ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE CAR WAS IN MOTION, CAUSING UNSAFE CONDITION, LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND LOW SPEED COLLISION WITH CONCRETE WALL. VARIOUS WARNING MESSAGES IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER APPEARED. MBUSA INSPECTED VEHICLE, AND AN ELECTRONIC STEERING CONTROL FAULT CODE WAS FOUND. TECHNICIAN STATES IN REPAIR ORDER "STEERING RACK SHORTED" AND "PERFORMED SDS AND FOUND NO COMMUNICATION WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING CONTROL UNIT." MBUSA REFUSED TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY, STATING MBUSA "PERFORMED VERY THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS DESIGNED WITHOUT DEFECT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT." PRIOR MODEL YEARS OF THE SAME MODEL VEHICLE WERE RECALLED FOR DEFECTIVE COMPONENTS AND WATER INGRESS INTO THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING CONTROL UNIT (SEE: NHTSA SAFETY RECALL REPORT: 17V-241).
NHTSA ODI 11110871