NHTSA Complaint #10374847 — 2007 SATURN ION

WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY A PWR STEERING WARNING FLASHED AND SUDDENLY I WAS WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND HAD TO STEER MANUALLY WITHOUT POWER ASSIST. I TURNED OFF MY 2007 SATURN ION AND THEN TURNED IT BACK ON AND THE POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER I WAS RETURNING HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. FORTUNATELY I AM STRONG AND WAS ABLE TO STEER THE CAR SAFELY OFF THE HIGHWAY IN ORDER TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON AGAIN. STEERING THE VEHICLE TOOK CONSIDERABLE STRENGTH. BOTH TIMES WHEN THIS HAPPENED THERE WAS NO WARNING. I COULD ONLY IMAGINE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO SOMEONE WHO IS NOT VERY STRONG. I COULD SEE WHERE A PERSON COULD COMPLETELY LOSE CONTROL OF THEIR VEHICLE. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM GM INFORMING ME OF THE PROBLEM AND DIRECTING ME TO THE NEAREST DEALER TO HAVE THE POWER STEERING REPLACED. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I WAS LUCKY NOT TO BE INJURED BECAUSE I HAD THE STRENGTH TO STEER THE CAR MANUALLY. TO SUDDENLY BE WITHOUT POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY FATAL AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR 35 YEARS AND THIS IS THE MOST SERIOUS AUTOMOTIVE DEFECT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED. IT SEEMED THE RECALL LETTER WAS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE. *TR