NHTSA Complaint #10368816 — 2001 BUICK LESABRE

EARLIER THIS SUMMER, JUNE OR JULY, I TOOK MY LESABRE IN TO MY DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR USED (IN 2006) BECAUSE MY DASH HAD BEEN SEPARATING FOR QUITE SOME TIME. I THOUGHT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME SORT OF RECALL OR TECHNICAL BULLETIN FOR THE DASH PROBLEM, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN A PROBLEM LIKE MINE BEFORE. THEIR SUGGESTION WAS TO REPLACE THE DASH AT A COST OF NEARLY $900 AND THEY COULDN'T BE CERTAIN THAT IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAD POSED THE QUESTION ABOUT THE SEPARATION CAUSING PROBLEMS WITH THE AIR BAG SYSTEM SINCE I HAD READ SOMETHING ABOUT IT ONLINE. THE DEALER SAID THEY DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD CAUSE A PROBLEM. THEY FINALLY HAD A SERVICE TECH COME LOOK AT THE DASH AND HE SAID HE WOULD JUST "GLUE IT DOWN", PUT A COUPLE SCREWS THROUGH THE DASH AND BUY AN AFTERMARKET DASH COVER "IF IT WERE HIM" AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. THE DASH HAS CONTINUALLY BEEN SEPARATING MORE AND MORE SINCE THEN. FINALLY, ON THE 24TH OF NOVEMBER 2010, AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN A LOCAL HIGHWAY, MY AIR BAG DASH LIGHT CAME ON AND THE AUDIBLE ALARM SOUNDED. I IMMEDIATELY MOVED MY SEAT BACK AND WENT HOME ASAP. I LOOKED AT THE MANUAL TO FIND OUT THAT WHEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON IT MEANT THAT THE AIR BAGS COULD 1) NOT DEPLOY DURING AN ACCIDENT OR 2) DEPOLY AT ANY TIME WITHOUT REASON. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE DEALT WITH BY THE FACTORY / DEALER / CARMAKER / ETC. THIS IS, IN MY OPINION, NO DOUBT CAUSED BY THE SEPARATING OF THE DASH PANEL FROM THE REST OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE CONSIDER THIS DASH SEPARATION AS A LEGIT PROBLEM AND SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND HAVING TO PAY NEARLY $900 TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT MANY, MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING DUE TO POOR DESIGN ON THE PART OF BUICK / GENERAL MOTORS. AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT DURING NORMAL DRIVING WILL MOST CERTAINLY LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT AND POSSIBLY A FATALITY...UNACCEPTABLE!!!