NHTSA Complaint #10280052 — 2002 GMC YUKON XL 1500

THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL NEARLY FELL OFF OUR 2002 YUKON 1500 SLT. WE HAD JUST STOPPED TO PAY A TOLL ON THE MAINE TURNPIKE. AS WE DROVE OUT OF THE TOLL BOOTH, MY HUSBAND HAD DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE. A TERRIBLE GRINDING NOISE CAME FROM THE LEFT FRONT END OF OUR CAR. THE ABS LIGHT FLASHED ON. GRIPPING THE WOBBLY STEERING WHEEL, MY HUSBAND GUIDED THE VEHICLE ACROSS SEVERAL LANES OF TRAFFIC INTO THE NARROW BREAKDOWN LANE. THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY OFF THE VEHICLE. CARS AND TRUCKS WHIZZED BY DANGEROUSLY CLOSE AS MY HUSBAND TRIED TO REPOSITION THE WHEEL AND TIGHTEN THE BOLTS THAT HAD LOOSENED. TWO HUNDRED MILES FROM HOME, AND A FEW MILES FROM OUR DESTINATION, WE HOBBLED ON. MY HUSBAND STOPPED REPEATEDLY TO RETIGHTEN THE BOLTS. WE GOT OFF THE TURNPIKE AND INCHED ALONG SLOWLY ON BACK ROADS. STILL, THIS FINAL LEG OF OUR JOURNEY WAS TREACHEROUS. STEERING WAS ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE. WE NEARLY WENT OFF THE ROAD. WHEN FINALLY SAFELY STOPPED, THE TIRE AND METAL WHEEL PARTS WERE SO HOT, THEY HAD TO BE HOSED DOWN. SMOKE CAME FROM THE WHEEL. THE METAL WAS SCORCHED. THE CALIPER HOLDING THE WHEEL WAS SEVERELY BENT, THE BRAKES DESTROYED, AND THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL SCORED AND CHARRED. PARTS HAD DISINTEGRATED. THE BEARINGS WERE GONE. IT IS INCREDIBLE WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE EVEN 10 MILES. IF I HAD BEEN BEHIND THE WHEEL, INSTEAD OF MY HUSBAND, I WOULD HAVE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. IF THE PROBLEM HAD MANIFESTED ITSELF AS WE HURTLED DOWN THE HIGHWAY INSTEAD OF EXITING A TOLL BOOTH, THE WHEEL SURELY WOULD HAVE FLOWN OFF THE CAR INTO TRAFFIC. I SHUDDER TO THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES. OUR TWO YOUNG SONS WERE IN THE BACK SEAT. WE WERE VERY LUCKY, BUT ARE NOW MINUS A VEHICLE WE NEED. IT SITS WHERE WE LEFT IT, 200 MILES AWAY. WE NEED TO BRING IT HOME, BUT THE TOW CHARGE WILL BE PROHIBITIVELY EXPENSIVE, NOT TO MENTION THE REPAIRS. THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. WE NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE OF KNOWN PROBLEMS RELATED TO AN ISSUE WITH THIS YUKON'S WHEELS. WHY NOT? *TR