NHTSA Complaint #10938822 — 2012 GMC ACADIA

MY CAR WAS PURCHASED WITH A POWER LIFT GATE IN 2012. IT HAS ALWAYS WORKED FINE UNTIL ONE DAY RECENTLY I WAS HOLDING MY YOUNG DAUGHTER PUTTING A PACKAGE IN THE TRUNK WHEN IT SUDDENLY REVERSED ITS MOTION JUST AS IT WAS ALMOST FULLY OPEN AND CAME SLAMMING DOWN ON BOTH MY DAUGHTER AND I HITTING ME, THANKFULLY NOT MY DAUGHTER RIGHT IN THE HEAD. THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF THE WAY OF THIS DOOR-THE SAFETY FEATURE WHICH WOULD MAKE IT GO BACK UP IF SOMETHING WAS IN THE WAY WAS DEFECTIVE AT THIS POINT AND NOT WORKING. THERE WAS NO WARNING LEADING UP TO THIS EVENT THAT WOULD CAUSE ME TO BELIEVE THE DOOR WAS BEGINNING TO BREAK. MY HUSBAND LOOKED AT IT AS WELL WHEN I RETURNED HOME AND IT CONTINUED TO TAKE PLACE AND FORCEFULLY SLAMMED THE DOOR DOWN. WE IMMEDIATELY DISABLED THE POWER LIFT GATE; HOWEVER, IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR ONE INDIVIDUAL TO OPERATE THE DOOR MANUALLY BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT STAY UP ON IT'S OWN AND HAD TO BE HELD OPEN. I HAVE CONTACTED GMC AND HAVE A OPENED UP A CLAIM WITH THEM BUT THEY HAVE NOT REPORTED THAT THERE ARE ANY OPEN RECALLS ON THIS CAR PART. WE ARE VERY UPSET AND THANKFUL THAT MYSELF OR MY DAUGHTER WASN'T HURT WORSE ( I DID SUFFER A HEADACHE FOR A GOOD PART OF THE DAY). I FEEL THAT THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS EVENT THAT TOOK PLACE AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THIS DOOR FORCEFULLY AND ERRATICALLY BEING BROUGHT DOWN ON MY HEAD. WE HAVE PAID SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS AT THIS POINT TO RECTIFY THE SITUATION AND FIX THE LIFT GATE. I HAVE SAVED MY RECEIPTS. THE PICTURE BELOW IS OF THE PART THAT BROKE.