NHTSA Complaint #10505647 — 2013 BUICK LACROSSE

ON SATURDAY, APRIL 7,2013 MY WIFE PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AT A CONDO IN MARCO IS.FL. SHE WAS DRIVING OUR 2013 BUICK LACROSSE. KNOWING THAT THE LACROSSE HAS A LOW FRONT END,SHE SLOWS DOWN TO A CRAWL TO AVOID DRAGGING THE FRONT END ON THE PARKING LOT BLOCKS. SHE IS FAMILIAR WITH THIS PARKING LOT AS MY DAUGHTER LIVES THERE AND SHE HAS PARKED THERE OFTEN. THIS TIME UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES THE CAR DID NOT STOP,WENT OVER THE PARKING BLOCKS AND SEVERELY DAMAGED THE CAR.THE LACROSSE HAS BEEN CITED FOR A BRAKING PROBLEM BY THE NHTSA AND ISSUED A RECALL NOTICE #13053.THE RECALL SPECIFICALLY NOTES THAT,"A SOFTWARE PROBLEM MAY CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION TO INADVERTENTLY SHIFT TO SPORTS MODE REMOVING ANY TRANSMISSION- RELATED ENGINE BRAKING EFFECT." CONSEQUENTLY,"IF ENGINE BRAKING IS UNEXPECTEDLY REMOVED, IT MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH." UPON CONTACTING G.M. BUICK DIVISION, I WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN# WAS NOT CITED IN THE RECALL. FURTHER, THEY WANTED THAT I BRING THE CAR TO A BUICK DEALERSHIP FOR BRAKE ANALYSIS.THIS DEALERSHIP IS 40 MILES AWAY IN NAPLES,FL. I SUGGESTED THAT THEY(BUICK) INSPECT THE CAR AT THE REPAIR SHOP WHERE MY WIFE HAD IT TOWED TO AFTER THE ACCIDENT. AUTOCRAFT, THE REPAIR SHOP, ON MARCO IS.WOULD ALLOW THEM TO DO THEIR ANALYSIS THERE. AN ACCOMMODATION NOT UNIQUE TO THEM. BUICK HAS BALKED AT THIS ARRANGEMENT. WHILE BUICK SUGGESTS THAT THIS RECALL DID NOT COVER MY VIN#. I CAN ONLY WONDER IF THE RECALL SHOULD BE BROADEN IN SCOPE AS MY WIFE'S EXPERIENCE WOULD SUGGEST.IN RETROSPECT, I'M HAPPY THAT THIS HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT AND NOT UNDER TRAFFIC RELATED CONDITIONS. *TR