Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 433211 | 11/01/1994 | 37843 | Crunch noise from right side dash area when turning steering wheel. *tw | 01/11/1995 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| PE99063 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 10/07/1999 | 03/03/2000 | STEERING COLUMN FIRE | ||
| Odi has received 9 complaints from owners of 1994-1995 pontiac grand am vehicles alleging steering column-related fires.in 7 of the 9 cases, the fire is alleged to have occurred after the operator experienced a malfunction of the starter circuit.in 3 cases, the complainants allege that the starter engage after the key was removed from the lock cylinder.the alleged fires are reported to be severe to the extent that 6 are alleged to have resulted in a total loss of the vehicle.in one case, it is alleged that the vehicle was parked in an indoor garage and the resulting are completely consumer the home and an adjacent vehicle.a preliminary evaluation is necessary to ascertain the scope of the alleged problem. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 04/20/2008 | 82000 | 1 | |
| Steering column has come loose. took to a pontiac dealer to have repaired and they replaced a pin in the column. repair worked for a year and a half but the steering column has come loose again and the entire unit has fallen in the drivers lap while driving. have been able to push the pin back in several times, but it does not stay in place. have not taken back to local dealer because they are expensive and do not seem overly competent. *tr | |||
| 03/15/1996 | 36000 | ||
| Steering column: pin keep falling out, file complaint 2 times. you know what pontiac corp. ask me. they asked what did i want them to do? | |||
| 05/15/2003 | 0 | ||
| Stering lock that adjusts the location of the wheel gave way while driving causing the steering wheel to move up and down while drining. dangerous on i95 at 65mph... losing some level of control. | |||
| Pin from steering wheel fell out causing steering to become very loose which could have resulted in an accident. *yc | |||
| 05/29/1998 | 1 | 11/13/1993 | |
| Pivot pins came off causing steering wheel to loosen. | |||
| Owner states that vehicle was designed to have power steering, but it does not and it may be a design flaw. owner also notes that steering is very hard and that it could lead to an accident. *ak | |||
| 03/22/1995 | |||
| Driving the vehicle at speed of 40 mph, had no control over the steering vehicle geared to right hitting a curb,underbottom damages impact 11:00 position. tt | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 05/15/2000 | 125000 | 1 | |
| While pulling in a parking lot, the steering column caught fire without warning. as a result the vehicle was a total loss. no injuries reported. please provide additional information. *la | |||
| 02/03/2004 | 158824 | 1 | |
| Steering column tilt pins became loose, entire steering wheel upper assembly broke loose from steering column and landed in drivers lap, held on only by the wires. vehicle was fortunately moving at a slow speed and driver was able to stop with out injury. vehicle could not be steered at all. *ak | |||
| 05/14/2003 | 3 | ||
| The steering column was replaced 3 times. *jb | |||
| 02/04/2001 | 100000 | 2 | 08/12/1999 |
| The tilt pins and the spring came out of the steering column. 1 month later the tilt fingures broke and will not catch. causing the tilt not to work. the steering wheel moves up and down and left to right. vin # 1g2ne153xrm19022. est. cost to fix 300.00 | |||
| 08/05/2001 | 1 | 09/01/1994 | |
| Sudden immediate failure of steering wheel tilt mechanism. caused vehicle to swerve to side but i was able to recover without impact. following incident vehicle was barely driveable due to steering wheel play.*ak | |||
| 08/12/2001 | 2 | 05/01/1994 | |
| The driver's side pin in the tilt steering came loose resulting in the steering wheel to become very loose. in 1999, the passenger side pin of the same mechanism came loose. this was also reported to you.*ak | |||
| 08/01/2001 | |||
| Pins came loose on tilt steering section, causing steering wheel to be loose. contacted dealer. please add vin. *ak | |||
| 05/15/2001 | |||
| Vehicle was parked, when pin fell out of tilt mechanism on the steering wheel. after starting vehicle, was able to start it and drive to a mechanic. had disassembled steering column, and replaced retainer & spring kit. mechanic also pushed pin back in tilt. james coleman at gm 5/17/01. *ak | |||
| 03/09/2001 | 1 | ||
| The steering column became loose at the tilt section, when the dealer disassembled the steering column he found tilt pins coming out of the column. nlm | |||
| 12/22/2000 | 11/01/1994 | ||
