2008 Zap Xebra Problems

HELLO, I'M WRITING ABOUT THE COURT DECREE ON 7/16/13 SIGNED MY JUDGE ROSEMARY COLLYER. ZAP IS SUPPOSED TO REPORT TO NHTSA REGULARLY ABOUT THE STATUS OF THE REFUND AND DISPOSITION OF EACH RECALLED VEHICLE FOR THREE YEARS. SOMEBODY FORM ZAP WORLD CONTACTED ME ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I STILL HAVE THE VEHICLE......HOW CAN YOU HELP. TY.

THIS VEHICLE IS ALREADY RECALLED, MY VEHICLE SUFFERED A COMPLETE LOSS OR BRAKE SYSTEMS AND FORTUNATELY WAS ABLE TO BE STEERED TO AN UPHILL AREA BEFORE HITTING A SMALL RETAINING WALL. ZAP PROVIDED DOT RECALL NOTICE FOR BRAKE FAILURES TO STOP, AND RULES FOR RECALL. I HAVE FOLLOWED THESE RULES WHICH WERE DRAWN OUT FROM LATE 2012 UNTIL DECEMBER 2013. IN DECEMBER 2013 ZAP INFORMED ME I WOULD BE PAID FOR THE VEHICLE AND IT WOULD BE PICKED UP AND REMOVED IN Q1. THE VEHICLE IS STILL SITTING AT MY HOME IN OHIO. NO ONE FROM ZAP IS RESPONSIVE. WHAT ACTION SHOULD I BE TAKING? *JS

THIS VEHICLE WAS PART OF A FORCED RECALL BY NHTSA. ZAP WAS SUPPOSED TO BUY BACK THESE VEHICLES AND HAUL THEM OFF TO BE DESTROYED BY DECEMBER 31, 2013. THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED. THE LAST COMMUNICATION FROM ZAP THAT I RECEIVED WAS A LETTER DATED OCTOBER 11, 2013, WHERE THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY REFUND REQUEST FORM HAD BEEN RECEIVED AND APPROVED. ZAP HAS NOT RESPONDED TO ANY PHONE CALLS OR EMAILS SENT TO THEM. BECAUSE OF THIS RECALL, I CAN NO LONGER INSURE OR REGISTER THIS VEHICLE, SO IT IS COMPLETELY WORTHLESS. I KNOW I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS SITUATION. IT APPEARS THAT ZAP HAS NOT FULFILLED THEIR OBLIGATION TO ANY OF THE 2008 XEBRA OWNERS. I HOPE THAT THE NHTSA WILL INTERVENE IN THIS CASE AND FORCE ZAP TO RESOLVE THIS SITUATION. *TR

DRIVING ACROSS THE CENTER LANE OF A FIVE LANE HIGHWAY, I WAS HIT BY A CAR TRAVELING IN THE CENTER LANE. I WAS UNABLE TO STOP QUICK ENOUGH TO AVOID BEING HIT AND I BELIEVE THE BIGGEST REASON FOR THE COLLISION WAS BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE INSUFFICIENT FOR THE VEHICLE. I FILED A SMALL CLAIMS LAWSUIT AND WAS AWARDED A PARTIAL SETTLEMENT; THE JUDGE FOUND ME 40% AT FAULT AND THE OTHER DRIVER 60%. *TR

MY XEBRA WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE STARTED IN THE CENTER AREA OF THE VEHICLE AND HAD TO BE EXTINGUISHED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. ALTHOUGH THIS MODEL IS CURRENTLY IN A RECALL BUY BACK PROGRAM, IT WOULD STILL BE WORTH INVESTIGATING THE SPECIFIC CAUSE OF THE FIRE IN CASE IT'S A PROBLEM THAT MIGHT AFFECT PREVIOUS XEBRA MODELS. ALSO, GIVEN ZAP'S HISTORY, I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THE BUY BACK PROCESS IS INDEFINITELY "DELAYED" AND THEREFORE THE CURRENT MODEL WILL STILL BE ON THE ROAD FOR SOME TIME (NOT DUE TO XEBRA QUALITY, WHICH IS LACKING, BUT BECAUSE XEBRA OWNERS TEND TO BE RELENTLESS IN THEIR EFFORTS TO CONTINUALLY RESUSCITATE THEIR VEHICLE EVERY TIME IT DIES.) *TR

