NHTSA Complaint #10086329 — 1995 BUICK PARK AVENUE

AUG4,2004: :15AM ON MY WAY TO WORK FOR AN EARLY START I WAS 2 MINUTES INTO MY DRIVE. I NOTICED A SLIGHT LOSS OF ASSIST FROM THE POWER STEERING. THE SYMTOMS WERE TYPICAL OF A SLIPPING BELT OR LOW POWER STEERING FLUID. FROM THE STOP AT THE CORNER OF HILLSIDE AND HWY60 I PROCEEDED TO TURN RIGHT, BUT AS I STRAIGHTENED THE WHEEL ENTERING THE RIGHT LANE THE STEERING WENT TIGHT WITH A CLUNK AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS FREEWHEELING. BEFORE I COULD STOP I FOUND MYSELF IN THE LEFT LANE STARING DOWN A SEMI COMING DOWN THE HILL. FORTUNATELY HE WAS ALERT AND HAD ENOUGH ROOM TO STOP. I TALKED TO THE DRIVER AND SUGGESTED BACKING MY CAR UP TO THE SHOULDER ON THE RIGHT SIDE (NORTH) OF THE ROAD. THE ANGLE OF THE TIRES IF THEY HELD CURRENT POSITION WOULD PLACE ME ON THE SHOULDER JUST EAST OF HILLSIDE. THE SEMI BLOCKED ALL TRAFFIC FROM THE WEST AND WHEN THE EAST TRAFFIC CLEARED I PROCEEDED. I WENT ABOUT TEN FEET AND THEN THE TIRES TURNED AND I WAS SITTING 90DEGREE TO THE ROAD BLOCKING THE LEFT LANE. AT THIS POINT ALL I COULD DO WAS DIRECT TRAFFIC AROUND MY CAR. WITH THE HELP OF TWO GOOD GENTLEMEN WE DIRECTED TRAFFIC UNTIL A TOW TRUCK ARRIVED. IN THE PAST I HAVE HAD VEHICLES WITH WORN PARTS. TIE ROD ENDS, UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS, OR IDLER ARM. FAILURE IS INCREMENTAL OVER DAYS OR WEEKS. SYMPTOMS OF SHUTTERING OR PULLING INDICATE THE CAR NEEDS SERVICING SOON. NEVER HAS ANY COMPONENT JUST FAILED WITH A LOSS STEERING. THIS TIME WAS DIFFERENT; THE FAILURE WAS CATASTROPHIC. AN INSTANT LOSS OF STEERING AS THE WHOLE CRADLE DROPPED. FURTHERMORE THIS PROBLEM IS NOT NEW OR UNHEARD OF. THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE INDICATES A RECALL TO CARS OF SIMILAR DESIGN AS FAR BACK AS 1988. C:\WINNT2\PROFILES\GFENSKE\DESKTOP\ITS NOT HOT IN DEATH VALLEY AND IT DOESNT SNOW HARD IN BUFFALO.HTM RECALL # 00V-189,NUMBER CARS RECALLED 713,435 FRONT ENGINE CRADLE BOLTS PULL THROUGH CORRODED RETAINERS & STEERING SHAFT SEPARATES.*AK