GM Ignores Steering Defect on Chevy Malibu and Cruze - National Legal and Policy Center
The problem, once again, involves loss of steering and occurs on later model year Chevy Malibus, Chevy Cruzes and Buick Veranos. Also, once again, GM and NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) are aware of the dangerous defect and choose to issue a “service bulletin” instead of recalling the vehicles with safety problems. Young tells the story of a frustrated Chevy Cruze owner who is afraid to drive his vehicle because of problems with power steering. GM’s response to the problem belies the perception that the company is properly addressing safety issues on its vehicles. You see, GM has sent letters and issued a service bulletin that admits a dangerous defect exists. “This could cause the steering wheel to stick in the straight-ahead position after driving long distances on a straight highway,” the letter said. “The steering wheel can turn, but it may require increased effort…DO NOT TAKE YOUR VEHICLE TO YOUR CHEVROLET DEALER AS A RESULT OF THIS LETTER UNLESS YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR VEHICLE HAS THE CONDITION DESCRIBED ABOVE. So, let’s get this straight, GM will not fix a problem that they know about unless owners of defective vehicles partially loose steering control while traveling on a highway. Here’s what their service bulletin, as listed on their website, says: “SUMMARY: BUICK/CHEVROLET: WHILE STEERING, STEERING WHEEL HAS STICK SLIP OR NOTCHY FEEL DUE TO INCREASED EFFORTS TO. Source: nlpc.org
