NHTSA Complaint #10458959 — 2008 CHEVROLET IMPALA

SYMPTOMS WERE NOISE WHEN STEERING AT LOW SPEED, PLAY IN STEERING WHEEL AND VEHICLE "WANDERING" WHEN DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. PROBLEM WAS DEFECTIVE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. GM REDESIGNED THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT IN 2008 IN RESPONSE TO THESE VERY PROBLEMS. GM HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PART, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE TECHNICAL SERVICES BULLETINS, INCLUDING TSB # 01-02-32-0010. THE TSB INDICATES THE NEED FOR REPLACING, NOT LUBRICATING, THE PART. THE TSB STATES "ENGINEERING CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE SERVICE PARTS AVAILABLE THROUGH SPO. THE SERVICE PARTS FOR THE VEHICLES LISTED IN THIS BULLETIN WILL NO LONGER REQUIRE LUBRICATION OF THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT" GM RE-ENGINEERING THE PART INDICATES TO ME AS AN OWNER THAT THEY KNOW THE ORIGINAL PRODUCT WAS DEFECTIVE, BUT ARE CHOOSING TO REPLACE A DEFECTIVE, POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PART AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. THIS PROBLEM IS WIDELY DOCUMENTED ON GM OWNER AND DEALERSHIP FORUMS ACROSS THE INTERNET. THIS PROBLEM IS SHARED BY CHEVROLET IMPALAS, CHEVROLET MONTE CARLOS, BUICK REGALS, BUICK LACROSSES, OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE AND PONTIAC GRAND PRIX. ALL OF THESE VEHICLES ARE BUILT ON THE GM "W BODY" PLATFORM. DUE TO THE POPULARITY OF THESE VEHICLES, THE PROBLEM LIKELY AFFECTS MANY MILLIONS OF OWNERS. I HAD THE PART REPLACED AT MY OWN EXPENSE. I HAD A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED WARRANTY THAT, ACCORDING TO MY INVOICE, ONLY SAVED ME $30 ON THE REPAIR. I WAS CHARGED A $200 DEDUCTIBLE FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PART. *TR