NHTSA Complaint #11296997 — 2010 BUICK LACROSSE

MY BUICK LACROSSE WAS HANDLING JUST FINE UNTIL I PUT A HEAVY PIECE OF LUGGAGE INTO THE TRUNK. I GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. A MESSAGE WAS ON MY DASHBOARD SAYING THERE WAS A POWER STEERING PROBLEM. I WAS AT THE AIRPORT, SO A TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS ON THE SCENE WITHIN MINUTES. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER JUMPED MY CAR. HE HANDED ME THE TRIM COVER THAT COVERS THE BATTERY. I'M NOT SURE IF HE TOOK IT OFF, OR WHETHER IT CAME OFF WHEN I PUT THE HEAVY SUITCASE IN THE TRUNK. I PUT THE TRIM COVER IN THE BACK OF MY CAR AND DROVE OFF. THE CAR THEN STALLED WHEN I PUT IT IN REVERSE TO BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY. IT WOULDN'T START AGAIN, SO I JUMPED IT. IT WORKED AND I DROVE TO MY MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID MY BATTERY WAS FINE. THEY CHECKED THE ERROR MESSAGES. THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG SO THEY SENT ME TO A DEALER. THE DEALER COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG AND SAID TO COME BACK IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS THE CAR WOULD RANDOMLY NOT START OR STALL. SEVERAL DAYS COULD GO BY WITH IT WORKING JUST FINE. AT FIRST, WHEN IT STALLED IT WAS ONLY WHEN I HAD JUST STARTED THE CAR OR PUT IT IN REVERSE. BUT THEN THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, AT THE TOP OF A LONG HILL, IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. I WAS ABLE TO COAST DOWN A HALF MILE OR SO UNTIL I ARRIVED AT AN EMERGENCY PULL OFF ZONE. THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT SO THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TIGHT BUT WORKABLE. AFTER PULLING OVER, I TRIED STARTING THE CAR AGAIN BUT IT DIDN'T WORK. I HAD A SELF JUMP START KIT, AND WAS ABLE TO JUMP THE CAR AGAIN. IT STARTED BACK UP AND SEEMED LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG. BUT ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER IT STALLED AGAIN. FORTUNATELY, I WAS BY ANOTHER EMERGENCY PULL OFF. AT THIS POINT, I PUT THE TRIM COVER BACK ON THE BATTERY. AND THE CAR HAS WORKED FINE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THE CAR SHOULD NOT START AND THEN RANDOMLY STALL IF THE TRIM COVER IS OFF.