NHTSA Complaint #10714163 — 2011 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE

MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW CHEVROLET TRAVERSE ?11 IN 2010 AT A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER IN MARYLAND. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE WE NOTICED A WHINING NOISE IN THE STEERING AT SLOW SPEEDS. WE BROUGHT IN THE TRAVERSE TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER NUMEROUS TIMES FOR THE STEERING ISSUE AND COMPLAINED ABOUT IT EVERY TIME WE BROUGHT THE TRAVERSE IN FOR OIL CHANGES. WE WERE TOLD TWO DIFFERENT RESPONSES, EITHER THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE OR THAT IT WAS NORMAL AND THE SOUND WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THE WEATHER CHANGES. YEARS LATER THE PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING SEEMED TO GET WORSE. LAST MONTH, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS AND AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD, THEY ACTUALLY TOOK THE TIME TO DISCOVER THAT THERE WAS INDEED AN ISSUE WITH OUR STEERING AND IT WAS CAUSED BY A LEAK. THEY WANTED TO CHARGE $1800.00 DOLLARS TO FIX IT. I TOLD THE GENTLEMAN WE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR YEARS AND NOW AFTER THE WARRANTY, YOU TOOK THE TIME TO FIND THE ISSUE. THEY CHARGED ME $85.00 TO FILL UP THE POWER STEERING FLUID. I DECLINED HAVING THE REPAIRS BEING DONE AND TOOK MY CAR OVER TO A TRUSTED MECHANIC. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THE STEERING ISSUE HAS BEEN GOING IN THE CHEVY TRAVERSE 2011 SINCE IT FIRST CAME OUT AND THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE MECHANIC PRINTED OUT THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 10-02-32-002A AND RECOMMENDED ME CONTACTING CHEVROLET. I FEEL DISAPPOINTED THAT WE REPORTED A PROBLEM WITH OUR VEHICLE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED YEARS AGO DURING OUR WARRANTY PERIOD. CURRENTLY THE TRAVERSE IS HAVING ISSUES WITH THE STEERING WITH FLUID DRIPPING IN OUR DRIVEWAY. I DON?T FEEL SAFE HAVING MY WIFE DRIVE OUR TWO AND FOUR YEAR OLD CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE WITH THE STEERING ISSUE. I REALLY PUT MY TRUST IN OUR LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP TO SERVICE OUR VEHICLE AND I FEEL THEY HAVE NEGLECTED TO ADDRESS THE STEERING PROBLEMS WITH OUR TRAVERSE. *TR