CRJ200 FLT CREW HAD NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAILURE AND SPLR WARNING; REJECTS TKOF AT LGA.

Narrative

LGA TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF ON RWY 13 WITH LINE UP CHKLIST COMPLETE. THE FO ADVANCED THE THRUST LEVERS TOWARD TKOF N1 SETTING. WITH MOVEMENT OF THE ACFT AND BEFORE THE 'SET THRUST' CALL WE RECEIVED A SINGLE CHIME 'NOSEWHEEL STEERING' INOP CAUTION MESSAGE; FOLLOWED BY A TRIPLE CHIME TKOF CONFIGN 'SPLRS' WARNING MESSAGE. THE ABORT WAS HANDLED AND THE ACFT WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE GATE FOR MAINT. FLT CTL WAS ADVISED OF THE SITUATION AND CALLED IN CONTRACT MAINT TO WORK ON THE DISCREPANCIES. MAINT; UNCERTAIN WITH SOME OF THE SYS TESTS; CALLED CVG FLT CTL FOR MORE DETAILS. OVERHEARING ONE OF THE CALLS; I QUERIED MAINT ON THE CONVERSATION AND HE EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS GETTING LITTLE COOPERATION WITH OUR FLT CTL AND THEY SAID IT WAS NO BIG DEAL THAT THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING FAILED BECAUSE IT IS A SENSITIVE SYS AND IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH THIS ACFT. MAINT TOLD ACR 'DON'T YOU THINK THE CREW SHOULD KNOW THIS IF THIS IS A PROB OR NOT.' I HAD THE FEELING AT THIS TIME THAT MAINT WAS TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND FLT CTL WAS TRYING TO WING IT. I PLACED A CALL TO THE CHIEF PLT; IN HOPES OF GETTING THE PROGRAM MGR INVOLVED. HE EXPLAINED THAT HE DIDN'T FEEL COMFORTABLE GIVING ME THE PROGRAM MGR'S PHONE NUMBER BECAUSE IT WAS THE WEEKEND AND HE WOULD HAVE TO CALL HIM FIRST. AFTER SOME TIME; HE CALLED ME BACK AND SAID THAT PROGRAM MGR AND HIM ARE IN AGREEMENT AFTER TALKING WITH CVG FLT CTL (AS IF I UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT) BUT IF I NEED TO TALK TO HIM HE WOULD GIVE ME HIS PHONE NUMBER. I WAS STILL CONFUSED OF THE PROGRESS AND SATISFACTION OF AN AIRWORTHY ACFT. MAINT APCHED ME TO TELL ME THAT THEY FIGURED OUT THE SYS TEST AND THE NOSEWHEEL STEER FAILED THE TEST. I THEN QUERIED THE SPOILER PROB AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE STILL WORKING ON THAT AND THAT SOMEONE FROM MAINT CTL WOULD LIKE TO TALK WITH ME. THIS GUY IN MAINT CTL ASKED ME SEVERAL TIMES IF I WOULD FERRY THE ACFT WITH NOSEWHEEL STEERING INOP AND I STATED NO EVERY TIME. I INFORMED HIM THAT HE STILL DIDN'T WORK ON THE SPOILER PROB. HIS RESPONSE WAS; 'WELL CAPT; I'M NOT GOING TO WORK ON THE SPOILER ISSUE UNLESS YOU ARE GOING TO FERRY THE ACFT;' AS IF WE WERE NEGOTIATING. I CONTINUED TO REFUSE THE ACFT AND HE ASKED ME HOW MUCH TIME I HAD LEFT ON DUTY SO HE COULD ASSIGN ME TAXI CHKS AND THEN CONTINUED TO TRY AND PERSUADE ME TO FERRY THE ACFT. I CONTINUED TO REFUSE THE FERRY AND 5 HRS AFTER THE INCIDENT WE WERE RELEASED TO REST. AS WE WERE LEAVING THE MAINT PERSONNEL SAID; 'THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY JUST DON'T SEND THE PARTS AND FIX THE PROB.