MY COMPLAINT IS WITH THE UTTER DISREGARD THAT THE ZAP CORPORATION HAS TREATED ISSUES AFFECTING THIS LITTLE VEHICLE; COMMUNICATION FROM THEM ABOUT THE BRAKING PROBLEMS AND NHTSA DEMAND FOR RESOLUTION HAS BEEN MINIMAL WITH THE LAST COMMUNICATION I RECEIVED BEING OCTOBER 8, 2012 TELLING ME TO NOT DRIVE IT AND THAT A SOLUTION WAS COMING BY DECEMBER 31, 2012 (OR ABOUT). I HEARD NOTHING ELSE UNTIL I HAPPENED UPON A YAHOOGROUP DISCUSSION SAYING THESE WERE BEING RECALLED AND THAT THE OWNERS SHOULD INCUR NO EXPENSE. AND THAT ZAP WILL NEED TO TAKE THEM FROM US AND PAY $3100...A SMALL PORTION OF THE COST OF THEM. I WANT TO BE SURE THAT MY VEHICLE IS NOTED BY THE AUTHORITIES AS BEING ONE OF THESE INVOLVED IN THIS SITUATION. I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT IT SEEMED THAT ONCE SOLD THROUGH A DISTRIBUTOR, THAT ZAP PROVIDED NO SUPPORT FOR THE DISTRIBUTORS TO HELP RESOLVE CUSTOMER CONCERNS...A TERRIBLE WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS. I WANT TO SEE THIS RESOLVED VERY SOON AS MINE HAS NOT RUN WELL FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND I HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING EITHER PUTTING MONEY INTO GETTING IT GOING IN HOPES THAT THE BRAKES ISSUE WOULD BE FIXED...OR SELLING IT IF THAT IS ALLOWABLE, BEFORE THE END OF JULY DUE TO THE REGISTRATION EXPIRING. PLEASE ADVISE ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE ON WHAT I SHOULD DO WITH THIS VEHICLE. IT IS A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT AS IT WAS A FUN, PRACTICAL LITTLE COMMUTER WHEN IT RAN WELL AND I HAD HIGH HOPES FOR CONSERVING ENERGY AND REDUCING EMISSIONS. IF ZAP WOULD PAY TO HAVE IT TOTALLY FIXED, THAT WOULD MAKE ME MOST HAPPY. BUT IF THEY HAVE TO COME BUY IT FROM ME, LET IT BE SOON, PLEASE. *TR

THERE IS WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE A DESIGN FLAW IN THE NEWER SUNL VIP MOTOR SCOOTERS. THE ORIENTATION OF THE THROTTLE CAM RETRACTION SPRING END, THE LENGTH OF THE THROTTLE CAM RETRACTION SPRING END AND THE LONG DISTANCE FROM THE THROTTLE CABLE MOUNT TO THE THROTTLE CAM (ALLOWING SLACK IN THE METAL BRAIDED THROTTLE CABLE) ALL CONTRIBUTE TO ALLOW THE END OF THE CAM RETRACTION SPRING TO SNARE THE THROTTLE CABLE, HOLDING THE THROTTLE OPEN DURING OPERATION. THESE SCOOTERS DO NOT HAVE A WAY OF DISENGAGING THE DRIVE DUE TO THE USE OF A CENTRIFUGAL CLUTCH IN THE DRIVE SYSTEM. THEREFORE WHEN THIS THROTTLE IS HELD OPEN, THE SCOOTER CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE. IN THIS CRASH, THE THROTTLE STUCK WHILE THE SCOOTER WAS HALFWAY THROUGH A TURN AND THEN "RAN AWAY". THERE WAS TOO LITTLE TIME TO REACT. I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM IN THE CRASHED UNIT AND CHECKED SEVERAL EXEMPLARS TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM THAT OCCURRED IN THIS CRASH WAS REPEATABLE, AND IT IS. I NOTICED THAT SOME OTHER SCOOTER TYPES HAD SIMILAR SUB-ASSEMBLY CONFIGURATIONS, HOWEVER, THE COMBINATION OF DESIGN ISSUES IN THIS UNIT HAVE MADE IT UNIQUELY DANGEROUS. OTHER UNITS CURVE THE RETRACTION SPRING END, HAVE SHORT RETRACTION SPRING ENDS AND/OR SHORTER THROTTLE CABLE MOUNT LOCATIONS FROM THE THROTTLE CAM ALLOWING LESS SLACK IN THE LINE. *TR

THERE IS WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE A DESIGN FLAW IN THE NEWER SUNL VIP MOTOR SCOOTERS. THE ORIENTATION OF THE THROTTLE CAM RETRACTION SPRING END, THE LENGTH OF THE THROTTLE CAM RETRACTION SPRING END AND THE LONG DISTANCE FROM THE THROTTLE CABLE MOUNT TO THE THROTTLE CAM (ALLOWING SLACK IN THE METAL BRAIDED THROTTLE CABLE) ALL CONTRIBUTE TO ALLOW THE END OF THE CAM RETRACTION SPRING TO SNARE THE THROTTLE CABLE, HOLDING THE THROTTLE OPEN DURING OPERATION. THESE SCOOTERS DO NOT HAVE A WAY OF DISENGAGING THE DRIVE DUE TO THE USE OF A CENTRIFUGAL CLUTCH IN THE DRIVE SYSTEM. THEREFORE WHEN THIS THROTTLE IS HELD OPEN, THE SCOOTER CONTINUES TO ACCELERATE. IN THIS CRASH, THE THROTTLE STUCK WHILE THE SCOOTER WAS HALFWAY THROUGH A TURN AND THEN "RAN AWAY". THERE WAS TOO LITTLE TIME TO REACT. I DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM IN THE CRASHED UNIT AND CHECKED SEVERAL EXEMPLARS TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM THAT OCCURRED IN THIS CRASH WAS REPEATABLE, AND IT IS. I NOTICED THAT SOME OTHER SCOOTER TYPES HAD SIMILAR SUB-ASSEMBLY CONFIGURATIONS, HOWEVER, THE COMBINATION OF DESIGN ISSUES IN THIS UNIT HAVE MADE IT UNIQUELY DANGEROUS. OTHER UNITS CURVE THE RETRACTION SPRING END, HAVE SHORT RETRACTION SPRING ENDS AND/OR SHORTER THROTTLE CABLE MOUNT LOCATIONS FROM THE THROTTLE CAM ALLOWING LESS SLACK IN THE LINE. *TR