NHTSA Complaint #11056021 — 2004 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE

MY 10 YEAR OLD NIECE ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE POWER SLIDING DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF OUR 2004 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE OUTSIDE THE MALL. THE MOTOR WAS ALREADY RUNNING, IN PARK, AS I HAD COME TO PICK UP MY DAUGHTER AND NIECE FROM THE MALL. THE DOOR APPEARED TO BE LOCKED SINCE IT WOULD NOT OPEN, SO I PUSHED 'UNLOCK' A FEW TIMES AS SHE AND MY GROWN DAUGHTER TRIED TO OPEN THE DOOR. I JUST HEARD A CLICKING SOUND OF THE UNLOCK MECHANISM AS IF IT WAS LOCKING AND UNLOCKING. THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN, SO MY NIECE ENTERED THROUGH THE MANUAL SIDE DOOR ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VAN. WE DROVE ABOUT 3 BLOCKS FROM THE MALL TO THE STOPLIGHT OF A MAJOR CITY STREET. ABOUT HALF A BLOCK OR LESS AFTER TAKING A LEFT AT THE INTERSECTION STOPLIGHT, THE POWER SLIDING DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VAN JUST OPENED. MY NIECE LOUDLY EXCLAIMED THAT THE DOOR OPENED AND TRIED TO REACH ACROSS FROM HER BUCKLED POSITION ON THE LEFT BUCKET SEAT. MY DAUGHTER AND I BOTH SHRIEKED AND SAID FOR HER NOT TO GET NEAR IT. MY DAUGHTER WAS SEATED UP FRONT ON THE PASSENGER SEAT AND REACHED BACK TO THE WINDOW LEDGE OF THE OPEN SLIDING DOOR AND TRIED TO PULL IT SHUT. IT SHUT MOST OF THE WAY, BUT NOT FULLY. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT OF A BUSINESS AND HAD MY NIECE USE THE SWITCH LOCATED NEAR THE POWER SIDE DOOR TO OPEN IT FULLY AND THEN AGAIN TO CLOSE IT FULLY. WE MADE THE NEXT 20 MILES WITHOUT INCIDENT. WE JUST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE LESS THAN A WEEK AGO, AND WE HAVE OUR 3 YOUNGER BOYS RIDE IN THE BACK, SO THIS INCIDENT HAS BEEN VERY SCARY.