I'm driving and my steering is tight and when turning while in motion and while its park. You can also smell like some thing burning
The worst 1997 Chevrolet Lumina problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Steering88
- Engine53
- Fuel system50
- Brakes37
- Airbags36
- Electrical26
- Transmission21
- Visibility19
- Lights15
- Body14
- Acceleration10
- Suspension10
- Seat belts8
- Tires6
- Wheels5
- Locks3
- Seats2
- Driver assistance1
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
Steering lock-up 15Power steering loss 14Stalling 13No deployment 12Airbag light 11Fuel gauge 11Fuel pump 10Wipers 9Brake failure 7Headlights 6Loss of power 6Grinding brakes 5Door locks 5Fuel leak 5
Recalls 1
Steering: rack and pinion
- 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
See all 1 recalls for the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
Defect investigations
Power rack and pinion steering failure
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 failure
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
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina 58
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This warranty administration bulletin provides information regarding the field action courtesy...
- Fuel system, gasoline
- This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Procedures to Unlock Delco...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Equipment
- This warranty administration bulletin provides policy information with the field action courtesy...
- This technical bulletin provides a procedure to reprogram the media disc player with the latest...
- Equipment: electrical: anti-theft devices
- Vehicle Recalls
- This informational bulletin provides the technician with information on what E85 fuel may due to a non E85...
1997 Chevrolet Lumina fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1L 6‑cyl | FWD | 18 | 26 | 21 |
| 3.4L 6‑cyl | FWD | 15 | 24 | 18 |
What 1997 Chevrolet Lumina owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Dashboard cover on passenger side airbag has detached/pulled away and buckled up from the foam air bag casing. Gm/chevrolet was notified of the problem via phone. The response given by gm/chevrolet representative was that the car was too old to warrant their attention/repair. This does not answer the question, if the air bag will deploy properly. The chevrolet dealership stated that they would replace and paint it at cost and04/16/2012 labor paid by customer. Auto insurance has referred the problem to the manufacturer. This problem has been progressive in nature, beginning approximately 4 years ago.
Key stuck in on position will not allow engine to be turned off in either park or neutral. Will turn towards start. Car will drive but unable to turn car off unless power is unplugged from steering column. Was at work with no way to turn car off had to leave running till power was disconnected. Upon research found that this was a common issue reported for the 97-98 chevy lumina believe that this should be a safety recall
My son was in a bad accident that totaled the car and the air bags did not deploy.
While driving home one day another driver hit the side of the car close to the headlight on the driver side this hit caused me to no longer be able to drive the vehicle. The airbags in the vehicle did not deploy.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet lumina. While driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 228,890.
Lost control of the vehicle driving home. Crashed. Police report is identical to steering recall. Which never was repaired. The VIN number I have at home. Neither airbag deployed even though I smashed into a culvert.
I was driving home veered off the left side of the road lost control the power steering went out spun in circles until finally hitting a concrete culvert neither airbag deployed. I broke 4 vertebraes 7 ribs and received a traumatic brain injury. Couldn't even recall my parents foe months or even they lived together . Laid in the car til paramedic found me about an hor later. The airbag was designed to prevent head injury. The 1997 chevy lumina failed horribly. Plus tendays in a coma lost a $50 k yr job and sent to a nursing home to spend my 33rd,thanksgnd christmas in until I was released from guardianship. 12/30/13 please help! How is the 1997 malibu different than all the luminas recalls? Same year. Gm istrying to cut there costs oh but they messed up.
I was traveling home. Lost control and could not turn. The steering went out, and fuel system. I was left in a coma for ten days. My airbag did not deploy like it was developed to do. I received a traumatic brain injury because of the lack of it deploying broke 11 bones. 7 ribs and four vertebraes. Spent a month in lester e cox hospital (south), 4 months in the university or missouri brain injury unit was awarded a state guardian, [xxx] , and spent 3 months in maries manor located in vienna missouri. The state guardian cleaned me out of all assets even though I had two insurances. One cigna and one medicaid. So none of my money went to medical care but to pay his 3 attorney fees. My traumatic brain injury I deal with every day. It does not go away. For life. Your firm covered up nearly 15 years of another recall that does not deploy the airbag in many vehicles. No more! 11 months is too long. Please investigate my accusation. I am a member of thr missouri brain injury association. And all my medical care can and will be verified. You have my contact info updated 09/05/14*lj updated 09/12/2014 *js
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet lumina. The contact stated that the headlight illumination was extremely low dim. The contact activated the high beam headlights in order to see the roadway. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed small fractures in the headlight lens. The contact cleaned the headlight lens but continued to experience low visibility and would have to activate the high beam headlights. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 5/11/12
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Questions about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
Is the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina reliable?
Owners have filed 346 complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina, 16.5 times a typical Lumina model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina?
Steering, with 88 complaints, typically around 92,000 miles. Next is engine (53).
How many recalls does the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina have?
1 recall, covering steering.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 03V527000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Lumina have bad steering?
The Chevrolet Lumina model years with the most steering complaints are 1997 (88 complaints), 1998 (56 complaints) and 1990 (39 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina get?
Official estimates for the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina range from 18 to 21 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.1L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 18 city and 26 highway.
VIN decoder
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