1995 Chevrolet Caprice

RECALL #96 V 018 000/ GM LOWER CONTROL ARM: WHEN DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND MAKING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT TURN, THERE WOULD BE A KNOCKING OR BANGING SOUND. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER ON ONE OCCASION AND THEY TIGHTEN THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT ATTACHMENT NUT. NOW THE PROBLEM HAS RECURRED AGAIN. MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER ANY RECALL AT THAT TIME. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS ISSUE AND FILL OUT THE REMAINING QUESTIONNAIRE. *PH

STEERING WHEEL COLLAPSED (BROKE OFF) AT THE TWO HORIZONTAL POINTS - - 3 O'CLOCK AND 9 O'CLOCK POINTS AT A ROUTINE "ROCKING" AT A STOP. NOT AN EMERGENCY STOP OR SUDDEN STOP; JUST A ROUTINE STOP AT A LIGHT. I HAD NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN IN ANY VEHICLE UNLESS INVOLVED IN A CRASH, MUCH LESS FROM A FRAIL MAN AS MYSELF WHO DOES NOT POSSESS SUPERHUMAN POWERS. I ASKED MECHANICS IF THEY HAD EVER SEEN THIS OCCUR AND THE ANSWER WAS NEGATIVE. I CONTACTED KELLY CHEVROLET (HALLANDALE, FL) AND THEY ALSO TOLD ME TO NEVER HAVE SEEN THIS HAPPEN, UNLESS THE VEHICLE WAS IN AN CRASH. SINCE THEN I HAVE CONTACTED GM AND HAVE RECEIVED NOTHING BUT RUN-AROUNDS. THEY ASSIGNED IT CASE NO. 1-21646074, THEN, THEY GOT IT MIXED UP WITH SOMEONE ELSE'S CASE BY THE NAME OF FENNIMORE. I REPLIED TO THEM TO CORRECT THE NAME ERROR AND PROVIDE THEM WITH FURTHER INFO AND I RECEIVED TWO REPLIES FROM TWO DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIVES WITHIN 3 HOURS OF EACH OTHER. THE FIRST ONE, A MS. NEJDI, WHO SAID TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE ORIGINAL REPRESENTATIVE (A MS. WEIR, WHOM HAD DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, OTHER THAN MIX ME UP WITH A MR. FENNIMORE). THE SECOND RESPONSE CAME FROM THE ORIGINAL REPRESENTATIVE (MS. WEIR, ADDRESSING ME AS MR. FENNIMORE, AGAIN). SHE SAID IN THIS EMAIL THE CASE HAD BEEN CLOSED DUE TO MY LACK OF RESPONSE. IN FACT, I HAD RESPONDED AND EVEN ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT HER ERROR OF THE NAME AND SAID CORRECTION WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY MS. NEJDI, AS PREVOUSLY STATED HEREIN. THE DISTURBING PART ABOUT THIS IS GM'S FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. A STEERING WHEEL SHOULD NOT COLLAPSE AT A ROUTINE STOP REGARDLESS OF THE AGE OR MILEAGE OF THE CAR WITHOUT BEING INVOLVED IN A CRASH. GM IS ACTING TOTALLY INCOMPETENT IN HANDLING THE COMPLAINT AS WELL AS IRRESPONSIBLE BY IGNORING A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE SAVED EACH EMAIL TO AND FROM GM TO PROVE THEIR DISREGARD FOR SAFETY AND MISHANDLING OF THE MATTER. I WOULD APPRECIATE THE NTHSA'S INVOLVEMENT IN THIS CASE.*AK