2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA Steeringrack And Pinion Problems

ON THURSDAY 01 NOV 07 AND MONDAY 05 NOV 07 MY WIFE WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN OFF A BUSY HIGHWAY WHERE WE LIVE. WHEN SHE TRIED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT IT LOCKED OR WOULDN'T MOVE PLACING HER IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION OF POSSIBLY BEING HIT BY ON-COMING TRAFFIC. I CONFIRMED THE STEERING WHEELING LOCKING WHEN TURNING LEFT ONLY WHEN I GOT HOME BY DRIVING THE CAR AND HAVING IT LOCK ON ME ONE TIME IN A PARKING LOT. I HAVE SEEN A WEB SITE CALLED WWW.DIRECT.CA/TRINITY/GM-STEERING-PROBEM.HTM WHICH HAS RECORDED OVER 250 U. S. COMPLAINTS. IT MENTIONS POLICE CHEVROLET IMPALA STEERING CAN LOCK-UP WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED. MY POWER STEERING FLUID IS AT CORRECT LEVEL AND CAR HAS HIGHER MILEAGE AT AROUND 148,000. WE ARE PUTTING A RE-MANUFACTURED STEERING RACK AN PINION IN THIS WEEK TO TRY AND SOLVE THIS PROBLEM AS RECOMMENDED...

DT: WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE STEERING ROD BROKE. WEATHER WAS NOT A FACTOR. DEALER TOLD CALLER THEY DID NOT HAVE A MECHANIC. LATER, THE DEALER TOLD CALLER WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT, AND CALLER'S FATHER SAID IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN WELDED BEFORE. MANUFACTURER STATED THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP HIM. CALLER HAS NOT GOT THE PROBLEM FIXED YET. *AK

01-10-02, COMPLAINED OF PULSATION FELT IN STEERING. MECHANIC RESURFACED ROTORS. 01-11-02, SAME COMPLAINT, REPLACED INTERMEDIATE STEERING COLUMN. 11-07-02, REPORTED A SQUEAL IN STEERING WHEN TURNING LEFT, MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE, GREASED STEERING COLUMN. 09-09-03 COMPLAINED AGAIN OF SQUEAL IN STEERING, REPLACED RACK AND PINION.

THE RACK AND PINION STEERING ASSEMBLY FAILURE. RACK AND PINION LEAKED AND HAS BEEN SERVICED AND STILL HAS PROBLEMS. *BF THE LOW TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT HAD COME ON AND THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. *SC *JB

CHEVROLET IMPALA 2000. PROBLEM WITH STEERING IN 2001, STEERING RACK WAS REPLACED. NOW THE CAR IS BACK IN SHOP, VERY HARD TO STEER TO THE LEFT AND MAKING NOISE WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT; THEY ARE PUTTING IN NEW STEERING RACK FOR THE SECOND TIME. CRADLE WAS ALSO REPLACED IN 2001. AFTER READING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN OTHER 2000 IMPALAS, I AM NOW VERY WORRIED ABOUT IT HAPPENING AGAIN AND THAT I WILL HAVE AN ACCIDENT.*AK

CLUNKING & POPPING SOUND IN STEERING (INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT) AND RACK AND PINION. TOOK CAR TO CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS SO I'M TAKING THIS VEHICLE BACK. SPOKE TO SERVICE DEPT. AND STATED ANOTHER MECHANIC SUGGESTED IT WAS THE STEERING SHAFT. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO CHECK THE CAR AGAIN MONDAY. MY CONCERN IS THAT OTHERS MAY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM BECAUSE I SEE NUMEROUS ENTRIES ON THE WEBSITE (WWW.IMPALAHQ.COM). SHOULD THIS BE AN ITEM OF CONCERN TO GM SINCE IT CAUSES YOU TO LOOSE STEERING CONTROL. AT HIGH SPEEDS CAR WANDERS. AT LOW SPEEDS, FEEL EVERY BUMP THROUGH STEERING WHEEL. I HAVE TWO CHILDREN AND I AM AFRAID THAT I AM GOING TO LOSE STEERING LIKE OTHERS INCLUDING POLICE CARS HAVE. CHEVROLET SAYS THEY WANT TO LUBE THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT FIRST, BUT COMPLAINTS INDICATE THIS HAS NOT WORKED FOR THEIR SAME EXACT CAR...

WHEN THE VEHICLE MADE A LEFT OR RIGHT TURN THE RACK AND PINION MADE A RATTLING NOISE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. *NLM

POWER STEERING RACK - THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING. DEALER FOUND OUT THAT THE POWER STEERING RACK NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. IT IS TOO IMMATURE FOR THIS COMPONENT TO FAIL AT THIS AGE OF THE CAR.

THE CAR WAS NOT WELDED CORRECTLY. A PIECE THAT CONNECTS THE RACK AND PINION TO THE FRAME BECAME DISCONNECTED AND THE CAR WILL NOT TURN IT WILL ONLY DRIVE STRAIGHT. I ALMOST GOT HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK TRYING TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY. GM CORPORATION REFUSES TO FIX THE CAR BECAUSE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. MR

WE CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT THESE PROBLEMS,JUST GOT IGNORED. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN SUMMARY.*AK

TOM HESSER CHEVROLET KEPT TELLING ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS CAR. I CONTACTED CHEV CUSTOMER ASSIST CENTER & TOLD THEM I WANTED THIS CAR CHECKED OUT AT ANOTHER CHEV DELAERSHIP IN MY AREA. THEY SET ME UP WITH SYLVESTER CHEVROLET IN PECKVILLE PA. SYLVESTER CHEVROLET FOUND THE PROBLEMS ON THIS VEHICLE AND DID WORK TO CORRECT THEM. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK

VEHICLE EXPERIENCING NOISE IN STEERING WHEEL. DEALER REPLACED RACK AND PINION,/CAM AND TOE, AND FRONT SUSPENSION. BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURRING. DEALER NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER.*AK