NHTSA Complaint #11104202 — 2010 BUICK ENCLAVE

I HAVE A 2010 BUICK ENCLAVE WITH 142,000 MILES. I PURCHASED IT USED AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES. OVERALL, HAVE BEEN HAPPY WITH THE CAR BUT A FEW MONTHS AGO I RAN INTO A SCARY SITUATION THAT I DID NOT ANTICIPATE. I NEARLY DROVE INTO THE SIDE OF ANOTHER CAR WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM A STOPLIGHT WITH TWO LANES TURNING LEFT (I WAS IN THE LEFT-MOST LANE AND THERE WAS ANOTHER CAR ON MY IMMEDIATE RIGHT). MY POWER STEERING QUIT ON THE TURN. THAT NIGHT WHEN I GOT HOME I CHECKED THE FLUID AND IT WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF BAND AND SHOWED NO SIGNS OF VISIBILE DEGRADATION. I ALSO SEARCHED ONLINE ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND FOUND IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2010 BUICK ENCLAVES. AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ IT IS NOT CLEAR TO THE DEALERSHIPS IF THIS PROBLEM IS A RACK&PINION ISSUE OR PUMP OR WHAT. SOME HAVE BEEN DENYING THERE IS A GENERIC PROBLEM AT ALL. OTHERS HAVE CONFESSED THERE IS A GENERIC DESIGN FLAW IN THE SYSTEM. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE HAS BEEN KILLED DUE TO THIS GENERIC PROBLEM BUT I AM CERTAIN THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOME ACCIDENTS! I WARNED MY WIFE ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND HAVE ASKED HER TO NOT EVEN DRIVE THE CAR UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. GM NEEDS TO RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM. MY TRIAL AND ERROR TESTING SHOWS THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHETHER TURNING RIGHT OR LEFT. IT DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY TIME AT LOW SPEED TURNS - I WOULD GUESS 50-60% OF THE TIME. NO ISSUES WHEN TRACKING STRAIGHT AHEAD. AGAIN - A REAL SAFETY HAZARD PARTICULARLY IF TURNING IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND IT WERE TO QUIT AND IT DELAYS YOUR TURN TIME.SAME IF TURNING TO MERGE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC- LOSS OF STEERING COULD DELAY YOUR ABILITY TO MERGE AND RESULT IN A REAR END COLLISION. I AM 61 YO AND HAVE OWNED A NUMBER OF CARS OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE NEVER LOST POWER STEERING BEFORE. UNLESS THIS IS REMEDIED PROPERLY BY GM I AM NOT SURE I WOULD BUY ANOTHER BUICK OR GM PRODUCT.