1998 Buick Lesabre

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET ON 6/17/10 WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP. I SLOWED DOWN TO SEE WHAT HAPPEN. I SEEN NOTHING BUT SOME BOLTS IN THE STREET. I PICK THEM UP AND GOT BACK IN THE CAR. THERE WAS NO WAY TO STEER THE CAR JUST HAD GAS NO STEERING. I LOOKED UP UNDER THE CAR AND IT LOOKED LIKE THE ENGINE WAS FALLING OUT OF THE CAR. I LIFTED UP THE HOOD AND IT WAS ALONG WITH THE STEERING COLUMN. I WAS TWO MIN. AWAY FROM GETTING ON THE EXPRESSWAY. GOD WAS WITH ME IF THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED ON THE EXPRESSWAY I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO WRITE THIS LETTER TONIGHT. RUSTED BOLTS WITH NO WARNING FALLING OFF A CAR A LITTLE OVER TEN YEARS OLD. IF THEY CANT GET SOME WAY TO WARN PEOPLE THAT THEIR BOLTS COULD FALL OFF AND THEIR STEERING GO OUT DRIFTING FROM LANE TO LANE WITH NO CONTROL OF THE AUTOMOBILE, THAN DON'T MAKE THEM. THAT WAS MY MOTHERS CAR IF I WOULDN'T HAVE DRIVEN IT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN RIDING IN THAT CAR WITH SIX CHILDREN TODAY. SHE IS FROM ATLANTA WE ARE IN PITTSBURGH, PA THE ONLY ROADS SHE TAKES ARE THE MAIN ONES AND EXPRESSWAYS. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE SHOP ILL WRITE BACK WHEN THE MECHANIC TELLS ME WHAT WENT WRONG. *TR

DT: THE CONSUMER'S WIFE WAS DRIVING ON THE STREET AND THE REAR BALL JOINTS BROKE IN HALF. THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED ON A ROLL BACK AND TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THIS HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2005. THE DEALER REPLACED THE BALL JOINT ON THE REAR LEFT BACK. THERE WAS NO FORE-WARNING AND NO NOISE BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. ALSO THE POWER STEERING BOLTS BROKE ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, CAUSING THE POWER STEERING TO DROP OFF THE ENGINE BLOCK AND FALL DOWN ONTO THE FRAME MAKING IT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER THE VEHICLE. *AK (11/10/05) THE POWER STEERING BOLTS BROKE ON TWO OCCASIONS ALLOWING THE PUMP TO FALL DOWN ON THE FRAME. THE SHAFT OF THE BALL JOINT SNAPPED ALLOWING THE LEFT REAR WHEEL TO SHIFT REARWARD. THE LOWER CONTROL ARM DROPPED DOWN ALLOWING THE FREE END TO LOCK THE WHEEL. *SC

STEERING RELATED PROBLEMS INVOLVING MAJOR PART REPLACEMENT. I ALREADY CONTACTED AN NHTSA REP ABOUT A DIFFERENT ISSUE, THE UBIQUITOUS UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD PROBLEM WHICH WE HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS ON. AND I DISCUSSED PROBLEMS WITH STALLING TOO. AFTER THAT, I SEARCHED THE INTERNET; I SEE THAT THE MANIFOLD PROBLEM IS MORE PREVALENT THAN I SUSPECTED. I ALSO STUMBLED ONTO DISCUSSIONS OF STALLING, STEERING, AND ENGINE FIRE PROBLEMS. WHEN I CALLED GM 2 YEARS AGO ABOUT THE UPPER INTAKE MANIFOLD, THEY DENIED THE PROBLEM EXISTED EVEN THOUGH MY DEALER AND OTHER SHOPS TOLD ME EVERYBODY KNEW ABOUT IT. I CALLED GM AGAIN A FEW WEEKS AGO AFTER HAVING MORE GASKET PROBLEMS AND ALTHOUGH THEY FINALLY ADMITTED TO THE MANIFOLD AND GASKET PROBLEMS, THEY COULD NOT HELP ME WITH MY EXPENSES, THEY WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE MY PREVIOUS COMPLAINT, AND THE REP WAS OBSESSED WITH HAVING ME SAY THAT I WAS SATISFIED WITH MY CALL TO HIM. I TRIED TELLING HIM THAT I WAS UNSATISFIED WITH GM BUT SATISFIED WITH HIM AS A PERSON, BUT HE KEPT TALKING TO ME UNTIL I AGREED THAT I WAS MOSTLY SATISFIED WITH MY CALL. I WONDER IF MANUFACTURERS HAVE DIFFERENT OBLIGATIONS IN RECORDING AND REPORTING THEIR COMPLAINTS TO AUTHORITIES DEPENDING ON WHETHER CUSTOMERS ARE SATISFIED OR NOT. *CB

MY CAR, A '98 LESABRE, HAS A POWER ASSISTED STEERING THAT IS DRIVEN BY A BELT. THE IDLER PULLEY DISINTEGRATED, THE BELT CAME OFF, AND I HAD LITTLE STEERING. A PERSON WITH LESS UPPER BODY STRENGTH WOULD HAVE LOST CONTROL. I BELIEVE MANY UNEXPLAINED ACCIDENTS MAY BE CAUSED BY THIS SITUATION. INVESTIGATING OFFICERS WOULD ASSUME THE BELT WAS LOST DURING THE CRASH WHEN THE LOSS WAS ACTUALLY THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH. A VEHICLKE THAT HAS A SERPENTINE BELT ALSO LOSES POWER TO THE BRAKES.