| Tilt adjuster on this 1994 grand am as well as my wife's1995 grand am vin# 1g2ne55d4sm527247 have broken within 5 months of each other. when driving you are able to move the steering wheel up and down. i took one vehicle into the dealership and was quoted a price of $275.00 for the repair. i feel that there is a problem, being that it has happened to both grand am's.*ak | |||
| 12/01/1999 | 1 | 05/01/1994 | |
| Front stabilizer bar connecting bar rusted on both sides subsequently disconnecting the stabilizer bar from the suspension. a pin in the tilt steering wheel came loose subsequently resulting in the steering wheel to become very loose. *ak | |||
| 07/07/1999 | |||
| The tilt control on the steering wheel floats. has taken to dealer 7 times, andwas informed by mechanic that a bolt had backed out of column. had to take steering wheel apart to tighten bolt & then replaced entire steering wheel. *ak | |||
| 02/01/1998 | |||
| Mechanism on the steering tilt broke, causing the steering wheel to bounce around in the channel that it is in, and it would not tilt anymore. the dealer replaced the mechanism with a new assembly, but could not duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| 08/01/1997 | 02/22/1994 | ||
| Pivot pins for hinges that allow steering column to tilt, slip out of the holes. there is not any type of tightening devise to keep them in place, only tension for the fit. when they slid eout, the steering wheel will rock. | |||
| 02/02/1995 | 2 | ||
| Tilt steering column pin broke, lodging itself against steering controls, causing steering to lock up. *aw | |||
| 12/30/1994 | 0 | ||
| Location of tilt steering wheel lever causes it to be accidently pushed by driver's knee while driving. *skd | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| While driving 70 mph the steering wheel and column completely fell off due to plastic gear that prematurley wore out. *ak | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT SECTOR | |||
| 02/01/1997 | |||
| Gas cap door does not open. defect in release latch located at driver's seat on floor. *ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 05/07/1999 | |||
| Vehicle experiences a squeaking noise coming from the steering wheel, indicating a failure in the power steering which may cause a crash. also, problems with passenger's door latch which won't open from the inside/high beam in the headlights is inoperative/struts malfunctioned too early, and when applying gas pedal, vehicle hesitates which may cause a crash. dealer cannot determine the problem. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 07/27/2003 | 124000 | 1 | |
| While driving, the steering wheel collapsed and caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle, which resulted in an accident. *jb *ph | |||
| 05/12/2003 | 99000 | 2 | 10/05/2002 |
| Tilt steering bushing are not properly punch set from mfg. (punch misses mark or not set properly) resulting in one or both pins falling out over time. result is very dangerous and can crash! *nlm | |||
| 06/01/1997 | 3 | 09/01/1994 | |
| While driving steering column came loose and dropped into consumer's lap. dealer replaced steering column. steering column came loose two more times since then. *akconsumer called the gm customer sevice nad the rep informed consumer that the failure was due to normal wear and tear. *jg | |||
| 07/12/2001 | 3 | ||
| This is the third time this has happened to me. each time i've paid $400.00 to repair. the steering culumn gets loose while i am driving. | |||
| 07/03/2001 | 1 | 11/01/1998 | |
| This part fell out while accelarating onto interstate 80 while approaching highway speeds. slight loss of vehicle control due to loose steering wheel/ | |||
| 07/01/2000 | 1 | 09/01/1996 | |
| Steering wheel is very loose and fits poorly on steering column. dealership has examined vehicle for this problem, and has not been able to remedy problem. *ak while driving, pins inside steering wheel broke. *slc | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer is having problems with the entire steering column. *slc | |||
| 01/01/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer received recall notice 00v287000/ engine starter. also, experienced problems with switch that controlled exterior lights of vehicle malfunctioning. exterior lights would stop operating when switching between dim and bright. at times, there was smell of burning wires. *ak ping of tilt on steering column backed out twice. the replacement new switch failed. the dash lights were out. the window brackets were weak. the front disc brake pads failed frequently. *yh | |||
| 01/12/2001 | |||
| Towed to pontiac dealer (adams pontiac in annapolis, md) they say will cost me about $400 needs new housing. i feel manufacuring defect, ie a steering wheel should not lock up..could have been killed.*ak | |||
| 12/01/2000 | 1 | 07/01/1999 | |
| Ea00007; a fire started in steering column. there seemed to be an explosion. total loss. *ak | |||
| 10/19/2000 | |||
| Steering wheel fell off while driving. dealer has repaired vehicle.*ak | |||
