Rack and pinion steering locked while the consumer was making a left hand turn. Dealer stated there was a recall for this defect.
1998 Chevrolet Lumina: steering wheel locks up
8 of the 223 complaints about the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- 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
When turning the steering wheel towards the right, the steering wheel locked up, which caused the consumer to lose control of the vehicle. The owner took the vehicle to the dealership to be inspected. Please provide any further details.
In december, the steering froze up in my 98 lumina ltz after making a left hand turn. Mechanic said it was only a belt problem but the steering continued to be very tight. Also there was a continuous tapping sound. After a recent brake service, a different mechanic informed me that the rack and pinion needs to be replaced. The dealership claims that although the 98 luminas were included in the last recall, my serial number was not among those recalled; however it is suffering from the same problems as those recalled.
While driving and making left or right turns and without warning steering wheel locked up.*mr the consumer stated the steering wheel usually locked up when it was raining. *jb
The steering wheel locked up after the vehicle had been sitting with the engine off. The consumer had taken the vehicle to a mechanic, and the mechanic replaced the rack and pinion and power steering pump. *ak *scc
The power steering locked when the driver attempted to turn the steering wheel to the left. Please provide any additional information. *nlm *ph
While driving and making left or right turns and without warning steering wheel locked up. Dealer stated rack and pinion failed.
When the driver attempted to make a left hand turn the steering wheel locked completely up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who determined that the rack and pinion malfunctioned. Please provide any further details.
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 1998 Chevrolet Lumina steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 1998 Chevrolet Lumina?
8 of 223 owner complaints about the 1998 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 1998 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 1998 Chevrolet Lumina
Stalling 10Brake failure 8Loss of power 6Steering noise 6Knocking 5
VIN decoder
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