NHTSA Complaint #10196143 — 2007 CADILLAC STS

THIS ONE SEEMED TO BE THE MOST DANGEROUS. ON RANDOM AND UNPREDICTABLE OCCASIONS WHILE MAKING A SHARP TURN ON DRY PAVEMENT AT RELATIVELY LOW SPEED AT APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH THE STABILITY SYSTEM ACTIVE MESSAGE OR TRACTION ACTIVE MESSAGE WOULD BE DISPLAYED ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER AND THE CAR WOULD LOSE POWER TO ALL 4 WHEELS AND SLOW ALMOST TO A STOP EVEN WHILE THE GAS PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED - IT WOULD SEEM TO STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION! ON MAY 26, 2007 R.C. OLSEN CADILLAC REPLACED THE YAW SENSOR TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM , BUT EVIDENTLY THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM WHICH I CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE AT RANDOM, INFREQUENTLY, AND UNPREDICTABLE OCCASIONS. THERE SEEMS TO BE A SLIGHT LOOSENESS IN THE STEERING WHEN TURNED WHICH USUALLY OCCURS AT LOW SPEED (LESS THAN 5 MPH) AT THE BEGINNING OF A SHARP TURN WITH PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE STEERING WHEEL (MOST OFTEN OCCURS WHEN STEERING WHEEL IS PULLED TOWARD THE DRIVER). IT FEELS LIKE A 1/8 INCH "SLIP" OR "JERK" IN THE WHEEL. THE OCCURRENCE IS MOST NOTICEABLE WHEN TURNING WHILE BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE OR WHEN MAKING AN INITIAL TURN AFTER BEING STOPPED. IT HAPPENS IN FORWARD AND REVERSE BUT I SEEM TO NOTICE IT MORE IN REVERSE BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN I SEEM TO BE PUTTING REARWARD PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE TURNING. I SUSPECT THAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE SOMEHOW RELATED TO THE ELECTRONIC ADJUSTMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL. NOTE HOWEVER THAT ON MY MOST RECENT SERVICE VISIT ON JUNE 27, 2007, WOODWARD CADILLAC OF ANDOVER, MA FOUND THAT THE FRONT END WAS SEVERELY OUT OF LINE AND SUBSEQUENTLY PERFORMED AN ALIGNMENT ON THE CAR WHICH DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM BUT SEEMED TO SLIGHTLY IMPROVE IT - THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE PROBLEM MAY BE ORIGINATING FROM THE FRONT END OR RACK. I HAVE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE ON THIS ISSUE 5 TIMES ALL WITH THE RESULT THAT THE TECHNICIAN COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND THEREFORE COULD NOT FIX IT. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS MISALIGNED , OFF CENTER. *AK