NHTSA Complaint #10578039 — 2007 SATURN ION

I LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING ON LOCAL ROADS (THIS HAPPENED 4 TIMES BETWEEN MID-NOVEMBER AND EARLY DECEMBER) I WAS BARELY ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD, SHUT IT DOWN AND RESTART IT - AT WHICH TIME THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING. IT WOULD THEN GO OUT AGAIN AS NOTED AND THE POWER STEERING MESSAGE CAME ON. AT FIRST I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOME WATER DAMAGE AS THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WAS RIGHT AFTER A CAR WASH SO I FIGURED IT WOULD DRY OUT AND BE ALL RIGHT. IT SEEMED THAT WAY UNTIL IT RECURRED AGAIN. I THEN BROUGHT IT IN TO WALLACE CHEVROLET IN STUART FL FOR REPAIR. I WAS QUITE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT THIS REPAIR WAS AT NO CHARGE. MY CAR IS 7 YEARS OLD BUT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED AT N/C PART 19257875. IT APPEARS THE COMPANY KNEW OF THE PROBLEM AND HAD A PROGRAM FOR IT BUT DID NOT NOTIFY OWNERS. FRANKLY I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED OR KILLED SOMEONE ELSE IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON I-95. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THOSE SPEEDS AND NO POWER STEERING. IT STILL FRIGHTENS ME WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS. MY CAR IS ALSO INVOLVED IN THE IGNITION SWITCH RECALL. *TR