NHTSA Complaint #10183421 — 2006 CHEVROLET HHR

LAST NIGHT, IT WAS A BIT WINDY HERE IN NEW YORK CITY. THE WEATHER REPORT SAID THAT THE WIND WAS ABOUT 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH. WELL, I HAD MADE A FEW STOPS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK, BUT WHEN I GOT HOME, I OPENED THE DOOR, AND AS IS STARTED TO OPEN, THE WIND PULLED THE DOOR OUT OF MY HAND, AND THINGS HAPPENED SO FAST ... I HEARD A BANG, AND THE DOOR FLEW OPEN ... I'D SAY ... ALMOST 180 DEGREES, WHICH SOUNDS IMPOSSIBLE. THE DOOR THEN CAME BACK AND STAYED OPEN ABOUT 16 TO 18 INCHES. I COULD NOT CLOSE THE DOOR. I PULLED AND PULLED, AND IT CLOSED. NOW, IT ONLY OPENS 16 TO 18 INCHES, AND I HAVE TO SQUEEZE OUT. THE CAR HAS DAMAGE TO THE LEFT FRONT QUARTER PANEL AND THE DOOR. AND, I DON'T KNOW HOW BADLY THE INTERNAL PARTS OF THE DOOR ARE. THE QUARTER PANEL IS STICKING OUT ABOUT 4 INCHES, AND THE DOOR IS RUBBING AGAINST IT VERY HARD, WHICH IS WHY I CAN ONLY OPEN THE DOOR A LITTLE BIT. I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON ASSESSING DAMAGE, BUT I DID CALL MY INSURANCE COMPANY THIS EVENING TO FILE A CLAIM. (MY GUESS IS THAT I'M LOOKING AT ALMOST $2,000 IN DAMAGE ... BUT I'LL POST AN UPDATE WHEN I GET THE 'ESTIMATE'). I TOLD THE INSURANCE COMPANY THAT THE DOOR HINGES MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE, OR LOOSE, OR SOMETHING. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE CAR, ITS JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO SEE IT, TO BELIEVE IT. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT I DIDN'T HIT ANYTHING, AND NOTHING HIT ME. WHEN YOU SEE IT, ALL YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SAY IS "HOW COULD THAT HAVE HAPPENED"? HAS ANYBODY HAD ANYTHING REMOTELY SIMILAR TO THIS? I WANT TO KNOW IF THE VEHICLE IS POORLY CONSTRUCTED, OR IF THE DOOR HINGES ARE INFERIOR, WEAK, BAD, LOOSE, OR WHATEVER! *JB