Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 030236002 | 08/01/2003 | 10012577 | Revised steering wheel position sensor or steering shaft lower bearing replacement procedure and steering wheel position sensor centering procedure. *eh | 03/07/2005 | |
| 010235009A | 08/01/2003 | 0010235009 | 10004353 | Steering column to instrument panel fastener removal. *tt | 12/03/2003 |
| 990232007 | 09/01/1999 | 733208 | 608376 | This bulletin addresses concerns of steering vibration / shudder / moan during parking maneuvers on dry pavement. *tt | 11/24/1999 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| RQ03001 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/02/2003 | 09/15/2003 | POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE | ||
| Gm conducted a safety recall (nhtsa # 02v286) to address a steering defect pertaining to a lower pinion bearing (lpb) within the rack and pinion steering gear (r&p). the recall covered 1,159,156 model year 1997-1998 pontiac grand prix vehicles built between march 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, 1996-1998 pontiac trans sport, chevrolet lumina apv, chevrolet venture, oldsmobile silhouette minivans, and chevrolet cavalier and pontiac sunfire sedans built between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997.odi opened this rq after receiving reports that other vehicles were exhibiting the same symptoms as the recalled vehicles.based on odi's review of technical and complaint data collected during the rq, the w-cars are associated with either a higher steering complaint rate or a higher lpb failure rate than the other vehicles investigated under the rq and are above or near the rates for the recalled vehicles.thus, odi will further examine the w-cars (1996-1997 oldsmobile cutlass supreme, 1996-1998 buick regal, chevrolet lumina, chevrolet monte carlo, 1997-1998 buick century, and 1998 oldsmobile intrigue) under a new investigation, engineering analysis (ea)03-019. | ||||||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | ||||||
| RQ03001 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 01/02/2003 | 09/15/2003 | POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE | ||
| Gm conducted a safety recall (nhtsa # 02v286) to address a steering defect pertaining to a lower pinion bearing (lpb) within the rack and pinion steering gear (r&p). the recall covered 1,159,156 model year 1997-1998 pontiac grand prix vehicles built between march 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, 1996-1998 pontiac trans sport, chevrolet lumina apv, chevrolet venture, oldsmobile silhouette minivans, and chevrolet cavalier and pontiac sunfire sedans built between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997.odi opened this rq after receiving reports that other vehicles were exhibiting the same symptoms as the recalled vehicles.based on odi's review of technical and complaint data collected during the rq, the w-cars are associated with either a higher steering complaint rate or a higher lpb failure rate than the other vehicles investigated under the rq and are above or near the rates for the recalled vehicles.thus, odi will further examine the w-cars (1996-1997 oldsmobile cutlass supreme, 1996-1998 buick regal, chevrolet lumina, chevrolet monte carlo, 1997-1998 buick century, and 1998 oldsmobile intrigue) under a new investigation, engineering analysis (ea)03-019. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - HOSE, PIPING, AND CONNECTIONS | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 47000 | 1 | 11/01/2001 |
| When turning in either direction, the vehicle shuddered. the dealer replaced the pressure hoses in the power steering. *ak when the vehicle was drive over bumps, there was a noise in the right front tire area. the ash tray lid was inoperative. *jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 07/23/2001 | |||
| Steering wheel locked up at 60mph. consumer applied brakes to slow vehicle down, and steered vehicle to side of road. mechanic flushed power steering pump twice. however problem wasn't corrected. dealer will replace steering unit.*ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 09/16/2002 | 24959 | 1 | 05/13/1998 |
| Power steering gear broke which caused the steering wheel to bind while driving. the cause of the part breaking was undetermined. *ak there was not a loss of fluid. the failure was an internal part of the steering gear. *scc *jb | |||
| 07/09/2003 | 101000 | 1 | |
| While driving lost complete power steering and vehicle ran off the road. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| 12/10/2001 | |||
| While reversing power steering unit shedded bolts, and the bolts fell off, resulting in loss of steering.*ak | |||
| 06/10/2000 | 04/01/1998 | ||
| Wife has complained the steering at times would have no power steering. every time i would go out and check the steering it was fine. this was going on for about a year. this car is my wifes and i rarely drive this car. on june 10, 2000, i drove the car on a 100 mile round trip with my family(wife, two boys age 12 and myself). 2 miles from the end of this trip while on a step grade at a rate of speed of 30 mph a vechicle ahead in same lane as me was turnig right into a driveway. the road allowed passing (dotted line). anticipating to steer around the vehicle. when trying to steer left the steering became manual, no power assistance. all most in panic, turned the wheel hard (forcefull) and all of a sudden power assistance returned. now compensating for over steering to the left tried to steer right only to have the same situation occur, no power assistance to the right. turned hard to the right only to have the power assist resume. asked my wife if this is what she had experienced. she said not to this extent. idrove the car the rest of the way home (2 miles) without any other problems untill i tried to turn into my driveway. again no power steering. called the dealer made an appointment for as soon as i could get in. did not drive the car again untill i brought to dealer. (june 14,2000). dealer found an internal failure in the steering rack. i asked if buick had a recall on this failed component. dealer said not to his knowledge. call the buick hot line for costomer assistance and was told there was no recalls on this vehicle and they would not athorize the repair under buick an dhtat is was responible for the repair. i explained to the representitive from buick that i felt this was a safety issue. the safety feature on the vehicle had failed without warning. i asked if they felt the steerig of a vehicle or lack of the ability to steer the vehicle was not a serious safety issue. they would not comment, and would not cover the repair. ran out of space. *ak | |||
| 12/24/1999 | 03/12/1998 | ||
| While driving in rainy conditions power steering malfunctions, causing steering difficulty which may result in a crash. dealer is aware of the problem, but has no solution. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION - RACK | |||
| 05/03/2002 | 1 | 03/01/2000 | |
| While driving on i-95 at 65 mph steering rack broke and i was unable to control the steerig of the car unless i slowed down and continued to correct the random direction car was taking.*ak | |||
| While making left turns the steering wheel pulsates for no reason. vehicle has been taken to dealer where they replaced steering rack. problem reoccurred. *ak | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 07/23/2001 | |||
| Steering wheel locked up at 60mph. consumer applied brakes to slow vehicle down, and steered vehicle to side of road. mechanic flushed power steering pump twice. however problem wasn't corrected. dealer will replace steering unit.*ak | |||
| While making left turns the steering wheel pulsates for no reason. vehicle has been taken to dealer where they replaced steering rack. problem reoccurred. *ak | |||