HUMMER SAFETY DATA STOLEN
Someone has stolen consumer complaint files and legal documents about a potential steering component safety problem with Hummer H2 sport-utility vehicles from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The theft occurred on Sept. 24, according to an Oct. 5 letter written and signed by Anthony M. Cooke, chief counsel for the federal highway safety regulator.
Cooke's letter said that NHTSA officials are now working with law enforcement to recover the stolen materials, which General Motors Corp. had supplied to the agency as part of an ongoing safety probe.
"The stolen information included complaints, lawsuits and warranty claims made by consumers ... that included names, addresses, phone numbers and (Hummer) vehicle identification numbers," stated Cooke's letter to those mentioned in the stolen information. The agency said the materials were duplicates of the originals, so the investigation will not be hampered by their loss.
While the lost data did not include any consumer's Social Security or credit card number, Cooke urged consumers who suspect they may have been affected by the crime to carefully monitor their financial accounts and credit reports over the next few months. "If anything unusual appears, please alert us and your financial institution," Cooke wrote. "In addition, we ask that you be vigilant about phone calls or communications from individuals claiming to be from official sources asking you to verify your personal information."
The NHTSA is boosting its office security and regrets the incident, Cooke added.
NHTSA has been investigating 26 cases in which owners of Hummer H2s complained that wheels either fell off or their front suspension collapsed, apparently after a part called a steering knuckle fractured and failed. The knuckle is a metal part that holds the upper and lower ball joints to the wheel in the front of a vehicle.
NHTSA safety engineers also have gathered information about additional steering knuckle failures on three-quarter-ton GM Suburban and Avalanche pickups that used the same metal part, federal documents show.
Nobody has been seriously hurt in any of the incidents.
General Motors denies there is a safety problem with the steering knuckle, which is made under contract by automotive parts supplier Grede Foundries.
The company says the number of knuckle-related H2 and GM truck collapses and wheel separation incidents is very low and argues they are a consequence _ not a cause _ of H2 crashes and collisions. It did, however, strengthen the metal part for models made after 2003.
Federal authorities have until the end of this month to request a recall.
GM spokesman Alan Adler said the automaker was advised of the NHTSA theft, but he said officials were not asked to resubmit any information.
He declined to comment further on whether the theft would affect the safety investigation, saying: "Your questions are probably best addressed to NHTSA."
In a letter to GM officials last month, NHTSA investigators requested that GM provide updated materials on H2 steering knuckle accidents, including police accident report photographs of H2 knuckle-related crashes. It also asked for shipping and financial records showing returns of any flawed steering knuckle parts that were rejected for failing to meet technical and manufacturing specifications.
Investigators also asked GM for documents about a case in which GM bought back a Pennsylvania man's 2003 H2 in 2005.
(E-mail Andrew McIntosh at amcintosh(at)sacbee.com.)
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10-19-2006, 04:05 PM
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