NHTSA Complaint #10534157 — 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA

I DRIVE A 2009 CHEVROLET IMPALA. ON 8-6-13 DRIVING THE FAR LANE ON THE HIGHWAY I EXPERIENCED A SERIES OF WARNING MESSAGES ON THE DASHBOARD. THE MESSAGES WERE, "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL, ENGINE POWER REDUCED AND SERVICE ENGINE." AS THE SPEED OF THE CAR BEGAN TO REDUCE, I WENT TO MERGE INTO THE SLOW LANE TO PREPARE TO TAKE ANY NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS. BEFORE I COULD SWITCH ONE LANE A MESSAGE POPPED UP SAYING, "STEERING COLUMN HAS BEEN LOCKED." AT THAT POINT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY TIGHT ALMOST ENABLING ME TO STEER INTO THE RIGHT LANE. AT THE SAME TIME, THE VEHICLES MILEAGE HAS DROPPED DOWN TO PRACTICALLY NOTHING. LETS REMEMBER I'M ON THE HIGHWAY DURING 5:00PM RUSH HOUR. BY THE TIME THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC REACHED ME, I WAS ABLE TO GET OFF ONTO THE SHOULD OF THE HIGHWAY. I THEN GET A WARNING MESSAGE SAYING, "ENGINE HAS BEEN DISABLED." AT THAT POINT I SHUT THE CAR OFF. I'VE LOST A FAMILY MEMBER TO CAR FAILURE ON THE HIGH WAY. AT THIS POINT I SIT FOR ABOUT A MINUTE OR TWO AND THEN START THE CAR BACK UP. AFTER TURNING OVER A COUPLE OF TIMES, THE CAR STARTS AND OPERATES AT AN EXCEPTIONAL SPEED. IMAGINE HAD THE CARS BEHIND NOT BEEN PAYING ATTENTION. MAYBE THEY WERE TEXTING, FATIGUED, LOOKING BEHIND THEM OR ANYTHING TO HAVE MADE THEM NOT NOTICE THE DISABLED VEHICLE AHEAD. THIS COULD'VE BEEN A MASSIVE FATAL CRASH. MY [XXX] YEAR OLD CHILD WOULD NOT HAVE STOOD A CHANCE. AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AND GM HAS DONE NOTHING TO JUSTIFY THE POORLY ASSEMBLED PARTS, I AM VERY UPSET AT THE LACK OF CONCERN FOR THEIR BUYERS SAFETY. AS A SINGLE PARENT, I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE THE CAR SERVICED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO ELIMINATE ANY SAFETY HAZARDS TO MY CHILD. COMING OUT OF $300+ FOR SOMETHING GM SHOULD'VE RECALLED WHEN NOTIFIED IS UNACCEPTABLE. I WILL BE CONTACTING ALL SOURCES POSSIBLE TO INQUIRE ON GETTING A RECALL AND HOPEFULLY SAVING SOMEONE'S LIFE. *TR PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U