NHTSA Complaint #739555 — 1997 CHEVROLET TAHOE

WHEN NEGOTIATING CURVES (WHILE DRIVER IS TURNING STEERING WHEEL AND HOLDING FAIRLY CONSISTANT PRESSURE ON THE WHEEL TO MAINTAIN THE TURN), THE STEERING WHEEL WILL SUDDENLY TURN (TWITCH) IN THE DIRECTION YOU ARE TURNING. THIS SOMETIMES CAUSES AN OVERSTEER TO CORRECT . PROBLEM IS WORSE WHEN VEH. IS COLD AND DOES IT MOSTLY AROUND 35 MPH ALTHOUGH REGULARLY DOES IT AT ALL SPEEDS ALSO. MY SENSE OF THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT THE VEHICLE IS "STEERING ITSELF" , BUT THAT THERE IS A SUDDEN CHANGE IN BOOST TO THE STEERING (DEFECTIVE SPEED SENSITIVE PWR STEERING?) AND SINCE THE DRIVER IS HOLDING PRESSURE ON THE WHEEL IN A CURVE, THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN STEERING BOOST CAUSES THE DRIVER TO OVERSTEER AND THAN OVERCORRECTION IN STEERING, WHICH TO SOME COMPLAINANTS APPARENTLY IS PERCEIVED AS A LOSS OF STEERING. MY WIFE PERCEIVES IT AS A LOSS OF STEERING AND I DRIVE THE VEH AS MUCH AS HER AND CAN TELL YOU THE LOSS OF STEERING IS IN THE MIND DUE TO "PUCKER FACTOR"! I CAN TELL YOU WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT THE PROBLEM IS VERY REAL AND I HAVE HAD 1 OR 2 NEAR MISSES WITH A CAR AND JERSEY BARRICADE AS I OVERSTEERED WITH THE SUDDEN CHANGE OF BOOST. WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN BOOST PROBABLY OCCURS REGULARLY AT THE APPROPRIATE SPEED, ( AS DESIGNED INTO THE SPEED SENSITIVE STEERING SYSTEM), BUT WHEN THE DRIVER HAS TURNING PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, AND THE NORMAL STEERING WHEEL BACK-PRESSURE IS SUDDENLY RELEASED (OR SIGNIFIGANTLY REDUCED)THE 1ST ACTION IS A SUDDEN OVERSTEER (AS THOUGH SOMEONE QUICKLY JERKED THE WHEEL LOOSE FROM YOUR HANDS IN THE SAME DIRECTION YOU ARE ALREADY TURNING). I SEE MANY SIMILIAR COMPLAINTS IN THE COMPLAINTS DATABASE AND A NHTSA ACTION # EA99011 OPEN INVESTIGATION SINCE MAY 12, 1999, SEEMS THAT THIS IS A DEFINITE WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. IS THERE A FIX ON THE HORIZON? I SEE THAT SOME DEALERS HAVE REPLACED THE STEERING SPEED SENSOR, BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THAT IS THE CURE. ANY SUGGESTIONS?*AK