On september 24, 2015, my wife was driving our monte carlo. Unbeknownst to her the car began smoking underneath, causing loss of control with neither steering nor braking capability. Other drivers, noticing the smoke, were attempting to notify her of the impending fire. She was able to drive about another mile before losing control and crashing into a tree on my neighbor?s yard. The car became completely engulfed in flames and was destroyed. Were it not for several good samaritans, and police and fire personnel, she would have been killed. The following is a history of issues with this car, documented fully by service records from its purchase in 1998. 1.brake lights working intermittently or not at all. 2.turn signal failure. 3.unable to start due to short in electrical system. 4.wheel hub assembly replaced. 5.power steering pump replaced. 6.rear suspension (passenger's side) broken. 7.premature alternator failure. 8.premature brake replacement, I.e., pads, calipers, rotors. 9.total brake failure from hard braking (incident not connected with fire) 10.intake manifold gasket replaced due to coolant flowing into cylinders and crankcase. 11.premature radiator replacement. 12.electrical spike distributed through system when starting, causing full-scale deflection of instrumentation and lights to become extremely bright.
1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo steering problems
16 complaints (16% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 94,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 16
- of this car's complaints
- 16%
- typical mileage
- 94,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Rack and pinion5
- Hydraulic power assist system2
- Steering wheel/handle bar1
- Linkages: tie rod assembly1
- Gear box: shaft pitman1
- Column locking: anti-theft device1
- Column1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo steering problems in other years
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
Related 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
What 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
At approximately 4 pm I was driving with three other people in my car on the street in the south saint louis county(railroad crossing weber rd and close to new hampshire) and we were going across the railroad, when all functions of my car died and the brakes .steering. Engine , all went off and I got scared but in the heat of the moment I pulled my emergency break and pulled the car to a stop. All these happened on a very well paved street., and all happened just when I crossed the railroad tracks. I was very frighten as well all the people in my car. I was wondering if any of this that happened to my car has to do with the recalls that happened with gm ignition switches. I also talk to my friend and he said that he used to have a chevy lumina 1995 and same thing happened to him on a highway in south saint louis and he did same thing and no one got hurt. When will anyone contact us that and all other people that drive these types of cars and check this out and fix this problems.
When making a left hand turn at 5 MPH vehicle lost power steering. Consumer pulled over, and had the vehicle towed. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
Consumer was pulling inside of a parking lot and the steering wheel failed to steer. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the solenoid switch needed to be replaced.
Have gm press release on 1997-1998 monte carlo on steering gear problem stating that gm would be recall some 824,000 cars. My 1998 monte carlo is experencing this problem and I have repeatly tried to get gm to address this problem with the exception of on 24 feb. 2004 when I was told to bring in my car to my local gm dealer and the car would be fixed. One week had passed and I heard nothing from gm so I called and now they tell me it is not thier problem. However they still have an active recall but state my car is not in the recall.
When making a left/right turns steering wheel intermittently locked up. Dealerships mechanic was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
1998 monte carlo :complained of growling noise at low speed turns; also, not mentioned to shop but was told by friend that he thought the wheel was harder to turn then other vehicles. Shop informed me that rack and pinion needed to be replaced. I checked the service manual to find out why it could not be reconditioned but stopped after seeing that there was a existing problem being investigated about faulty rack and pinions. Note this vehicle only has 26000 miles on it.
Rack and pinion was deemed faulty by my certified mechanic. The vehicle has only 55,000 miles on it.
When oil was changed noticed lots of fluids leaking. Dealer stated rack and pinion needed to be replaced. Please provide further information.
Rubbing noise in steering wheel-clunks upon slightly moving vehicle-reported problem to holiday chevrolet in farmington hills-tore apart dash found nothing still making noise reported to gm along with other problems( dot number: )
Questions about the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo steering
Does the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo have steering problems?
Owners have filed 16 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 16% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 94,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 03V527000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Monte Carlo have bad steering?
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo model years with the most steering complaints are 2001 (38 complaints), 1997 (30 complaints) and 2000 (25 complaints).
Other 1998 Chevrolet Monte Carlo problems
Brakes 24Engine 20Electrical 10Airbags 9Fuel system 9Seats 5Visibility 5Acceleration 4Lights 4Suspension 4Body 3Transmission 3Locks 1Seat belts 1Tires 1
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