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 | |
| 833208 | 10/01/1998 | 602826 | Some customers may comment about a squeak/ squawk type noise coming from the steering column area when turning the steering wheel. *yc | 01/13/1999 | |
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 | |||
| 12/22/2005 | 40300 | 3 | 03/12/2001 |
| General motors need to recall their vehicles to diagnosis this major issue. my case number with gm 1382341310 however, they wont assist me and said they are closing my case. i informed them not to i am not done with this issue with them... this is a very serious problem or defect with my general motors pontiac grand am se 3.1l v6 engine in this vehicle. i have had, 3 intake manifold gasket failures in less than 40,000 miles, the first occurring at approx 24,000 miles the second at approx 27,000 miles and now again at 40,000 miles but i have suspected the anti-freeze i have been smelling in the cab when i turn the heater blower on, is somehow connected to this leak. which means its been leaking for some time just not bad enough to drip onto the ground bringing my attention to it. i am only one of thousands of victims that general motors has raped financial over the years. the repeated failures of the intake manifold gasket started long ago and due to the numerous complaints to the bbb and gm you would think that would be enough to alarm general motors that they are having a major issue, and they should of began a recall of their vehicles long ago. in the year 2002 they couldn't supply enough intake manifold gaskets to keep up with the gm vehicles that needed repair either under warranty or out of warranty. i have had other major non-related repairs to my vehicle as well, 19,693 miles the sway bar bushings had to be replaced, alternator was replaced, heater core replaced, the rack and pinion steering rod replaced. now my car and many thousands of other gm owners vehicles are out of warranty and gm won't stand behind their own vehicles, even though work was done repeatedly under warranty on my vehicle. i am currently 3 years out of warranty but only 12,900 approx miles since they did the last repair on my intake manifold gaskets. i believe a class action suit is the only thing general motors corporation will respond to. *jb | |||
| 04/14/2004 | 92000 | 1 | 02/12/1999 |
| Consumer heard a loud noise, then the steering wheel became very loose with a lot of play. the mechanic stated the steering mechanism broke from the firewall. the dealer has been contacted. please describe further. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The steering became loose while driving. *jb | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 08/16/2003 | 1 | 05/14/1998 | |
| When trying to take key out of ignition the steering wheel would not lock in place and keys could either not be removed or would be removed but wheel still would not lock in place. *la | |||
| 08/02/2000 | 5 | 12/01/1997 | |
| Theft system activates on car w/o warning when trying to start car. car thinks it's being stolen. it starts and then shuts down with theft system light blinking. can only move by towing it away. have had it to dealer on 5 different occasions. last time replace instrument cluster module, the next day hit a bump and thft system light came on. did this on 4 occasions but car started after cutting it off. last time about 5 weeks after last repair, it gave me no warning when i tried to start it. the theft system activated and it shut the car down. it was towed to dealer that did previous w ork (from ga. to fla.), they informed me i needed new keys and a locking system. this has been an ongoing problem since february 2000, i have had the car towed 5 times, twice in one day. | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 11/01/1997 | |||
| Power steering fails when on wet road. loss of power steering caused loss of control into deep puddle and subsequent water damage to engine | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||
| 07/28/2004 | 142572 | 1 | 06/15/1998 |
| While driving 40 mph on a wet road surface vehicle swerved. consumer lost control of the vehicle, an dit was was forced off the road into a wooded area, where vehicle spinned several times and hit several small trees. vehicle was towed to a body shop. mechanic determined that the right tie rod wore out and the left tie rod was getting worn out. consumer stated, that front wheel bearing was repaired under a recall on may 5, 2004 at a dealer. *ak | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 05/04/2006 | 40000 | 2 | 11/28/1997 |
| Fluid was leaking by passenger side front tire. also, noticed a whining noise when turning. car has 40,000 miles on it. repair shop had to replace the rack & pinion and heater core. cost for repairs: $700.00. *ak | |||
| 04/20/2004 | 114000 | 1 | |
| Consumer was unable to turn left. dealer stated that rack and pinion failed. a recall for the steering rack and pinion was issued, however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak | |||
| 09/28/2004 | 1 | ||
| While backing out in reverse or driving vehicle had a rattling sound. consumer noticed that while shifting the steering wheel jerked. consumer drove vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| After taking key out of ignition switch steering wheel would not lock in place. dealer has been contcted. please provide further information.*ak | |||
| 07/10/2002 | 1 | 10/12/1999 | |
| While putting steering in down position steering wheel would not move up or down. *ak the steering wheel was in the top position and could not be moved. when consumer took the key out of the ignition the steering wheel did not lock in position. *jg | |||
| 08/24/1999 | 4 | 10/30/1998 | |
| While driving steering wheel locked up without warning , causing loss of steering control. cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 05/16/1998 | 7 | 05/01/1998 | |
| Transmission- r&r trans to replacethird gear input and replaced bushing reconditioned trans asssembly and replaced axle seal / steering wheel replaced streering wheel sensor bushing , dealer claims they could never find problem / brakes dealer said this was not under warranty went to midas replaced pads, left caliper , right caliper both had damaged boots uneven pad wear drums were hardspotted and out of round hoses -steelined were rust spotted ./ replaced front bushing.dealer said they could never find problem with brakes when first reported to them | |||