NHTSA Complaint #10970912 — 2001 BUICK REGAL

TAKATA RECALL... WHILE DRIVING IN OUR CITY ALL INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT WENT TO FLASHING AND THE GAUGES WERE QUIVERING, BELLS WENT OFF AND MY CAR DIED RIGHT THERE IN THE TRAFFIC WHILE GOING 25 MPH. I HAD MY DAUGHTER AND GRANDSON IN THE CAR WITH ME AND BY THE GRACE OF GOD WE AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT. CAR WOULDN'T RESTART FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES BUT EVENTUALLY DID WITH THE SAME THING HAPPENING WITH THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. DAUGHTER GOT THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. HUSBAND GOT THE CAR HOME AND LEFT IT. IT WOULDN'T START BACK THE NEXT DAY BUT AFTER CONTINUALLY TRYING IT EVENTUALLY STARTED BUT HAD A HORRIBLE GRINDING NOISE AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL STILL GOING CRAZY. HUSBAND CALLED OUR LOCAL GARAGE WHILE I STARTED A SEARCH ON THE WEB FOR POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS. I CAME ACROSS OTHERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AS WE WERE EXPERIENCING AND FOUND THAT THEIR PROBLEM WAS THE IGNITION SWITCH. OUR LOCAL GARAGE SUGGESTED WE LOOK FOR GROUND WIRE PROBLEMS. I WATCHED A VIDEO OF A CAR DOING THE SAME THING MINE WAS DOING, THAT PERSON REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH AND ALL WAS WELL. I READ AND WATCHED A VIDEO OF WHERE ONE SAID TO TURN ON THE FLASHERS OR HEADLIGHTS BEFORE TRY TO START THE CAR, THIS ALLOWED THE CAR TO START WITH NO PROBLEMS. TRIED IT AND IT WORKED. ONE OTHER THING WITHOUT THE FLASHERS OR HEADLIGHTS ON, THE SIFTER IS LOCKED AND WILL NOT COME OUT OF PARK. CALLED OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP ABOUT A RECALL AND WAS LAUGHED AT AND SPOKEN TO AS IF I WAS A CHILD. SHE SAID IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH AND 1 PERSON HAD A COMPLAINT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL. I TOLD HER THERE WAS PLENTY DOCUMENTATION ON YOUTUBE TO GO WATCH IT. I AM READING MANY THAT ARE CALLING THIS AS A "DEATH TRAP" AND THAT SOME HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR