Two days before the incident I started having an alignment problem with the car. I had the car over a relatives house a half mile from my home, and decided to drive the car home and have it towed to the dealer from their. On the drive home, the right front control arm separated from the subframe (engine frame or cradle) at the after bracket which resulted in the right half shaft failing. This happened as I was turning into my development. The subframe was seriously corroded. I had the car towed to the dealer and the subframe and half shaft replaced with new parts. I contacted Buick customer service to complain about a major structural failure on the car. They declined to offer any reimbursement for the repair, due to the vehicles age (nine years) and mileage (134,500). I maintain that the failure should not have occurred, and could have resulted in a serious or fatal accident had it occurred at highway speeds.

- Medford, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 1998 Buick Park Avenue. The contact stated that the vehicle's frame has rusted out. A local mechanic is currently replacing the frame. The purchase date and engine size were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 118,000. The consumer provided pictures of the defect. Updated 07/06/07

- Elkhart, IN, USA