NHTSA Complaint #11460234 — 2015 BUICK VERANO

Not sure if this is a safety problem or is just a freak, isolated incident. In either case, I am reporting this since it might impact vehicles other than just my own. I own a 2015 Buick Verano. On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, upon parking my car, I noticed that my driver’s door wasn’t closing correctly. There was a small gap preventing it from closing flush. Upon inspection, it became apparent what was causing the problem: The door lock striker plate had pulled away from the doorframe post to which it was anchored. It was secured by two Phillips head screws. My attempt to tighten same was for naught, the screws kept spinning. Fortunately, the door lock striker plate was still operable since it hadn’t pulled away from the post for more than a fraction of an inch, so my door latch was able to catch on to it, but that fraction of an inch was enough to cause the gap when I closed the door. I took the car the next day to a Buick dealer and they referred me to a nearby body shop. The owner looked at the problem and concurred with my initial assessment. He said that in all his years in the field he had never encountered a problem like that. Fortunately, he was able to get the latch striker to lay flush against the column, but he did say it could happen again. So, coming full circle, as I said up front, I don’t know if this is a systemic problem affecting other Buick vehicles from that year, or if it was just an isolate incident. But I guess recall issues have to start somewhere. Rather be safe than sorry, hence my putting this in you court.