| 09/25/2000 | 1 | 09/01/1999 | |
| Pin fell out of steering collumn and lost control or steering, air bags did not deploy even though a front end collision ensued.*ak | |||
| 06/01/1999 | |||
| There have been numerous claims for steering column failure, brake failure, and transmission failure. why hasn't pontiac fixed these problems? these are safety problems. are there any warranties availble? also how can i find out if all safety recalls have been complete on my car. my local dealer did not call me back on this. i need to know if the gas tank repairs have been done on this car. | |||
| 11/12/1999 | 4 | 01/01/1994 | |
| There are two pins holding the adjustable steering wheel to the column and these pins have come out 4 times while driving. almost cause an accident several times. there is a defect in the design in that the pins are heavy metal that go into aluminum and the aluminum expands with repeated movement from adjusting the steering wheel up and down. consequently, the pins no longer stay in. this is likely to cause a major accident for those that are not expecting the steering wheel to come loose. i have had both pins come out within minutes of each other. | |||
| 2 pins that holds steering wheel to column keep falling off, causing loss of vehicle control. dealer keeps pushing pins back in, but defect keeps reoccurring.*ak | |||
| 20 | 02/01/1994 | ||
| My original complaint was listed under voq number odi533581. i have been waiting for an officail to contact me regarding this problem. i am not about to keep taking it to the dealer to have pins pressed back into placed when this should not have been manufactured this way. no safety defect mentioned in summary. *ak | |||
| 08/01/1999 | 1 | ||
| While driving the steeriing wheel fell into lap. | |||
| 08/25/1999 | |||
| Consumer has tilt steering column, and a pin came out of the steering column. this happened while consumer was driving at 55mph and was changing lanes. it was difficult to steer car . *ak | |||
| 05/09/1999 | |||
| While driving 25-30 mph the pin that keeps the steering wheel from moving side to side fell out. the dealer will be notified about the problem. please provide any further details. *ak | |||
| 03/01/1994 | |||
| There is a wiring short and the interior lights will go off and sometimes the headlights. usually happens when using turn signal. also when turning on flashers the abs light comes on. the right interior turn signal light stays on when lights are on. also the steering column vinyl covering over the airbag has split down the pontiac symbol exposing the airbag. | |||
| 07/29/1998 | |||
| The pin in the steering is bent, causing the steering wheel to be loose. the dealer has replaced this part four times prior to this . the manufacturer has been notified. *ak | |||
| 08/27/1998 | 08/15/1994 | ||
| Vehicle would'nt start. after getting out of the car, the consumer's co-worker noticed a horn blowing, went to investigate and the vehicle was on fire. the fire department was called to put out the fire. the steering column was on fire, and the vehicle was damaged from inside to outside. consumer contacted the dealer and manufacturer. *ak | |||
| 04/12/1998 | 5 | ||
| Abs brakes: pedal goes to the floor. has no brakes. front brakes make noise/grind. pads replaced 4-5 times. steering wheel: pin fell out 4 times. column does not lock. air conditioner: not working. just noisy, no air. took to dealer for repairs. *ak | |||
| 08/30/1998 | 1 | 03/29/1994 | |
| Steering column failed resulting in fire. | |||
| 03/01/1994 | |||
| The vehicle stops at high speeds for no reason. the car goes into neutral all by itself. the steering column becomes loose. the pin holding it in place breaks. | |||
| 20 | 02/13/1994 | ||
| Pivot pin in steering column slips into a hinge mechanism for tilt wheel to move up or down. when these pins slip out, because they are only pressed in, the steering wheel becomes loose. both pins hav ecome out one time or another, both have not come out at same time. the poart that came out was pivot pin in steering column p/n 26045314. | |||
| 10/16/1995 | |||
| The steering wheel was very loose and about to come off. | |||
| 07/14/1997 | 0 | ||
| While driving 45mph steering column came apart. took to dealer & mechanic said pivot pin fell out; had to disassemble steering column & replaced & reinstalled pivot pin. *ak | |||
| 01/10/1997 | |||
| Steering column: bolts that come out of dash and that hold steering column to dash have sheared off, causing steering column to become very loose to the point that it shakes and shimmers. this causes the lights/turn signals and the windshield wipers to work improperly. *ak | |||
| 06/11/1996 | 6 | ||
| Brake failure, also replaced loose motor mounts/power door locks/steering column/passenger's seat reclined backwards. *ak | |||
| 01/22/1995 | |||
| Steering column pin broke, resulting steering control lost. tt | |||