NHTSA Complaint #10577471 — 2008 BUICK ENCLAVE

A WATER LEAK CAUSED BY A BACKUP IN THE DRAIN TUBES OF MY WIFE'S 2008 ENCLAVE EVIDENTLY CAUSED AN APPARENT COMPUTER SYSTEM INCIDENT WHEREBY I WAS LOCKED IN THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT GET OUT. THE KEY WAS STUCK IN IGNITION (AND COULD NOT BE REMOVED) AND MANUAL DOOR LOCKS WOULD NOT UNLOCK VEHICLE BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME KIND OF SAFETY INTERLOCK. EVIDENTLY THERE WAS A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHICH DISABLED ALL METHODS OF EXITING OR STARTING VEHICLE. FOR SOME REASON THE ONSTAR SYSTEM WORKED, BUT ONSTAR HAD NO CLUE AS TO HOW TO ASSIST OR OVERRIDE THE INTERLOCK FEATURE. IT WAS WINTER TIME, AND MY WIFE AND OUR DOG WERE ALSO STRANDED IN VERY COLD WEATHER OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. LUCKILY WE WERE ASSISTED BY A STRANGER THAT USED HIS JUMPER CABLES TO GET THE CAR STARTED. I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN IF THE CAR WERE SUBMERGED OR THE COMPUTER SYSTEM WAS SOMEHOW COMPROMISED IT COULD CAUSE A SIMILAR PROBLEM. FILED PROBLEM WITH BUICK CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP VIA EMAIL BUT ALL THEY WANTED TO DO WAS TO REPLACE THE BATTERY. AS OF THIS DATE (4/4/14) WE STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL BATTERY, BUT THEY DENY ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM. I HAVE EMAILS FROM BUICK AND THEIR SERVICE REQUEST NUMBER IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VERIFY MY CLAIM. I ONLY RECENTLY BECAME AWARE THAT I COULD FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA IN THIS MANNER. *TR