NHTSA Complaint #10202105 — 2001 CHEVROLET TRACKER

I TOOK MY 2001 CHEVROLET TRACKER TO A GMC DEALERSHIP AFTER FEELING THE WHEEL PULL HARD TO THE RIGHT EVERY TIME I HIT THE BRAKES. AFTER EXAMINING MY CAR, I WAS TOLD THAT THE CROSSMEMBER ON MY 6 YEAR OLD CAR HAD COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT , AND WAS ABOUT TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE SUSPENSION. THE DEALERSHIP EXPLAINED THAT THE SALT USED TO DE-ICE THE ROADWAYS IN THE NORTHEAST CAUSED THE PART TO RUST OUT OVER TIME. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AND THAT I WAS LUCKY I BROUGHT IT IN WHEN I DID, AS I COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED OR POSSIBLY KILLED IF THE PART HAD BROKEN LOOSE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. MY GMAC WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE REPAIRS OF THIS PART, AND AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION BY THE MECHANICS AT THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS INFORMED THAT I WOULD ALSO HAVE TO REPLACE THE FRONT STABILIZING ARMS, WHICH WERE IN PERFECT WORKING CONDITION, BUT WERE UNFORTUNATELY COMPLETELY RUSTED TO THE CROSSMEMBER THEY WERE ATTEMPTING TO REPLACE. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT CHEVY HAS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER THE CROSSMEMBER SHOULD BE RECALLED, AS IT IS A PART WHICH IS MANUFACTURED BY SUZUKI, AND IS KNOWN TO HAVE "INSUFFICIENT RUSTPROOFING". I FEEL THAT THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED, AS THE INVESTIGATION STATES THAT THIS PART HAS RUSTED OUT ON OVER 128,000 VEHICLES, AND COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE GREAT HARM TO THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS UPON FAILURE. *TR