NHTSA complaint: 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU — STEERING
DRIVING TO WORK AT 0615 - TEMP WAS 41 DEGREES. TYPICAL WINTER MORNING. I WAS TRAVELING 45 MPH DUE TO THE TIME OF YEAR ON A ROAD I HAVE DRIVEN FOR 27 YEARS. MY CAR HAD 4 STUDDED SNOW TIRES ON IT FOR THE WINTER DRIVING. GOING UP A HILL AND AROUND A CURVE I LOST CONTROL AND STEERING SEEMED TO BE "GONE" I COULD NOT GAIN CONTROL AT ALL. MY CAR SPUN AROUND WENT OVER AN EMBANKMENT - FLIPPED OVER AND ROLLED LANDING ON IT'S TOP. THE DOORS WERE DUG INTO THE GROUND SO ESCAPE ON MY OWN WAS IMPOSSIBLE. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. WE ASSUMED IT WAS JUST A FLUKE AND THAT I MUST HAVE HIT BLACK ICE - WHICH I HAVE DONE BEFORE. NEVER HAD I NOT BEEN ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL AGAIN THOUGH. THIS CAR HAD PROBLEMS WITH STEERING AND "STOPPING" BEFORE. I HAD IT IN THE SHOP MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES TO BE CHECKED OUT AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE RECALLS, I CALLED TO NOTIFY GM THAT I HAD CRASHED MY CAR - IN CASE THEY NEEDED THE INFORMATION AND THEY ASKED ME IF I STILL HAD THE CAR. I TOLD THEM "NO" IT HAD BEEN TOTALED. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT MY INFORMATION DIDN'T MATTER SINCE I NO LONGER HAD THE CAR! *TR
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation