1997 BUICK PARK AVENUE User Comment / Complaint

The "cradle" of the frame of our 1997 buick park avenue failed by rusting through. i've been driving the car for several weeks and it has been wallowing all over the road, hopping sideways when i hit bumps, pulling to the left when i braked and one of the front tires started squealing when i went around a corner. i've been trying to convince my husband that something was amiss with it and perhaps it needed an alignment. he finally drove it yesterday, realized there was something seriously wrong, and discovered the part of the frame where the engine rests, and where the wheels are attached, was rusted completely through at a spot weld near where the tie rod is bolted on. it's only by the grace of god that it didn't completely fail and result in a injurious accident, or perhaps even death. i shudder to think what might have happened when i play back in my head, driving on i-696 in the rain, in detroit, at night, with my friends coming home from a night at the fox theatre, or when my sons and i went out for my birthday. would i be able to control the car if the front wheel fell off at 70 mph? my brother works for jeffery buick-nissan in roseville, mi. i talked to him about it this morning. he says the frame should not have rusted through in a nine year old car. in fact, he said there was another 1997 bpa in his shop with the same problem. i can't even remember hearing about a car frame rusting through, ever. in any car. it stands to reason that if there are two 1997 buick park avenues with the same problem, at the same time, there are probably more. i realize the car is nine years old, but surely, something as fundamental as a car frame can be expected to last longer than nine years. i believe it was a manufacturing flaw and the manufacturer should repair it. since this just happened yesterday, i've made no attempt to repair it yet. my brother will look at it first and direct me. the car is not drivable. i'm stranded.  view