NHTSA Complaint #11081404 — 2015 ACURA TLX

MY 2015 ACURA TLX WITH JUST OVER 32,000 MILES STOPPED STEERING AFTER BEING PARKED IN MY GARAGE. RESTARTING VEHICLE DIDN'T CORRECT PROBLEM. CAR WAS ILLUMINATING A WARNING LIGHT INDICATING THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH STEERING. TOOK IT TO THE ACURA DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THE STEERING COLUMN HAD A CRACK IN IT THAT WAS A RESULT OF PHYSICAL DAMAGE. CAR HAD NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT OR OTHERWISE DAMAGED PRIOR.ACURA MECHANIC COULD NOT EXPLAIN HOW THE STEERING COLUMN GOT CRACKED OTHER THAN I RAN OVER SOMETHING WHICH HAD NOT HAPPENED BECAUSE HAD I RUN OVER SOMETHING TO DAMAGE THE COLUMN, THE LIGHT WOULD HAVE ILLUMINATED TO INDICATE THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE DEALER WAS INFORMED THAT THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED IN MY GARAGE WHEN IT STOPPED STEERING AND THAT PRIOR TO THIS THE CAR WAS EASILY PARKED IN A 2 CAR GARAGE THAT ALREADY HAD MY HUSBAND'S CAR IN IT. NO LIGHTS INDICATING THERE WAS A PROBLEM HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ON AND ONCE THE LIGHTS CAME ON THE CAR WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. THEREFORE, IT HAD TO BE TOWED FROM MY GARAGE. ACURA REFUSED TO REPAIR THE STEERING COLUMN INSISTING THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY PHYSICAL DAMAGE. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE CORPORATE OFFICE AND WHEN THE INVESTIGATOR CALLED, SHE ASKED NO QUESTIONS. SHE ONLY CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT THE $3000. PART WOULD NOT BE COVERED BECAUSE OF PHYSICAL DAMAGE. ANOTHER INDEPENDENT MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WAS LIKELY THE STEERING COLUMN HAD BEEN CRACKED FOR A WHILE BEFORE IT COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING AND IT WAS A STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT THE STEERING COLUMN CRACKED OVER TIME DUE TO SOME MALFUNCTION OF THE PART. IN HIS ESTIMATION, THE CRACKED PORTION OF THE STEERING COLUMN IS WELL PROTECTED AND DIFFICULT TO BREAK UNLESS INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS FRONT END CAR ACCIDENT IN WHICH THE CAR HAD NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. RUNNING OVER SOMETHING WOULD NOT HAVE LIKELY CAUSED THE TYPE OF DAMAGE SEEN ON THE STEERING COLUMN.