Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | ||||||||||||||||
| 03V527000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | from 01/01/1996 to 06/30/1996 | V (Vehicle) | 750283 | 02/05/2004 | ODI | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 12/11/2003 | 12/18/2003 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Certain passenger vehicles have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. these retainers could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. if the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. if the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. with the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. in any of these conditions, a crash could occur. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. owner notification began on february 5, 2004. owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Gm recall no. 03062.customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| 01292004 | 01/29/2004 | 10013031 | Power steering gear lower pinion bearing, safety recall 03062. *tt | 04/06/2005 | |
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| 9709013202B | 09/01/1997 | 54328 | Experiencing intermittent steering column snap or click noise when turning. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| EA03019 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 09/15/2003 | 12/18/2003 | POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE | 03V527000 | |
| Gm's letter to nhtsa dated december 11, 2003, expands its original recall (nhtsa 02v286) to include certain w-body vehicles: 96-97 olds cutlass supreme; 98 olds intrigue; 97-98 olds cutlass; 97-98 chevy lumina, monte carlo and malibu; 96 pontiac grand prix; and 96-98 buick regal.the number of vehicles recalled is 750,283.gm determined that failure of the rack and pinion is related to damage of the lower pinion bearing and the level of the pinion bearing pre-load spring force.gm states, higher rack pre-load spring force (133 lb.) is the design characteristic most closely associated with higher bearing damage rates in most of the vehicle applications that used the general bearing company (gbc) bearing.all of the vehicles covered in the expanded recall have the 133 lb spring force.the 96 lumina/monte carlo and 97-98 century w-body vehicles included in this investigation utilize a lower spring force and are not included in the recall. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| EA03019 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 09/15/2003 | 12/18/2003 | POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE | 03V527000 | |
| Gm's letter to nhtsa dated december 11, 2003, expands its original recall (nhtsa 02v286) to include certain w-body vehicles: 96-97 olds cutlass supreme; 98 olds intrigue; 97-98 olds cutlass; 97-98 chevy lumina, monte carlo and malibu; 96 pontiac grand prix; and 96-98 buick regal.the number of vehicles recalled is 750,283.gm determined that failure of the rack and pinion is related to damage of the lower pinion bearing and the level of the pinion bearing pre-load spring force.gm states, higher rack pre-load spring force (133 lb.) is the design characteristic most closely associated with higher bearing damage rates in most of the vehicle applications that used the general bearing company (gbc) bearing.all of the vehicles covered in the expanded recall have the 133 lb spring force.the 96 lumina/monte carlo and 97-98 century w-body vehicles included in this investigation utilize a lower spring force and are not included in the recall. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 08/07/2010 | 54000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1996 oldsmobile cutlass supreme. while driving approximately 5 mph and turning the steering wheel the contact heard a popping sound. the contact stated the sound was heard anytime a turn was made. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic. the manufacturer was contacted and stated there was a recall nhtsa campaign id number: 03v527000 (component: steering:rack and pinion) but the vin was not included. the approximate failure mileage was 54,000. ds | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 09/02/2003 | 58675 | 1 | |
| While making a left turn steering wheel locked up. driver had managed to pull over to side of road and stopped vehicle. had vehicle towed to dealer. mechanic could not locate cause of steering wheel locking up.*ak | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 09/20/2003 | 78000 | 2 | 04/01/1996 |
| Steering is almost impossible to turn during low speed left hand turns. problem is intermittent. | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 02/02/2005 | 2 | ||
| The driver had difficulty making left turns. when turning left the steering gets hard and the driver was unable to steer. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the cause has not been determined at this time. please provide further details. *jb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| The consumer is disabled which precludes her from driving 30-40 miles to the nearest oldsmobile dealer to have the vehicle repaired. the vehicle was included in a rack and pinion recall and the consumer wanted to take the vehicle the nearest chevrolet dealer to have it repaired. the consumer was informed by the chevrolet dealer's service dept that the repairs could not be done there. *ph *cb | |||
| 10/15/2003 | 1 | 12/10/2002 | |
| While turning the steering wheel towards the right it locked up and caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. please provide any additional information. *nm the consumer was informed the problem was due to a defective rack and pinion as stated in the recall. *jb | |||
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||
| 09/09/2002 | 1 | ||
| While starting up the vehicle there was a puff of smoke coming from the steering column. the vehicle restart on it own the dealership is aware of the problem. nlm | |||