NHTSA Complaint #10939760 — 2008 BUICK LUCERNE

OUR 2008 BUICK LUCERNE WAS IN THE HOV LANE TRAVELING ON 84 W TOWARD HARTFORD, CT. WITHOUT WARNING - NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON - THE CAR STARTED TO DECELERATE. MY DAUGHTER TRIED TO ACCELERATE AND NOTHING HAPPENED; SHE THEN TRIED TO BRAKE TO PULL OVER AND WAS UNABLE TO FREELY TURN THE WHEEL. SHE STRUGGLED TO MOVE TO SAFETY TO THE SHOULDER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BUT THEN FELT THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES LOCK COMPLETELY AS THE CAR STALLED. WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE CAR TO MOVE TO SAFETY, THE CAR VIOLENTLY SHOOK. SINCE THE CAR WAS STILL PARTIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY, MY HUSBAND AND I CALLED THE CT STATE POLICE TO REQUEST HELP WHILE MY DAUGHTERS WERE WAITING FOR AAA. WHEN THE TROOPER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE HE CALLED US TO SAY THAT THE CAR WAS PARTIALLY IN THE ROAD AND THAT TWO CRUISERS WERE THERE TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR DAUGHTERS. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO OUR SERVICE STATION OF 25 YEARS IN SCRANTON PA AND FOUND THAT THE FUEL PUMP RELAY POST HAD OVERHEATED AND MELTED. A DIAGNOSTIC TEST DID NOT REVEAL ANY PROBLEMS EITHER. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED ONE WEEK EARLIER TO THIS SAME STATION BECAUSE THE CAR WAS SHAKING VIOLENTLY. AFTER A DIAGNOSTIC TEST REVEALED NOTHING, THEY DETERMINED THAT THE CAR WAS LOW ON FUEL (AND THAT IT WASN'T A FUEL PUMP ISSUE). WE THEN DROVE THE CAR ANOTHER 517 MILES WITHOUT INCIDENT. I HAVE FOUND THAT COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED WITH BUICK (I HAVE FILED ONE TOO) REGARDING THIS PROBLEM AND THAT FIRES HAVE RESULTED FROM THE OVERHEATING. THESE COMPLAINTS INDICATE THAT SOMETIMES THE CAR STARTS, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. I BELIEVE THESE 2 INCIDENTS, ONE WEEK APART, WERE RELATED AND THAT BOTH TIMES, NO WARNING OR DIAGNOSTIC TEST REVEALED A PROBLEM. IF MY DAUGHTER HAD BEEN DRIVING ON THE 4 LANE HIGHWAY LEADING INTO HARTFORD AND THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT SHE AND MY OTHER DAUGHTER WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A SERIOUS, IF NOT FATAL ACCIDENT. *TR