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.
1997 Chevrolet Lumina: steering wheel locks up
15 of the 346 complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 15
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 97,070
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
- 19991
- 19988
- 199715
- 19962
- 19922
What owners say
My husband was driving to work when an elk ran out infront of him. He swerved left to avoid the elk, the car or wheels or steering wheel locked up and the car was thrown to the right causing it to roll 4 to 5 times.
Ten months after the rack and pinion bearing/ steering recall 03v527000 repairs were performed it failed. While making a left hand turn the steering wheel locked up, causing the vehicle to go into a spin and crash into a guard rail. A mechanic inspected the vehicle after the crash and indicated that the rack and pinion broke.
While making left hand turn into a parking lot, the steering wheel locked up. The driver hit a parked car and both air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for analysis and the mechanic noticed that rack and pinion needed to be replaced. *ak recall#03v527000 *sc *jb followup letter sent by consumer. Consumer states that gm purposely desrtoyed the defective parts before they could be examined by an independient party. The vehicle crashed due to a low speed left hand turn steering failure which was documented before the recall occurred. Lower pinion bearing separation was mentioned on a local media channel as the reason for the recal 1997 chevy luminas
While making a right turn into the parking lot steering wheel locked and consumer's vehicle hit a parked vehicle. No injuries reported. Vehicle was towed to dealer, and mechanic determined that rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced.
Reimbursement for recall repairs made to 1997 chevrolet lumina.*mr while attempting to turn into a parking lot the steering wheel locked. The vehicle was towed to a local garage. Almost three years later the consumer receives a recall related to the failure she experienced. The consumer requested reimbursement from the manufacturer but was denied because the part the technician replaced was not the part covered by recall 03v527000. The technician also replaced the power steering pump nd front brakes.
While driving, the steering had become difficult when making right and left hand turns. The dealer was notified and stated it was possibly the rack and pinion. *ak the steering locked.
While making a left turn the steering locked up. The consumer turned the steering wheel back and forward and the steering wheel unlocked. The service technician noticed that the steering pump and rack. *scc
Lumina becomes difficult to steer when making left turns or even slight left turns, such as from an access ramp onto the freeway. Steering locks up, and vehicle must be brought to a stop until steering unlocks, and I can complete the turn. Steering has locked up at speeds as low as 15 MPH and as high as 45 MPH.
1997 chevrolet lumina. Power steering fails intermittently, and steering locks up while making a left turn. Problem occurred suddenly in a parking lot luckily. Subsequently the steering becomes heavy and feels locked when making a hard left. I have taken the car in and the mechanic said it sounds like the rack and pinion and he has seen it often in this model.
Consumer states while driving on flat surface and with no warning steering wheel locked up, causing a vehicle accident. Dealer notified.
1997 chevrolet lumina , steering locks up when turning left .
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
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
Questions about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina?
15 of 346 owner complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina (4%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina?
There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
Power 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
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