NHTSA Complaint #10551240 — 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE

I OWN A 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE THAT STARTED EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT STEERING LOCK-UP ISSUES AT APPROXIMATELY 55,000 MILES. THE STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY 'LOCK-UP' ESPECIALLY AT SPEEDS BELOW 35 MPH WITHOUT WARNING, THE PROBLEM BECAME MUCH WORSE OVER TIME. WE FREQUENTLY TRAVEL TO THE NC MOUNTAINS WHERE THERE ARE MANY 2 LANE CURVY ROADS GOING UP/DOWN THE MOUNTAINS, THE PROBLEM WAS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE WHEN TRAVELING IN THE NC MOUNTAINS. A VEHICLE HAVING THE STEERING 'LOCK-UP' IS A DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE. I HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHEN IT REACHED 68,295 MILES FOR $2186.50 DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS OF HARMING ONE OF MY CHILDREN OR WIFE SHOULD A WRECK OCCUR DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIRS CONSISTED OF REPLACING THE DEFECTIVE 'STEERING GEAR' AS WELL AS THE POWER STEERING PUMP DUE TO METAL SHAVINGS FROM THE DISINTEGRATING STEERING GEAR GETTING INTO THE POWER STEERING PUMP. IN SEARCHING ENCVLAVEFORUM.NET MANY USERS COMPLAINED OF THE SAME ISSUE WITH VEHICLES IN THE LAMBDA FAMILY (ENCLAVE, TRAVERSE, ACADIA). A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR THIS DEFECT. *TR