GREENSBORO, N.C. — Boyd Stubblefield knows his way around a truck. When his 2002 GMC started making an unsettling sound, he suspected the problem immediately.

“I thought it was the alternator making the noise,” he said.

It turned out to be much worse. The engine had failed, and the truck needed a full replacement. Stubblefield said the breakdown happened just before his warranty expired.

“Right before the warranty ran out it went bad — lubricant got in the motor,” he said.

Stubblefield took the GMC to a repair shop, activated his warranty and authorized the installation of a replacement engine.

A short time later after the first motor failed a second motor was ordered and installed. After a week or two, the shop called to say the truck was ready.

But the relief didn’t last long.

“I

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