NHTSA Complaint #756036 — 1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

ON 12/2/98 AT 26,332 MILES I REPORTED A GRINDING AND THUD NOISE WHEN TURNING. I WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE STEERING COULD GO OUT AT ANY TIME. I WAS GIVEN A LOANER CAR AND THE RACK WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. ON 6/29/99 AT 34, 556 MILES, I AGAIN REPORTED THE SAME GRINDING AND THUD NOISE UPON TURNING. AGAIN I WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE AND GIVEN A LOANER CAR. AGAIN THE RACK WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRENTY. ON 11/15/00, AT 60,152 MILES I AGAIN REPORTED THE EXACT SAME GRINDING AND THUD NOISE UPON TURNING. THIS TIME HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. ON 2/15/01 AT 64,434 MILES I AGAIN REPORTED THE GRINDING AND THUD UPON TURNING AND ASKED THAT THE CAR BE CHECKED. NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND SO I CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH THE GRINDING AND THUD NOISE IN THE STEERING SINCE I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE EXACT SAME NOISE AS THE PRIOR TWO TIMES THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. ON 11/21/01, AT 81,218 MILES, I AGAIN REPORTED THE GRINDING AND THUD NOISE UPON TURNING, AS IT WAS GETTING WORSE AND CONTINUED TO MAKE ME VERY UNEASY AS TO THE CARS SAFETY. THIS TIME I WAS TOLD THAT YES, NOW THE RACK AGAIN NEEDED REPLACED, HOWEVER I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IT AS IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.*AK