I'm pretty sure that Jim is adult enough to understand that the dealer and company weren't going to replace under full warranty.

What he was probably fishing for was a hint of remorse from the company and/or dealer that a primary component of the vehicle suffered a catastrophic failure well within the time frame of its expected life. He isn't b*&^%ing about a window motor quitting, or the washer fluid being empty, but a major component failing that could have caused injury or death. I think as a consumer, he was simply trying to bring a major issue to the manufacturer's attention so that they could rectify it.

Of course, the whole corporate chain in America has been well schooled in not admitting that something is amiss because of the cost of liability and/or recall. The technician and service manager are probably thinking "Holy Doodle this isn't good", and saying "Sorry, it is out warranty, but you might want to bring it to the company's attention..."

Step back a second and think if it was your wife, your kids, and the same P.O.S. van.

Jim, thanks for bringing to our attention. Anyone in the northern tier of states with 4 months of salt annually might want to get a similar van on the hoist for a little look.

Luke