1997 Buick Regal steering problems

37 complaints (27% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 89,871. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints: 37
of this car's complaints: 27%
typical mileage: 89,871
crashes: 1
recalls: 1

Which part fails

Rack and pinion
15
Steering wheel/handle bar
3
Rack and pinion: rack
3
Hydraulic power assist: pump
3
Hydraulic power assist system
2
Linkages: arm: idler and attachment
1
Hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections
1
Column locking: anti-theft device
1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k

25k-50k

50k-75k

75k-100k

100k-125k

125k-150k

150k-175k

175k-200k

200k+

Buick Regal steering problems in other years

Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Buick Regal steering

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Power steering loss 5

Related recalls

Steering: rack and pinionReported December 11, 2003 · 750,283 vehicles affected

What is wrong: 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.
Risk: 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.
Remedy: 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.

Recall number 03V527000 · Recall details

Related investigations

Power rack and pinion steering failureOpened September 15, 2003, closed December 18, 2003

Gm's letter to the federal safety agency dated december 11, 2003, expands its original recall (the federal safety agency 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.

EA03019

Power rack and pinion steering failureOpened January 2, 2003, closed September 15, 2003

Gm conducted a safety recall (the federal safety agency # 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.

RQ03001

What 1997 Buick Regal owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 5, 2016 · Engine, Lights · TN

Buick fixed 3 recalls but won't fix on say I have to pay for another part before they can fix last recall.

Filed Jan 8, 2016 · Electrical, Lights · 145,000 miles · IL

Was driving my 1997 buick regal gs 3.8 when I had my son in the car went to turn left and when in the turn all the lights start to flash and the car shut down .. Had to have it towed later to find out it is the ignition switch now car is sitting will not start all lights flash will not crank or turn over ... Before all that happened when I would make a left turn you could hear a clicking coming from the drivers side tire and the lights would come on ... Everything you touched on the steering wheel , turn signals , windshield wipers anything would make all cluster lights come on and shut down the car . Thank god knowone was injured or killed

Filed Nov 10, 2014 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 141,072 miles · CA

After taking my car to the mechanic 6 times to repair the service engine soon/ABS light/trac off light coming on, he replaced the left front wheel bearing with a more expensive model and replaced the module on the ABS pump that has the circuit board and pump gears. The problem went away for approx. 1 1/2 weeks and now is back! Am going to the mechanic to see what is going on.

Filed Oct 24, 2014 · Brakes, Steering · 140,359 miles · CA

The service vehicle soon/ABS warning light/and trac off light lit and the car lurched as if the brakes were applied at the left front wheel. The error code was c1225, which is too much speed at the left front wheel. The bearing and sensor was replaced 3 times and the problem still occurred. The mechanic also replaced the ABS pump module (the electronic part of the ABS unit) and then had to upgrade the left front wheel bearing and sensor to another brand that was 2x as expensive. The ABS problem affected the steering (making it harder to steer and more noisy), and also affected the shifting of the transmission. The online warnings said that it could damage the transmission if not corrected. I even tried replacing the module of the traction control unit under the dash. This was a very time consuming and costly repair, as the left front bearing was replace a total of 4 times and two visits for the ABS module and programming. I see that another owner had similar problems at about 140,000 miles.

Filed Jul 20, 2011 · Steering · 137,000 miles · WI

Tl* the contact owns a 1997 buick regal. The contact stated while making a right turn, the vehicle would loose power steering. The federal safety agency campaign id number: 08v118000 (steering), but the VIN was not a part of the recall. The dealer and manufacturer were notified, but denied assistance with the failure. The failure was not remedied. The failure mileage was 137,000 and the current mileage was 137,025.

Filed Feb 18, 2009 · Steering · 54,733 miles · VA

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.

Filed Dec 28, 2007 · Steering · 128,281 miles · TX

Tl*the contact owns a 1997 buick regal. The contact stated that it was difficult to turn the steering wheel and requires a lot of effort. He feels it is a safety hazard because he is unable to steer properly. General motors stated that nothing could be done because his VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v527000 (steering:rack and pinion), even though the failures are identical. The gm recall number is 03062. The failure and current mileages were 128,281. Updated 02-14-08.

Filed May 19, 2006 · Steering · 108,000 miles · NJ

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 the federal safety agency recall, # 03v527000, regarding the steering rack and pinion. The VIN was not included in the recall. Updated 7/25/2006 -

Filed Mar 27, 2006 · Steering · 105,771 miles · IN

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.

Filed Jan 11, 2006 · Steering · CA

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. It was never noted that steering system was damaged and needed to be serviced. When I took the car to hooman buick in culver city, ca, they told me that the system was damaged and needs to be replaced in its entirety.

Questions about the 1997 Buick Regal steering

Does the 1997 Buick Regal have steering problems?

Owners have filed 37 complaints about the steering of the 1997 Buick Regal, 27% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 1997 Buick Regal steering problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 89,871 miles.

Was there a recall on the 1997 Buick Regal steering?

Yes, 1 recall: 03V527000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Buick Regal have bad steering?

The Buick Regal model years with the most steering complaints are 1998 (76 complaints), 1997 (37 complaints) and 1999 (31 complaints).