Thanks everyone who over the past few weeks have been following my other thread about Nittany's plight. Well, now she is home and better than when she left. I have lots of info to pass on both about the incident investigation and the resulting repairs, so here goes.
The Investigation:
So far GM's investigation has determined that there was a defect in the clock spring mechanism. The clockspring is the device within your steering column that typically gives a reliable connection to the airbag and still allows the steering wheel to make lock-to-lock rotations. It gets its name because the internals of the clockspring assembly resemble a clockspring in an old windup clock. This mechanism is common to all air-bag equipped vehicles regardless of the manufacturer of the vehicle. A short was found in the clock spring that caused the airbag to deploy and was also responsible for the subsequent fire. They have inspected numerous other vehicles of similar or higher mileage. No signs of a potential failure in the clock spring have been found. To date it is GM's conclusion that this was an isolated incident. GM owners in general need not worry about an across the board problem.
GM has not ended the investigation just because Nittany has been repaired. They intend to continue to check random vehicles to assure that what happened to my vehicle remains an isolated incident. To date, my vehicle remains the only incident of a GM vehicle which has experienced this type of occurance. As I am contacted with any further updates pertaining to GM's on-going testing, I will continue to post their findings.
GM's findings are the same as those of the initial investigator from my private automotive insurance company.
Nittany's Repairs/Upgrades:
New dash
New instrument cluster
New radio
New shifter boot and knob
New wiring harness for the ENTIRE vehicle
New door panels and speakers
New anti-theft keys issued and programmed
New drivers seat
Repadded passenger seat
New '08 steering wheel with Steel leather covering (this was hand made to match my car)
New carpeting
New floor mats
New door sill plates
All body panels were adjusted to tighter tolerances
The front cowling and wiper arms were replaced
The full engine compartment was cleaned and detailed
The full exterior was cleaned and detailed
All damaged seals were replaced
The top was adjusted and tightened
The repairs which were performed on Nittany's interior resulted in her looking, smelling
and feeling like the first day I picked her up from my dealer. I'm still getting used to the look and feel of the new controls on the steering wheel which are different between the '08 style and the '06 I had. There are other small differences I've noticed but I'm certain with a little seat time they'll all seem normal again.
GM has stepped forward on this incident. They have investigated, and they continue to investigate. They have also made my car whole. For all of this I am very grateful. GM went out of their way to insure I remained a proud owner of a 1K Solstice. GM didn't have to restore my car for me, but they did, and they went above and beyond in everything they did.
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