NHTSA Complaint #10255222 — 2007 HUMMER H3

ON NOVEMBER 2, 2008 AT APPROXIMATELY 9:30 PM, I WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AT THE LOCAL WAL-MART AND AS I TURNED RIGHT TO GET INTO THE SPACE I HEARD A LOUD BANG PROCEEDED WITH MY HUMMER H3 ABRUPTLY STOPPING. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAD ACTUALLY HAPPENED AT THAT EXACT TIME AS I WAS MORE CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY OF MY 11 YR OLD BROTHER. I CALLED ON STAR EMERGENCY SERVICES AND TOLD THEM I COULD NOT MOVE MY CAR AND WAS NOT FULLY AWARE OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE WAL-MART SECURITY GUARD THAT WITNESSED THE ENTIRE INCIDENT, RUSHED TO THE VEHICLE TO CHECK IF WE WERE ALRIGHT AND ASKED IF I HAD REALIZED WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO MY CAR. I TOLD HIM NO AND WITH THE ON STAR REP STILL ON THE PHONE I GOT DOWN AND TO MY SURPRISE SAW THE STEERING COLUMN OF MY HUMMER HAD SNAPPED IN HALF. I WAS IN TOTAL DISBELIEF AND COULDN'T HELP BUT THINK HOW MY BROTHER AND I COULD HAVE FLIPPED OVER ON THE FREEWAY IF THIS INCIDENT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED ONE THE WAY TO WAL-MART. AFTER DESCRIBING TO ON STAR WHAT HAD HAPPENED, THE REPRESENTATIVE ASKED IF I COULD MOVE MY CAR OR IF IT WAS DRIVABLE, I TOLD HIM I WAS PRETTY MUCH STUCK WHERE I WAS AND COULDN'T EVEN MOVE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE TRAFFIC. I WAITED ALONG WITH THE SECURITY GUARD FOR A TOW TRUCK TO ARRIVE AND WAS THE TOW TRUCK GOT THERE I WROTE DOWN ALL THE INFORMATION I NEEDED FROM THE SECURITY GUARD AND WAS TOLD BY THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER THAT MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT BE TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP UNTIL THE FOLLOWING MORNING. THE NEXT MORNING I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD THAT I HAD TO CONTACT GM BECAUSE MY BROTHER HAD BEEN HURT AT THE SCENE. I CONTACTED GM AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD SEND AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. AFTER WAITING FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS I WAS TOLD BY THE GM REP, JORGE ABURTO THAT THE REPORT STATED THAT NO OUTSIDE FACTOR TO HAVE CAUSED WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THE VEHICLE. ONCE GM GAVE THE OK TO START THE REPAIR ON THE H3 I WAS TOLD THEY HAD STOPPED BECAUSE THE DEALERSHIP IS NOW ACCUSING ME OF HITTING THE H3. *TR