I drove for 10 feet in the e30 with ONE of my rear brake pads in upside-down (backing plate against rotor!), before immediatly turning around and coasting back into my driveway to fix.
How someone could not notice the pads TOTALLY MISSING is a sad statement about the state of automotive ignorance in present-day America's general population. I'd say 75% of the MEN I know can't change their own oil, and these aren't girly-guys, they just don't know E36 M3 about cars.
In reply to Curmudgeon:
No interest hear either. If I am buying from a dealership I want to know that the car was properly inspected.
