NHTSA Complaint #10979922 — 2001 PONTIAC GRAND AM

ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS, MY VEHICLE HAS TURNED OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND THE CAR TURNED OFF. ON ALL THREE OCCASIONS I WAS COMING EITHER TO A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, ABOUT TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. THANKFULLY, I WAS NOT YET IN THE INTERSECTION WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I BELIEVE THE ISSUE IS RELATED TO THE IGNITION SWITCH RECALL ISSUED BY GM. SOME TIME IN 2015 I DID MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH NORTHSTAR CHEVROLET IN CLIFTON PARK, NY TO HAVE THE ISSUE RESOLVED, ASSUMING THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO REPAIR THE IGNITION. I NOTIFIED THEM THAT I DID HAVE ISSUES WITH TURNING THE KEY WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE CAR ON. THEY SAID IT WAS NOT RELATED, THAT IT WAS AN OLD CAR AND THE IGNITION HAD WORN A CERTAIN WAY - THAT'S WHY THE KEY DIDN'T ALWAYS TURN EASILY. THEY SAID THE RECALL REPAIR WAS TO MAKE THE HOLE IN THE KEY SMALLER SO THAT I COULDN'T HAVE HEAVY ITEMS ATTACHED TO MY KEY. THEY LOOKED AT WHAT I DID HAVE ON MY KEY CHAIN AND SAID THE WEIGHT SHOULD BE FINE, IT WAS MAINLY FOR PEOPLE THAT HAD DOZENS OF KEYS OR VERY HEAVY ITEMS ON THE KEY RING. I LEFT WITHOUT ANY CHANGES TO MY KEY. NOW, IN MARCH AND APRIL 2017 I'VE HAD MORE SERIOUS ISSUES WITH MY CAR TURNING OFF. I ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH TURNING MY CAR ON IF THE KEY IS NOT PUSHED UP IN THE IGNITION BEFORE BEING TURNED. THIS IS THE CASE EVEN WITHOUT ANYTHING ELSE ATTACHED TO THE KEY WHEN TRYING TO TURN THE CAR ON. I AM FEARFUL OF DRIVING MY CAR WITHOUT HAVING THIS PROPERLY REPAIRED, YET THE DEALERSHIP INSISTS THAT THEY ARE ONLY PERMITTED TO PERFORM THE SPECIFIED REPAIR TO THE KEY ITSELF, BUT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS TO THE CAR ITSELF UNDER THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE IGNITION SWITCH ON THE CAR THAT IS NOT MAKING PROPER CONTACT TO TURN THE CAR ON. I NEED MY FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED BEFORE I HAVE AN ACCIDENT.