In regards to the federal safety agency campaign #02v286000, gm recall #02049, for a defective rack and pinion unit in my 1997 pontiac grand prix. The recall repair work was performed on 03-06-03 at community pontiac motors of iowa city, iowa (phone # 319‑351‑1424), after picking up the car from community motors, the steering was pulling to the right and was off center. Community motors then performed an alignment on 03-24-03. The steering was better but still pulled to the right some. Also, the car was hard to steer at times while making left turns and while the vehicle was stopped while before the recall repair was performed my car's steering was normal. On 11-13-03 community motors determined that the rack and pinion unit was bad and replaced it using an aftermarket napa brand rack and pinion at my expense of $737. Currently the car's steering is determined to be faulty again by community motors with the replacement rack and pinion that was installed at the dealership last 11-13-03. I had contacted gm and they had stated they will not cover any repair cost that I incurred on my car's rack and pinion so far as the installation of the napa rack and pinion that was installed by community motors last 11-13-03. So, for a remedy, I would like gm to pay for the installation of the gm replacement rack and pinion used in the recall campaign currently. Regards, joe underwood.
1997 Pontiac Grand Prix: pulls to one side
5 of the 810 complaints about the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix describe pulls to one side.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 1
Pulls to one side by model year
- 20062
- 20043
- 20021
- 20011
- 20002
- 19982
- 19975
- 19921
What owners say
After the recall for the steering 02 v 286 000 was completed , the vehicle constantly pulled to the left. The dealership didn't align the vehicle.
While pulling out of a parking lot the steering wheel locked up to the left and I had to put the car into reverse to move the wheel once the wheel became moveable it felt very loose. Later on the same nigt I was leaving work and luckilly it wasnt a very busy time because I went to make a right turn and the wheel locked and the car pulled to the left causing me to barely miss hitting a light post, I then proceeded to park the car while trying to get to a space it locked up about six time as I was pulling into the space it locked up again and turned the car to the left almost like I was doing a u-turn. The next day I had the car towed and I was told it was the rack and pinion and it would cost $1400 to replace. I am very upset about all this it seems nobody not even the manufacturer feels that this issues is important enough to help someone out. My car is now parked because I cannot afford to pay for the repair right now, I hope that there is a recall of some sort to keep other people safe but it seems that pontiac/gm is waitng for a fatal accident to prove there really is an issue with the part. Although at this point it wouldnt be an accident.
Vehicle pulls to the right and they have to remove metal in order to adjust the camber.
Steering: steering handling problems . Vehicle difficult oto handle in breezy conditions when traveling at 50- 60mph. Vehicle wanders to left and right, creating straight line stability problems, must constantly counter steer to keep vehicle on highway.
Service bulletins that may apply
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
Questions about the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix pulling
Is pulls to one side a common problem on the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix?
5 of 810 owner complaints about the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix (1%) mention pulls to one side. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix?
There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
Headlights 141Fire or smoke 77Wipers 51Power steering loss 34Airbag light 28ABS 25Steering lock-up 22Stalling 17Loss of power 16Engine failure 11Overheating 11Adaptive cruise 9Knocking 8No deployment 7Tire blowout 7Brake failure 6Fuel gauge 6Steering noise 6Transmission failure 6Grinding brakes 5Check engine light 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history