Steering locked up on '97 venture van while being operated at 70 MPH on a straight highway. Vehicle had to be towed, rack and pinion and steering pump replaced.
1997 Chevrolet Venture steering problems
76 complaints (18% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 83,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 76
- of this car's complaints
- 18%
- typical mileage
- 83,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Rack and pinion39
- Steering wheel/handle bar8
- Hydraulic power assist system8
- Rack and pinion: rack4
- Column locking: anti-theft device3
- Hydraulic power assist: pump2
- Linkages: tie rod assembly1
- Linkages: arm: idler and attachment1
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+
Chevrolet Venture steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Chevrolet Venture steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Steering: rack and pinion
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles and mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, 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 january 24, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 02V286000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Rack and pinion steering unit failure
Mr. Dennis fike of elkridge, md, submitted a petition to the federal safety agency by letter dated january 13, 2004, alleging that a gm dealer informed him that his van was not included in safety recall 02v286 and charged him for the replacement of the steering rack and pinion unit.mr. Fike believes that his van should have been included and that the repair should have been performed without charge to him.the recall in question addressed steering rack and pinion unit lower pinion bearing failures on certain my 1996 through 1998 gm vehicles.the recall remedy was to inspect and replace the steering gear pinion bearing.if the inspection indicated that the bearing failure damaged the steering gear, then the steering gear assembly was be replaced.gm informed odi that mr. Fike?s vehicle was covered and that the recall remedy was performed on february 25, 2003.the entire rack and pinion unit was replaced.because mr. Fike had a subsequent failure with this unit, on january 20, 2004, odisuggested that he contact the dealer for reimbursement of the charge for replacing the failed rack and pinion unit in his vehicle because gm warrants its replacement parts for 12 months or 12,000 miles, which ever comes first.mr. Fike informed odi on march 3, 2004, that he had received an reimbursement check from gm.
DP04002
Power rack and pinion steering failure
The lower pinion bearing in the rack and pinion steering assembly may fail.gm will recall 1997-98 grand prix built between 1-mar-96 and 31-oct-97; and 1996-98 u-vans/j-cars built between 1-jan-96 and 31-oct-97.see attached summary.
EA02003
Steering rack and pinion
Odi has received 200 complaints fromt consumers and 1,238 from gm alleging failure or lockup of the steering rack and pinion unit (r&p).this alleged condition can result in the loss of steering control of the vehicle and a crash can result.gm has reported six crashes in which eight people have sustained injuries ranging from bruises, airbag burn, seat belt abrasion, facial injury, neck and back pain.all crashes were single vehicle crashes.gm states that one possible failure mode is failure of the lower pinion bearing in the r&p.an engineering analysis has been opened to determine if a safety defect trend exists.
PE01038
What 1997 Chevrolet Venture owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Needs replaced frontend hubs ,tierod,pinion repairs/recall this van needs a new owner!!! Nothing but costly repairs chevy needs to recall all them ventures.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet venture. The contact stated that the manufacturer was not going to honor the recall for the steering rack and pinion because her VIN was not included. While making a right turn at 5 MPH, the steering wheel locked. The failure occurs intermittently. According to the federal safety agency manufacturer notices to dealers (etc rcmn-02v286-8630.pdf), the VIN was included in the recall. The dealer stated that they could not find a recall for the steering rack and pinion. The powertrain and recall number were unknown. The current mileage was 160,000 and failure mileage was 100,197.
I bought my 97 venture a year ago, ended up getting a recall notice about 3 months later for the rear door handles. Brought to dealer to have fixed, to find out other recalls weren't fixed. I had the steering recall done. Well now not even a year later and it needs to be replaced again. I have 4 children under 6 yrs old and this vehicle is a safety hazard, im afraid to travel in it!! Every turn be it right or left I feel the steering kind of pop and stick its scary I think gm needs to reevaluate its so called family safe vehicle and reimburse all of us owners!!
On 28 july 2003, the chevy dealership replaced the lower pinion bearing in my 97 chevy venture under a recall scheme. I should have taken it back in, since they left the vehicle with the steering offset to the right by about 15 degrees, but it was such a hassle dealing with them that I didn't bother. Around the start of february 2006, I started to experience intermittent problems when steering to the right. It was as if the power steering wasn't working. When I drive the van, I have to be constantly prepared to wrestle the wheel with both arms, although the fault is still intermittent. I have yet to raise the matter with the dealership, but note that there are many similar accounts, although mostly relating to steering to the left, for similar 97 ventures and other gm vehicles.
