NHTSA Complaint #11083737 — 2008 CHEVROLET CORVETTE

I OWN A 2008 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C6 BASE MODEL WITH CURRENTLY ABOUT 62,000 MILES. IT HAS NOW HAD 11 STEERING RACK FAILURES SINCE I BOUGHT IT USED IN AUGUST 2013 AT 18,000 MILES. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP ALMOST CONTINUOUSLY SINCE AUGUST 14, 2017 ' AS OF THIS WEEK THAT'S 6 MONTHS IN THE SHOP WITHOUT NORMAL USE OF THE CAR. TO HAVE THIS MANY MAJOR SAFETY-RELATED PARTS FAILURES OVER 4 YEARS AT NORMAL USE (@ 10,000 MILES / YEAR) IS INEXCUSABLE, FRUSTRATING, AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. I AM WRITING THIS LETTER TO DOCUMENT STEPS I HAVE TAKEN TO DIAGNOSE THIS ISSUE, THE ATTEMPTS TO INFORM GM OF THE ISSUE TO PREVENT FUTURE RISKS AND AGGRAVATION TO OTHER CUSTOMERS, TO REDUCE COST AND RISK TO GM, AND TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THE AGGRAVATION AND EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT AND TIME I HAVE HAD TO INVEST IN THIS ISSUE. THE 'OEM' RACK FROM GM PARTS FOR MY '08 CORVETTE IS PART #19330457 AND IS APPROXIMATELY $1200. THERE ARE SEVERAL HOURS OF LABOR TO REMOVE AND REPLACE THE RACK AND REALIGN THE FRONT WHEELS EACH TIME IT IS REPLACED. THUS EACH REPLACEMENT JOB COSTS $2000 IN TOTAL. HAD I NOT BOUGHT A 3RD PARTY EXTENDED WARRANTY I WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT OF POCKET OVER $10,000! IN REPAIRS ON JUST THE STEERING OF THIS CAR. IN SUM, OVER 4 YEARS MY WARRANTY COMPANY HAS PAID OVER $10,000, I HAVE PAID OVER $2000 OUT OF POCKET, AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR A TOTAL OF 8 MONTHS SO FAR ON ITS STEERING-RACK RELATED ISSUES.