Vehicle can no longer turn to the left or right. I don't think recall 03052 was ever done on it. Can no longer drive this car because it's unsafe for me as well as the public.
1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue steering problems
160 complaints (31% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 75,000. 9 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 160
- of this car's complaints
- 31%
- typical mileage
- 75,000
- crashes
- 9
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Rack and pinion68
- Steering wheel/handle bar22
- Hydraulic power assist system11
- Rack and pinion: rack8
- Gear box (other than rack and pinion)5
- Linkages4
- Gear box: shaft sector4
- Column locking: anti-theft device3
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+
Oldsmobile Intrigue steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue 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 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
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 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My car would make noise and rattle also steering became difficult , had to replace rack and pinion. The 2 nd thing is that my car would shut off any where any time and I had to replace the ignition switch. Now I find out there were recalls on both these things which I never knew that there was a recall, except for the rear seat belts. Now , I, my family or numerous people on the road could have gotten killed when my car shut off. I find out that gm knew about these things and never told me? That makes me very angry and I don't appreciate all the money that fixing these things cost me.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile intrigue. The contact stated that the rack and pinion failed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
My son turned the steering wheel left but the car kept going straight. Inspection shows no leaks or breaks anywhere in the column... It appears to be a manufacturer defect in the steering "box" identical to problem described here: http://www.arfc.org/autos/oldsmobile/intrigue/recalls/000020836000202679000000008/recall.aspx gm was contacted and claims that the VIN number has no open recalls.
A few months ago I was backing up and my steering was very hard to turn to the left. I brought my car to a service station and they told me the rivets that hold the arm inside the rack & pinion broke loose and this was the reason for the hard steering. Repair shop told me I needed a new rack and pinion which was very expensive. I did not have the money to repair at the time. Since then the steering has gotten worse. I did some investigation on gm's recalls and there was a recall for the steering rack & pinion 1. The federal safety agency campaign number: 03v527000 (steering) 2. Gm's recall id #64476 :steering: rack and pinion please let me know if this recall is valid for my car and if the local dealership will honor this recall [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Knee jostled key while driving which turned ignition into off and caused all electrical systems to turn off. Was able to slowly stop car and maneuver safely. Restarted car once stopped.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile intrigue. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to maneuver while attempting a left turn. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The mechanic stated that the steering rack would have to be replaced. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number 03v527000 (steering:rack and pinion) that could have been related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 71,873.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile intrigue. The contact stated that while driving at any speed, the steering wheel would become difficult to maneuver. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileages were 135,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile intrigue. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel locked and the contact was unable maneuver the wheel. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was advised that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. There was a recall under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v527000 (steering:rack and pinion) but the contact was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 153,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 oldsmobile intrigue. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH or higher, the vehicle would start shaking violently and making a loud noise. She also mentioned that while driving during inclement weather the vehicle was hard to steer. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v527000 (steering:rack and pinion). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 78,000.
Questions about the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue steering
Does the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue have steering problems?
Owners have filed 160 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 31% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 75,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 03V527000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Oldsmobile Intrigue have bad steering?
The Oldsmobile Intrigue model years with the most steering complaints are 1998 (160 complaints), 1999 (58 complaints) and 2000 (28 complaints).
Other 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue problems
Engine 97Brakes 77Seat belts 51Electrical 50Visibility 36Suspension 32Transmission 20Tires 13Body 11Fuel system 11Lights 11Airbags 10Wheels 9Acceleration 5Locks 4Seats 3
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