Dt: the caller bought a vehicle and found out about a recall before he got the vehicle. The recalled part was the steering rack bearing. He was told the repair was done. He says the vehicle was hard to turn when turning right. He will not let his wife drive the vehicle anymore because she could not turn the steering wheel. He thought the replacement part was faulty. Dealer said they might not do the work for free. Manufacturer said they would pay the repair costs, the first time he called, if it was the part in question. The second time they said they would not. *ak
Steering rack broke. Driving down highway steering wheel can assume positions anywhere between 10 to 2 o'clock while still going straight. Steering action is not positive. At turns, more steering movement is needed and vehicle does not response as before. Found out there is a recall the federal safety agency #02v286000 for the steering rack lower pinion bearings that the dealer would replace the lower pinion bearing or replace the steering rack. We took the car in 5/28/05 for this recall and I believe the lower pinion bearing was replaced. Contacted chevrolet customer service 1/17/05. Told to have car inspected by dealer. Lannan chevrolet confirmed that damage is inside steering rack and it needs to be replaced. Talked with chevrolet customer service 1/20/05, they decline responsibility for the current problem and said that it is due to "wear and tear". He blamed it on other things such as hydraulic hose leak. The hydraulic hose has been "wet" since the early days (1 or 2 years) after we purchased the car. The leak is not significant and the level has been checking every 1-2 week. We believe this current problem is a safety defect and the work done for the steering rack recall did not correct the underlining problem. Either there are additional steering rack defects or internal damage had already been done.
While driving, the right side view mirror fell completely off. The seat belt was damaged on the second row passenger side. The head light covers continuously fell off. The consumer had to replace the bulbs constantly. The consumer took the vehicle to the mechanic to have the tires changed and was told the tire rod was bent and that it could not be fixed. Please provide any further information.
On september 4, 2004 consumer received a recall 02049 from the manufacturer concerning rack and pinion failure. , prior to receiving the recall letter, consumer had already fixed the vehicle. Consumer called the manufacturer to obtain reimbursement, and they indicated they won't honor the recall.
The campaign 02049 was completed on 30 april 2003 the dealer replaced the power steering bearing. The vehicle steering slowly became stiff and gave resistance in may 2004 when turning or making steering corrections. I took it to the dealer in june or july as it was getting worse. On the way to the dealer it required a lot of exertion to steer. The dealer informed me the rack and pinion failed and needed replaced. I asked about the recall to check the gear and if it would be covered under that recall. He stated no not related. After the repair the vehicle was behaving erratically on the road. Steering corrections were sloppy you had to move it left or right 3 or more inches to turn. I took it back to the dealer he had some adjustment done and the steering seemed fine. Only now a groaning clunk upon turns and acceleration. I waited a few days then a component fell from the underside onto my driveway. I took the vehicle back again and voiced my concerns over the component and the noise. The dealer said they could not duplicate the noise and that the component was no problem only a loose wire bracket. I asked to speak to the mechanic and drove around to show him the noise. He heard the noise and would be able to duplicate it. Next the service writer told me the strut brackets needed to be replaced. I requested the mechanic to inspect the struts for damage from the faulty strut brackets and let me know if they needed to be replaced. The service writer called and said the struts were in need of replacement. I had purchased lifetime replacement from firestone so I had it put back together and I paid for the repairs and drove over to firestone to have the struts replaced. The mechanic at firestone said the struts were fine but replaced them anyway. The only abnormality the firestone mechanic noted was that the strut springs were not properly seated. After the strut replacement the same noise was present. It is still being repaired. Not sure of the start original date).
Questions about the 1997 Chevrolet Venture steering
Does the 1997 Chevrolet Venture have steering problems?
Owners have filed 76 complaints about the steering of the 1997 Chevrolet Venture, 18% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1997 Chevrolet Venture steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 83,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Chevrolet Venture steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 02V286000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Venture have bad steering?
The Chevrolet Venture model years with the most steering complaints are 1997 (76 complaints), 1998 (36 complaints) and 1999 (11 complaints).
Other 1997 Chevrolet Venture problems
Engine 85Lights 64Electrical 53Body 44Brakes 42Visibility 32Seat belts 24Transmission 24Fuel system 23Airbags 15Seats 13Tires 13Locks 12Suspension 12Acceleration 11Wheels 2Driver assistance 1
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