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Pontiac Bonneville Steering Safety Report | Sept 13, 2004
Reported on Sept 13, 2004
| I FEEL THE RIGHT STEERING WHEEL CONTROL ARM IS TOO CLOSE TO THE STEERING WHEEL, ON MY 2000 BONNEVILLE. IT IS CLOSER AND LONGER THAT THE TURN SIGNAL ARM ON THE LEFT. I REPORTED TO PONTIAC THAT ANY TIME I RAPIDLY STEER TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT, I HIT THIS ARM BEFORE THE WHEEL. THIS SLOWS MY RESPONSE AND STARTS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. I FIND THIS IS VERY BAD AT SUCH A TIME, HITTING THE ARM SLOWS MY RESPONSE AND THE DISTRACTION FROM THE WIPERS JUST ADDS TO THE PROBLEM. I SUGGEST THE ARM BE SHORTENED ABOUT 3/4 INCH, WITHDRAWING IT FROM THE IMMEDIATE AREA OF THE STEERING WHEEL. I HAD A MINOR ACCIDENT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, AND I HIT THE ARM. I CAN'T SAY I WOULD HAVE AVOIDED THE ACCIDENT WITHOUT HITTING THE ARM. BUT I DISTINCTLY FEEL, HITTING IT SLOW MY ABILITY TO AVOID THE ACCIDENT, AND YES, MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE GOING WHEN THE CAR STOPPED. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO PONTIAC, BUT EACH YEAR SINCE, THE ARM IS THE SAME. DO YOU HAVE STATISTICS OF HOW MANY TIMES WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE ENGAGED AFTER AN ACCIDENT? HAS ANYONE EVER TESTED IF THERE IS A CORRELATION OF IMPROPERLY PLACED CONTROL ARMS OR DEVICES, CAUSING OR MAKING ACCIDENTS MORE SEVERE? I CAN'T BELIEVE, I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO'S NOTICED THIS SAFETY FLAW, AND I DON'T KNOW ABOUT OTHER VEHICLES. BUT, I HIT THAT DANG WIPER ARM EVERY TIME IT'S TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT. AND IT'S THE WORSE TIME TO HIT IT. IF YOU'D LIKE TO TEST MY DRIVING ABILITIES, I SUSPECT YOU'D FIND MY SKILLS ABOVE AVERAGE AT THE LEAST. AND IF I HIT IT, I DOUBT I'M ALONE.*AK | |
| Make: | Pontiac |
| Model: | Bonneville |
| Manufactured by: | General Motors LLC |
| Year: | 2000 |
| Was a crash reported? | Y |
| Was an injury reported? | |
| Was a death reported? | |
| Was a fire reported? | N |
| Location: | LOS ANGELES CA |
| Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): | |
| Mileage: | |
| Speed: | 10 MPH |
| Number of cylinders: | 6 |
| Vehicle type: | FWD |
| Vehicle fuel: | GAS Fuel injection. |
| Was a police report filed? | N |
| Tire size: | |
| Dealer name and location: | MARTIN AUTOMOTIVE LOS ANGELES CA |
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