NHTSA Complaint #10598732 — 2009 SATURN AURA

2009 SATURN AURA XE, APPROXIMATELY 124,400 MILES. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR, THE DIC POWER STEERING LIGHT WAS ON. I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. I GOT A RIDE HOME FROM WORK. THE NEXT DAY, A FRIEND CHANGED THE POWER STEERING FUSE. THE INDICATOR LIGHT WENT OUT AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME. THIS DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM, THOUGH. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHEN IT WENT OUT FOR GOOD. CODE: C0545-STEERING WHEEL TOGGLE SENSOR. THEY BLAMED THE POWER STEERING ISSUE ON HAVING THE BATTERY REPLACED. THEY DID SOME RESETTING OF CODES AND DID A RELEARN. THEY SAID THERE WERE NO RECALLS POSTED. MY SON PICKED UP THE CAR 3 DAYS LATER, WAS ABLE TO DRIVE 5 MILES BEFORE THE STEERING FROZE UP AGAIN. HE WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND GET THE CAR BACK TO THE SHOP. THEY DETERMINED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE ENTIRE THING HAD TO BE REPLACED, STATING THERE WERE NO SERVICEABLE PARTS. AFTER ANOTHER WEEK, I PICKED UP MY CAR. THIS ENTIRE EVENT COST ME $1300+ IN REPAIRS AND RENTAL CAR FEES. IF GM HAD POSTED A RECALL SOONER, THEY WOULD HAVE FIXED IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. NOW, SATURN IS SAYING MY CAR ISN'T INCLUDED IN THE LATEST RECALL FOR POWER STEERING ASSIST AND THEY REFUSE TO REIMBURSE ME EVEN THOUGH MY CAR HAD A DEFECTIVE PART AND COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT HAD IT GONE OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. THEY SAY THE RECALL IS VIN SPECIFIC AND THE PART IN MY CAR WASN'T DEFECTIVE. MAYBE MY CAR DIDN'T HAVE THE PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED PART THAT FAILED, BUT MINE STILL FAILED, WHICH MEANS THE PART WAS DEFECTIVE, TOO. GM NEEDS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS FAILURE AND THE POTENTIAL TO HARM OR KILL PEOPLE. IF YOU OWN A SATURN AURA AND THE POWER STEERING ASSIST HAS GONE OUT, REPORT IT HERE, WRITE TO GM, POST IT ON SATURN'S AND GM'S FACEBOOK PAGES, WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. MAKE SOME NOISE & MAKE GM TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *TR