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September 29, 2006
HUMMER WHEEL PROBE HEATS UP
The Sacramento Bee reports that “as part of an ongoing probe into why wheels are falling off Hummer H2s, federal highway safety investigators have asked three major makers of rival large sport-utility vehicles for comparable information to determine if the Hummer's troubles are unique.” The paper said NHTSA directed Toyota, DaimlerChrysler and Ford to produce any reports, consumer complaints, warranty claims and lawsuits since 2003 involving the failure of a metal part called a steering knuckle on their SUVs or pickups.
According to the Bee, NHTSA said the data would be used to compare the steering part's failure rates on Hummer H2s, made by General Motors, with those on other big SUVs.
"The information obtained will be one of several things that we will evaluate as part of the ongoing defect investigation," a NHTSA spokesperson reportedly said. "It's standard operating procedure and helpful to compare. The question is: Is the Hummer failure rate excessive?" The article added that “NHTSA safety engineers also have gathered information about an additional 61 steering knuckle failures on three-quarter-ton GM Suburban and Avalanche pickups that used the same metal part, federal documents show.”
General Motors denies there is a safety problem with the steering knuckle, which holds the upper and lower steering arms in place near the front tires on the Hummer H2 and some GM trucks, the Bee said, adding a quote from NHTSA’s request to the three companies: "This phenomenon typically occurs at low speed during instances of high steering articulation," meaning “sharp turns to the far left or right.”
Posted by MVHAP at September 29, 2006 11:37 AM