Investigations


NHTSA IDManufacturerDate openDate closeSubjectRecall campaign
STEERING - COLUMN
DP03002CHRYSLER GROUP LLC05/07/200307/22/2003STEERING COLUMN SEPARATION
 Mr. larry a. sackey submitted a petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) by letter dated april 18, 2003, requesting that nhtsafurther investigate the defective collapsible steering shaft system on 1987-1995 vehicles manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corporation.in part because of 49 cfr

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
STEERING
02/05/2000
 Was driving approximately 25mph when steering wheel went out, and lost control of vehicle. also, tires started to wobble. had heard a loud banging before steering went. vehicle suddenly stopped. nothing was hit. vehicle towed to original dealer & mechanic repaired the steering. *ak
09/20/19991
 Vehicle experienced loss of control and hit a tree resulting in serious injury to consumer. (attorney for consumer). nlm
 There is an electrical problem with the steering there is a cracking noise in the steering. tt
STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)
 Was driving and power steering cut off and caused truck to run off the road, power steering came back on , also has other problems. please place all information . *ak
STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP
05/01/2001
 Power steering belt continues to come loose from pulley and disconnects from vehicle. dealership has examined the problem three times, and cannot remedy the situation. please provide any additional information/attachments.*ak
07/13/1999
 Consumer's wife was driving vehicle. while turning steering locked up due to power steering belt coming off. vehicle lost control and ran over curve. no damage or injury. manufacturer was notified. *ak
05/22/1998
 The belt tensioner pulley bolt on the steering box sheared off, causing loss of steering control, and almost resulted in an accident. *ak
09/05/1995
 While driving and making a left turn the defective power steering system malfunctioned, causng the power steering system to lock in position which almost caused an accident. dealer replaced pump/rack and pinion. dealer cannot determine problem. *ak
11/05/1996
 Consumer applied force to the brake pedal and lost all power steering and power brakes due to a fractured steering belt tensioner pe95-012. *ak
STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
08/01/19993
 When going down steep grades consumer puts vehicle in 2nd gear, and vehicle will stall. found information on internet regarding this problem. throttle plate carbons up, and causes engine to stall. also, went to dealer who could not remedy problem. *ak the vehicle stalled three times on steep mountain road and the driver lost steering control and the brakes failed too. *yh
11/12/200005/01/1996
 Engine stalled while decelerating and turning. lost power steerring and brakes. almost turned into oncoming 18 wheeler and almost rear-ended by another. this failure has happened 10-12 times previously. have taken to dealer twice for problem. dealer response has been that this is normal or that it might be bad gas, but use the same gas in other car with no problem. replaced the egr valve, but no improvement. *ak
10/01/1997210/01/1995
 When driving on wet roads the power steering fails. this is the norm not the exception. it was replaced once at about 50,000 miles ant now it is occurring again. i would not let my wife or daughter drive this vehicle,if the steering was to go out it is too heavy for them to regain control. i have spoken to other owners of this make of minivan and they say it has happenned with them too. i can understand the power steering going out occasionally in wet weather,but i can count on it going out if i drive through a puddle. *ak
 Serpentine belt keeps coming off in rainy conditions while driving, causing loss of power steering. *ak
11/19/1997509/05/1994
 Fuel throttle linkage/fuel pump/fuel filter failed, causing vehicle to stall. in addition, power brakes and power steering malfunctioned. *ak
09/05/1995
 While driving and making a left turn the defective power steering system malfunctioned, causng the power steering system to lock in position which almost caused an accident. dealer replaced pump/rack and pinion. dealer cannot determine problem. *ak
 The power steering problems. please describe. tt
09/21/1995
 Power steering failure, when making left turns it makes loud noise, difficult to steer vehicle. tt
STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
12/16/200468000109/01/1995
 My wife was driving her mother to the doctor when she started to back out of the parking space the front end made a noise. she stopped and pulled into the parking space and the tie rod broke off. vehicle only has 68,000 miles. *jb
11/30/200458000111/16/1999
 I was pulling into my driveway when the tie-rod on my 1995 dodge caravan (with 58,000 miles on the odometer) broke suddenly, and without warning. the car is currently at the local mendenhall dodge auto dealer waiting for a diagnosis of the problem. i have requested that they keep all parts associated with the repair so that i may inspect them. *ak
05/11/1999106/01/1995
 End tie rods were disconnected from vehicle causing failure. *yc
05/23/1999
 While driving at 25 mph, without prior warning and making a left turn, tie rod end went out. *ak
05/17/1998
 Backing the vehicle into a parking space and the inner tie rod snapped, causing the steering wheel to jerk, and the individual to lose steering power. *ak
02/01/1998110/27/1994
 Tie rod broke causing engine to fail.
STEERING - RACK AND PINION
 While vehicle is cold steering wheel is hard to turn or return to normal. after vehicle is warmed up there is normal driving. *ak *ml
09/05/1995
 While driving and making a left turn the defective power steering system malfunctioned, causng the power steering system to lock in position which almost caused an accident. dealer replaced pump/rack and pinion. dealer cannot determine problem. *ak
 Owner states that the rack & pinon went out, dealer was told it was normal; while turning vehicle smoked comes from undeneath dashboard of vehicle, dealer then said it was the rack & pinon. *ak
01/01/19961
 Steering rack and pinion failed. *sd
STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR
 When turning a curve or hitting a bump in the road steering column feels loose and also jerks. vehicle has a had a loose bolt in the column. problem exists again.*ak