Originally Posted by AMGLover
Not casting aspersions, just if you post without giving details of the ownership, mileage, use of car, a diagnostician will have to follow ockhams razor and pick the simplest solution...and may I quote apkano "...the nut holding the steering wheel".
Clock springs fail all the time, that is why peoples steering wheel stereo controls, cruise buttons, etc... stop working, in your case your failure included the binding of the wires in the spring (less typical)...so your question is what intruded into the clock spring to cause the wires to bind? I have included some pictures of clock springs. Now you say you had just picked the car up from the dealer...what service was performed?
Obviously the car was driven by someone else just before the failure. You state you are a good owner and the car has served you well for over 22 k miles, so why the heck do you automatically assume that it is a death trap..."oh my god, I must contact the authorities.." and not "OK what the hell did you a$$ holes do to my car..." The clock spring isn't intensively mechanical and I find as a rule of thumb major failures happen early in the life of a non-wear related mechanical part, or else they last for a very long time...unless someone plays with them...
Sorry you feel I'm treating you like I'm a service manager but you will find in life that extreme actions/opinions..."I asked the dealer to report this to the NHTSA because I believed it to be a serious defect."... elicit extreme re-actions from people (If you don't know what a clock spring is how can you render a judgment that it is a serious defect?). So your not helping your credibility with your service manager if you react emotionally as opposed to logically.
You apparently didn't read my post carefully or your too blinded by your love of AMG junk to comprehend that I did not ask for a diagnosis of the problem, I know what happened, I asked if anyone else had experienced the same problem. You would also know the reason for my car being at the dealership was because the steering locked! Nobody except me has driven this car since March. I did not say that I didn't know what a clock spring was, I know full well what it is. I also know that while clock springs fail, they do not seize the steering column when they do! I have had 2 years technical training as an auto mechanic, and have maintained and restored autos for the last 35 years. What are your credentials pertaining to the design and engineering of this car, that you can call my reaction extreme. I reported this to the NHTSA because thats what logical intelligent people do when automobiles do things out of the ordinary. They don't follow the advise of some self proclaimed expert in a chat room! That's what the NHSTA is there for. As for this car serving me well for over 22,000 miles. Where did I say that in my post? I have owned Chrysler products for 37 years and the Crossfire has by far spent more time at the dealership in 3 years than any of them including one which I've owned for 23 years. I'd sell this car in a heartbeat if the resale value hadn't dropped like a stone balloon!