1997 BUICK REGAL Steeringrack And Pinion Problems

1997 REGAL BUICK RECALL NO. 03V52700 WAS COMPLETED ON VEHICLE ON 3/18/04 (STEERING RACK AND PINION) VEHICLE HAD ROUGHLY 22,000. SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AGAIN WITH 54,733 MILES. VEHICLE DRIVEN AROUND TOWN. CAN'T DRIVE HAVE TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED STEERING UNCONTROLLABLE. CALLED GM WILL NOT REPLACE. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. PROBLEM WAS JUST PATCHED. GM SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE BECAUSE OF SAFETY ISSUE. SOMEONE COULD BE INJURED POSSIBLY KILLED. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT GM SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE STEERING RACK AND PINION. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT BUT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *TR

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO STEER LEFT AND RIGHT. THIS OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 03V527000, REGARDING THE STEERING RACK AND PINION. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. UPDATED 7/25/2006 - *NM

MY WIFE IS COMPLAINING OF A HARD LEFT STEER ON HER 1997 BUICK REGAL. THE PROBLEM DOES NOT OCCUR ON EACH TURN AT THIS TIME, BUT COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF STEERING. BUICK'S CUSTOMER HOT LINE IS REFUSING TO MAKE THE REPAIR ON HER CAR. THEY CLAIM THAT THIS CAR IS NOT INVOLVED WITH THE RECALL # 03062. YET THE RECALL SHOWS THIS RECALL COVERS THE BUICK REGAL MODEL BUILT BETWEEN 08-01-96 THROUGH 07-31-97. THIS CAR WAS BUILT IN THIS TIME FRAME. THIS COULD CAUSE MY WIFE TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT WITH THE POTENTIAL OF FATAL INJURIES. *JB

I NOTICED THAT I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS STEERING WHILE TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT - VERY STIFF AND HARD TO MANIPULATE STEERING WHEEL WHILE AT LOW SPEEDS. I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FLUIDS WERE ALL LEVEL ETC. AND THE TIRES WERE PROPERLY INFLATED. I CONTINUED SEVERAL WEEKS LATER AND AGAIN THE POWER STEERING FLUID WAS LOW (3RD WEEK OF DEC 2003 & 2ND WEEK OF JAN 2004). I PLANNED ON TAKING THE CAR IN FOR MAINTENANCE WHEN I RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE DURING THE 3RD WEEK OF FEB 2004. I TOOK THE CAR INTO SIGNAL HILL BUICK IN CALIFORNIA FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS. I WAS MET WITH THE RUDEST SERVICE POSSIBLE, I WAS UNABLE TO GET A RIDE HOME, THE TECHNICIAN I SPOKE TO INITIALLY WOULD NOT EVEN TELL ME WHAT COULD BE THE PROBLEM WITH MY STEERING OTHER THAN THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT AND CORRECT THE PROBLEM....

CONSUMER STATED WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL IN EITHER DIRECTION POWER STEERING FAILED DUE TO RACK AND PINION MALFUNCTIONING. *AK

AFTER THE DEALERSHIP PERFORMED STEERING GEAR BEARING RECALL 03V527000 REPAIRS THE STEERING WHEEL MADE A CLICKING NOISE . THE NOISE OCCURRED WHEN MAKING A SHARP LEFT OR RIGHT TURN AND WHEN IN REVERSE.*AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 03V527000 NOTICE REGARDING RACK AND PINION FAILURE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR RECALL REPAIRS. DEALER REPLACED THE BEARINGS ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THREE WEEKS LATER, RACK AND PINION BECAME DEFECTIVE AND IT WAS HARD TO STEER. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT A NEW RACK AND PINION WAS NEEDED.*AK

RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED LESS THAN A YEAR AGO DUE TO COMPLETE FAILURE OF POWER STEERING. THE RACK AND PINION BEGAN MAKING NOISE AND PRODUCING WHEEL VIBRATION WHILE TURNING AND EVENTUALLY DEVELOPED A LEAK. RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE FOR PARTS AND LABOR. UNFORTUNATELY, CAR IS BEGIN TO DEMONSTRATE EARLY SYMPTOMS OF IT FAILING AGAIN. THE SYMPTOMS ARE INCREASED NOISE AND VIBRATION WHILE TURN AT SLOW SPEEDS OR TIGHT TURNS AT MODERATE SPEEDS. I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO REPLACING THIS AGAIN. I NOTE THAT MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS EXIST ON THE LIST FOR SIMILAR ITEMS, AND THAT SIMILAR ISSUE EXIST FOR OTHER GM VEHICLES. PLEASE PROVIDE INFORMATION ON ACTIONS BEING TAKEN ON THE BEHALF OF THE CONSUMERS OF THIS VEHICLE. *LA

STEERING RACK LOCKED UP AT 40,000-60,000 MI HAD IT REPLACED AND IT SEEMS TO BE STARTING AGAIN AT 115,000 MI. *LA

97 BUICK REGAL--LOCKED UP STEERING--SITTING IN MY GARAGE--WAITING TO BE REPAIRED CALLED CARDEALER EST:1,000. TO REPAIR

STEERING SEEMED TO LOCK AT NEAR FULL TRAVEL EITHER DIRECTION ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, BUT WOULD "RELEASE" WITH A HARD PULL BACK TOWARD CENTER. LAST INCIDENT, UPON PULL BACK, WIFE HEARD A "POP" AND STEERING EFFORT SEEMED MARKEDLY REDUCED. WHEN INSPECTING, I FOUND BOTTOM PINION SHAFT COVER IN RACK HOUSING TO BE MISSING, BUT FOUND IT IN DRIVEWAY NEAR WHERE LAST LOCK UP WAS. IT HAD GREASE AND LOTS OF "SHRAPNEL" , SEEMINGLY HARD PLASTIC, THAT WAS WIPED OFF AND CAP PUT BACK INTO HOUSING. STEERING HAS NOT LOCKED SINCE, BUT FEELS VAGUE AND LOOSE NEAR END OF TRAVEL EITHER DIRECTION. CAR ONLY HAS 51K MILES.

VEHICLE HAS A HISTORY OF STEERING PROBLEMS FROM PS PUMP TO RACK AND PINION COST OF REPAIRS ARE OUTRAGEOUS. MOST RECENT FAILURE LOCKED STEERING COMPLETELY WITH MY WIFE AND 6MO BABY DRIVING AT 75MPH ON INTERSTATE. HAS HAD NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS WITH OIL SEALS, ELECTRICAL, IDLERS GOING OUT. SERPENTINE BELT BROKE DUR TO IDLER SEIZED AND SHUT DOWN POWER STEERING WHILE AT 75MPH IN A SEPERATE INCIDENT

STEERING RACK LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING RENDERING VEHICLE UNSTABLE WHILE TRAVELING APROX. 35 MPH AND CREATING A POTENTIALLY LETHAL SITUITION.*AK

TRANMISSION WAS REPLACED WHILE CAR UNDER WARRANTY W/REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION WHICH IS NOW NEEDING TO BE REPLACED...DEALERSHIP DID NOT ADVISE IT WAS BEING REPLACED W/REMANUFAC. PART. CONTACTED BUICK ONLY TO BE ADVISED CAR WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY COULD NOT HELP. STEERING/RACK & PENION: STEERING LOCKS, POPS, ETC WHEN DRIVING ...I DON'T HAVE MUCH INFO ON THIS RIGHT NOW AS WE ARE HAVING CHECKED BY MECHANIC NOW. HAVE BEEN ADVISED THAT THIS APPEARS TO BE THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE HAD NUMEROUS OTHER "NON LIFE THREATENING" PROBLEMS W/THIS CAR AND ARE VERY DISHEARTENED AS THE CAR IS ONLY 3 1/2 YEARS OLD.*AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK