NHTSA Complaint #704295 — 1990 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS SUPREME

ON APR.12,1996,MY GIRLFRIEND WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN SHE FELT VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL SHE IMMEDIATELY DROVE HOME AND ASKED ME TO CHECK ON IT. I DROVE THE CAR FOR ONE BLOCK NOTICEING THAT THE STEERING DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT. AS I DROVE FROM THE STOP SIGN, THE CAR SHOOK VIOLENTLY AS IF IT HAD JUST BEEN HIT. I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR(NO STEERING),AND HIT A TELEPHONE POLE, WRECKING THE FRONT END. UPON INSPECTION OF THE CAR, I FOUND THE MOTOR SITTING ON THE GROUND DETACHED FROM THE CAR. I HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME. IT WASN'T UNTIL TWO WEEKS LATER THAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE RECALL ON THE CRADLE BOLTS. I THEN TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT. TWO WEEKS LATER I RECIEVAD A PHONE CALL FROM SOMEONE AT GM. THE MAN I TALKED TO SAID THAT THEY WOULDN'T FIX MY CAR BECAUSE (THE WAY HE DESCRIBED IT) THE FRAME SURROUNDING THE CRADLE BOLT HAD RUSTED, NOT THE CRADLE BOLT ITSELF. IN MY OPINION, ANY SPOT ON A PEICE OF METAL THAT STARTS TO RUST WILL CUASE THE SURROUNDING AREAS OF METAL TO RUST ALSO. WHEN I EXPLAINED THIS TO HIM,HE INSISTED THAT THIS WAS NOT TRUE AND THAT GM WAS NOT LIABLE FOR THOSE KIND OF CIRCUMSTANCES. IN ALL, HE TOLD ME THAT GM WOULD NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO JUST REPLACE THE RECALLED PART BECAUSE OF THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE SUBFRAME,AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR ALL REPAIRS TO THE CAR. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS VERY UNSATISFIED WITH HIS DECISION,AND HE SAID THAT HE STILL REFUSED TO EVEN TRY TO HELP. AFTER THAT, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I STOPPED MAKING PAYMENTS. TWO WEEKS LATER, I ARRIVED HOME FROM WORK TO FIND THAT MY CAR HAD BEEN TOWED BACK TO MY HOUSE AND LEFT WITH THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION AND NO PRIOR NOTIFICATION OF THIS. I LET THE CAR SIT AND AS A RESULT OF NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO AND NOT MAKING PAYMENTS, THE CAR WAS REPOSSESSED. THIS PROBABLY ISN'T THE RIGHT CHANNEL TO GO THRU, BUT IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO TO HELP ME RESOLVE THIS MATTER? I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME.