NHTSA Complaint #10992797 — 2008 GMC ACADIA

I AM EXPERIENCING STEER LOSS WHEN AT LOW SPEEDS WHICH INVOLVE TURNING STREET CORNERS, PULLING AND OUT OF PARKING LOT SPACES AND ANY OTHER TIME A 90 DEGREE TURN IS REQUIRED (MOST OFTEN IN ANY CITY TRAVEL). THE STEERING BECOMES SO TIGHT IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WIDER TURNS ARE REQUIRED WHEN STEERING WHEEL WON'T ENGAGE TO ASSIST. AT STREET CORNERS, THIS MEANS WIDER TURNS WHERE ATTENTION TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC IS DANGEROUS. IN PARKING LOTS, THE ABILITY TO PULL INTO A SPACE IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT 3-4 POINT TURNS TO MOVE FORWARD AND BACKWARDS. THIS TOO CAN BLOCK ONCOMING VEHICLES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, AVOID CONTACT WITH THOSE PARKED IN THE ADJACENT SPACES. THE WHEEL CAN BE IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN AND FREEZE ON YOU WHEN YOU ARE NOT APPLYING THE GAS AND YOU DON'T WANT TO APPLY THE GAS WHEN YOUR TURN IS ALREADY TOO WIDE FOR A STREET CORNER TURN AND TRAFFIC IS COMING YOUR WAY OR YOU ARE TRYING TO AVOID PARKED CARS NEXT YOU WHEN PULLING IN OR OUT OF PARKING SPACES. BOTH STRAIGHT ON PARKING AND VERTICAL PARKING IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO MANEUVER IN. MY VEHICLE HAS 119,200 MILES. I NOTICED MY STEERING GETTING STIFFER ON RARE OCCASIONS AT 88,000 MILES BUT I WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO MAKE MY TURNS PROPERLY. I DO A LOT OF HIGHWAY TRAVEL NOW SO MY MILES HAVE ADDED UP QUICKLY IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. MY FIRST WAS AT 67,000 WHEN THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. PRIOR TO THAT, THE ENTIRE BACK AXLE HAD TO BE REPLACED (UNDER WARRANTY). SINCE THEN, THE THROTTLE BODY AT 84,000 MILES. RECALLS OF SEVERAL GM VEHICLES HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THE POWER STEERING AND THE RACK AND PINION BUT THE 2008 ACADIA IS NOT LISTED. THESE STEERING ISSUES ARE NOT "ONE-OFF" SITUATIONS PER VEHICLE BUT RATHER ENTIRE POPULATIONS OF OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE WITH A COMMON PROBLEM - POWER STEERING NOT WORKING PROPERLY AT SEVERAL INTERVALS OF MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE!