NHTSA Complaint #10188387 — 2003 SATURN VUE

I AM DISSATISFIED WITH THE CORRECTIVE ACTION TOWARDS SATURN VUE RECALL CAMPAIGN # 04067001. THE INSIDE PIVOT BOLT ON THE DRIVER SIDE REAR LATERAL LINK SHEARED OFF ON OUR SATURN VUE BEFORE HAVING THE RECALL WORK PERFORMED. THE BOLT I AM TALKING ABOUT IS THE M12-1.75X85MM 10.9 HARDNESS BOLT. MOMENTS BEFORE THE BOLT BROKE, MY WIFE AND ONLY CHILD WERE ON THE HIGHWAY. LUCKILY SHE WAS OFF THE HIGHWAY AND ONLY TRAVELING AROUND 20 MPH ROUNDING A CORNER WHEN THE BOLT SHEARED OFF. THAT VERY BOLT THAT SHEARED OFF WAS REPLACED WITH THE EXACT SAME DIAMETER AND HARDNESS BOLT AS PART OF THE CORRECTIVE ACTION. TO ME, SATURN IS STILL COMPROMISING THE SAFETY OF MY WIFE AND ONLY CHILD. I CRAWLED UNDER A 2007 SATURN VUE ON THE SHOWROOM FLOOR AT SATURN OF BINGHAMTON. JUST AS I SUSPECTED...........THAT VERY SAME PIVOT BOLT UNDER THE 2007 WAS MUCH LARGER IN DIAMETER (16MM IN DIAMETER ROUGHLY). SO THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY APPARENT IN THE ENGINEERS DESIGN, BECAUSE THEY MADE A CHANGE TO THE NEWER VEHICLES. IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW, SO WHY WASN'T OURS FIXED CORRECTLY? WHAT'S FROM KEEPING THIS SAME BOLT FROM SHEARING OFF AGAIN IN SAY 2 OR 3 YEARS. THE M12 BOLT OBVIOUSLY DOESN'T HAVE THE SHEAR STRENGTH FOR THAT APPLICATION. THAT IS WHY THEY ARE NOW PUTTING A MUCH LARGER DIAMETER BOLT IN ITS PLACE ON THE NEWER MODELS. ALL THESE 2002-2004 SATURN VUE OWNERS IN THE COUNTRY HAVE WARM AND FUZZY FEELINGS ABOUT FEELING SAFE IN THEIR VEHICLE AGAIN NOW THAT THEY HAD THE RECALL CAMPAIGN PERFORMED. WHEN IN FACT THE MAJORITY DON??T EVEN HAVE A CLUE WHAT THE RECALL ENTAILED. SATURN IS BANKING ON THESE VEHICLES TO BE IN THE SCRAP YARD BEFORE ANYTHING MAJOR HAPPENS AGAIN. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE, AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED!!! I ADDRESSED THIS ISSUE WITH SATURN CUSTOMER SERVICE ALREADY. THEY ARE BASICALLY SAYING TOUGH LUCK, THE RECALL CORRECTIVE ACTION IS WHAT IT IS. *JB