NHTSA Complaint #10425516 — 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA

THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING HEAVY RAINFALL. MY SON WAS TURNING RIGHT ONTO A HIGHWAY, AFTER STOPPING AT A STOP SIGN. ONCE HE BEGAN HIS TURN ONTO THE HIGHWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP FOR A FEW SECONDS. HE THEN TURNED DOWN A RESIDENTIAL STREET AND DROVE AROUND A FEW BLOCKS, LOSING STEERING AGAIN FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE TURNING A CORNER. HE PROCEEDED TO DRIVE BACK ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND DROVE 70 MILES TO HIS DESTINATION, RAIN CONTINUING, WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. ON THIS SAME DAY, I DROVE HOME 70 MILES FROM THIS DESTINATION, THE RAIN CONTINUED AND I HAD DRIVEN ABOUT 30 MILES WHEN THE STEERING LOCKED FOR A FEW SECONDS AFTER I CROSSED A RAILROAD TRACK AND TURNED ONTO A RESIDENTIAL STREET. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE IF NOT MORE INCIDENTS OF THE STEERING LOCKING UP EACH TIME IT RAINS. THE STEERING EITHER LOCKS WHILE MAKING A TURN, OR AFTER THE TURN IS COMPLETED, OR AS WE ARE TURNING INTO A PARKING SPOT. TODAY, 9/14/2011, IT WAS RAINING AND MY STEERING LOCKED UP WHILE TURNING FROM A STOP SIGN, THEN AGAIN WHILE TURNING INTO A PARKING SPACE, AND AGAIN AS I WAS PULLING INTO MY DRIVEWAY. ON THIS DATE, HOWEVER, I NOTICED THAT THE LOW BATTERY INDICATOR CAME ON WHEN THE STEERING LOCKED. WHEN THE STEERING FIRST STARTED LOCKING UP, WE REPORTED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY SAID THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH OUR VEHICLE. WE HAVE NOTIFIED THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WHERE OUR IMPALA WAS PURCHASED, AND GM. IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR STEERING PROBLEMS ON THE 2008 IMPALA. THEREFORE, WE HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM RESOLVED. *TR *KB