NHTSA Complaint #11254186 — 2016 GMC ACADIA

POWER STEERING PUMP FAILURE. WHILE DRIVING MY 2016 GMC ACADIA ON A TRIP OF ABOUT 350 MILES (MOSTLY HIGHWAY) EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE WORKING FINE UNTIL NEAR THE END OF THE TRIP. AS I EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND STARTED SLOWING DOWN THE STEERING BECAME VERY STIFF AND BY THE TIME I CAME TO A STOP LIGHT I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AT ALL. WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL AND AS THE RPM INCREASED THE POWER STEERING PUMP WORKED GOOD ENOUGH TO MAKE THE TURN AND GET ME HOME. LUCKILY I ONLY HAD ABOUT A MILE TO GO. I CHECKED THE FLUID AND IT WAS LOW SO I TOPPED IT OFF AND RAISED THE FRONT TIRES OFF THE GROUND IN ORDER TO TURN LOCK TO LOCK TO TRY TO GET ANY AIR OUT OF THE SYSTEM. AFTER LOWERING THE VEHICLE I TRIED TO DRIVE IT AND I STILL COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WITHOUT PRESSING THE GAS. AS I LOOKED FURTHER I NOTICED THAT THE HOSE THAT LEADS TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP HAS FLUID ALL OVER IT WHERE IT GOES THROUGH A GROMMET ATTACHED TO THE REAR OF THE ENGINE. THE GROMMET IN THE METAL BRACKET WAS FALLING APART AND THE HOSE APPEARS TO BE CHAFFING ON THE METAL BRACKET. THE LEAK IS VERY SMALL AND THERE'S NO TELLING HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN RUBBING THE BRACKET. THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY BUT ONLY HAS 50K MILES ON IT AND HAS NEVER BEEN WRECKED OR HAD ANY REPAIRS DONE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED THIS. IT APPEARS TO BE AN IMPROPERLY INSTALLED BRACKET/GROMMET THAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM.