NHTSA Complaint #10214025 — 2005 PONTIAC G6

MY 2005 G6 GT IS EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING AND IT RANDOMLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET. CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED, "POWER STEERING" WAS DISPLAYED ON THE CONSOLE, AND ALL POWER STEERING WAS LOST. LUCKILY I WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR ELSE THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MORE CATASTROPHIC AT HIGH SPEEDS OR IN A TURN. PONTIAC ISSUED A BULLETIN STATING THAT THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED AN ISSUE AND SHOULD ONLY BRING THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS IF THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED. THIS LOGIC IS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. SHOULD A CAR COMPANY REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE BEFORE THEY ACCEPT THAT A DANGEROUS DEFECT EXISTS IN THEIR PRODUCT? STEERING COLUMN BEING REPLACED NOW BUT SKEPTICISM IS HIGH. *TR UPDATE (10/14/08): DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN AND CORRECTED THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE RACK AND PINION UNIT WAS REPLACED TWICE AND THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS LUBED ONCE AND REPLACED ONCE, BUT THEY WERE JUST MAKING NOISES AND DID NOT RESULT IN LOSS OF POWER STEERING.