2005 Buick Lesabre

PASSENGER SIDE OUTER TIE ROD PREMATURE BUSHING JOINT FAILURE. EXCESSIVE WEAR MADE IT DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN STRAIGHT LINE CONTROL OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE WOULD WONDER BACK AND FORTH BADLY, AND TURNS WERE DELAYED AS A RESULT OF THE PREMATURE WEAR IN THE TIE ROD JOINT. MILEAGE WHEN DIAGNOSED, 49505 ON JULY 6,2010. MILEAGE AT COMPLETION OF REPAIR WAS 49515 ON JULY 7,2010. FORTUNATELY THIS EARLY FAILURE OF OUTER TIE ROD WAS FOUND BEFORE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OCCURRENCE ON THE FREEWAY. OUTER TIE ROD REPLACE WITH AN AFTER MARKET UNIT. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) 2005 BUICK LA SABRE, 65,500 MILES, SUFFERED A PREMATURE FAILURE OF BOTH FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS. FAILURE DISCOVERED WHILE CAR WAS BEING SERVICED (IE. OIL/FILTER CHANGE & FRONT END ALIGNMENT.) REPLACED AT A COST OF $600.00. REPORTED TO GM CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE ON 1/26/2010, AND VERBALLY CALLED BACK ON 2/2/2010, GM DENIED ANYTHING WRONG WITH SUCH FAILURE, AND SAID CAR WAS BEYOND 36,000 MILE WARRANTY. LATER APPEALED IN WRITING TO BUICK GEN. MGR. LAST CONTACTED, AGAIN VERBALLY, ON 2/26/2010, SENIOR ASST. TO EXEC., WHO ALSO DENIED CLAIM FOR REIMBURSEMENT, SAYING THE MILEAGE DID NOT MATTER, BUT SINCE THE CAR WAS NOT EXAMINED BY A QUALIFIED GM MECHANIC AND DEALERSHIP, THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. (THE IMPLICATION BEING THAT MY MECHANIC, WHO HAS SERVICED MY VEHICLES FOR OVER 10 YEARS, WAS INCOMPETENT, OR CROOKED, AND COULD NOT BE TRUSTED TO MAKE A VALID DETERMINATION REGARDING THE STATE, AND CAUSE, OF THE BEARING FAILURES). YOU SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT I REPEATEDLY REQUESTED A WRITTEN RESPONSE TO MY INQUIRIES, AND WAS CONSISTENTLY REFUSED. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT GM HAS A PROBLEM WITH THEIR NEWER CARS NON-SERVICEABLE PARTS, AND THEY ARE TRYING TO MAINTAIN DENIABILTY AS TO THIS PROBLEM! IN MY CASE, NOTHING HAPPENED, AND NO ONE WAS INJURED, HOWEVER, HAD I NOT SERVICED MY CAR REGULARLY, AND THESE BEARINGS HAD FAILED AT ROAD SPEED, THERE COULD EASILY BEEN A HEAD-ON CRASH, WITH DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH INVOLVED TO MYSELF, MY CAR, AND OR OTHER VEHICLES AND PEOPLE! [XXX] *TR THE CONSUMER STATED ON JUNE 29, 2010, UPON ENGINE START, THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER DISPLAYED SOUNDED THE ALARM CHIME SEVERAL TIMES AND TURNED ON THE RED OIL WARNING LIGHT. THE OIL INFORMATION DISPLAY SHOWED OIL PRESSURE NORMAL. AFTER DOING SOME TESTING, THE CONSUMER CONCLUDED THAT THE OIL PRESSURE SENDING UNIT WAS BAD WHICH HE REPLACED AND EVERYTHING APPEARED TO BE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. UPDATED IVOQ 08/05/10 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 BUICK LESABRE. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH OR GREATER, THE FRONT WHEELS, STEERING WHEEL AND THE FLOOR BOARDS WOULD SHAKE AND VIBRATE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TIRES SHOULD BE REPLACED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TIRES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE FORCED BALANCED. THE DEALER MADE THE REPAIR; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THE SUSPENSION (NHTSA ITEM #10011691). AS OF DECEMBER 5, 2007, THE DEALER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 11,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,244.

HOOD MOVES UP AND DOWN, DUE TO VIBRATION, HAPPENS AT 40 MPH. ALSO, STEERING VIBRATES. TAKEN TO DEALER, TIRES CHANGED 2 TIMES. DEALER SAID NOTHING ELSE THEY COULD DO SINCE IT WAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. ALSO CALLED MANUFACTURER, WHO SAID THE TIRES SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE OF THE PROBLEM. CAR WAS AT DEALER 6 TIMES DEALER HAS DONE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO HELP. BUT IT WAS STILL NOT FIX. DEALER SAID ROTATION PROBLEM- DIFFERENT SIZE TIRES- CHANGED WHEEL CALIBRATION, AND ROAD TEST UNDER 40 MPH GM REPRESENTATIVE WAS WORKING WITH CONSUMER BUT THEY SAID THIS WAS THE LAST STEP. *AK *NM