1991 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Steering Problems

DT: CONSUMER STATES 1991 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE WAS HAVING MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. IT WAS A LEASED BY THE CONSUMER. THE VEHICLE NEEDED THE SPARK PLUGS FOR THE ENGINE, POWER STEERING LINE, SHOCKS, BRAKE WORK, AND A TUNE UP. THE ENGINE HAD TO HAVE THE MODULE REPLACED. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER A WARRANTY THAT THEY PURCHASED FROM THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER WILL NOT REPAIR ANY OF THE PARTS. DEALER SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS OR THE VAN ANYMORE. DEALER A COULD DO THE REPAIRS, BUT HE WAS NOT LICENSED TO DO THE WORK. THE VAN HAD BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS 3 TIMES. CONSUMER SAID THE VAN NEEDED TO GO BACK RIGHT NOW FOR MORE WORK, BUT IT WILL COST $971.34 FOR THE WORK. THE OWNER CALLED THE DEALER, AND THE DEALER KEPT YELLING AND COMPLAINING THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO DO THE WORK ANYMORE. THIS HAD BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE THE DAY CONSUMER BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER YESTERDAY TO TAKE THE CAR SOMEWHERE ELSE. THE WIRING HARNESS ALSO NEEDS REPLACEMENT.*AK

Mileage: 150,000

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD CAME TO A STOP SIGN, MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN TRIED TO STRAIGHTEN THE WHEELS OUT. THE STEERING WHEEL JUST KEPT SPINNING AROUND AND AROUND. WAS ABLE TO MANUEVER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. FAILURE WAS: THE REAR CRADLE BOLTS THROUGH THE RETAINERS DUE TO CORROSION OF THE RETAINER AND THE REAR CRADLE DROPPED DOWN AND CAUSED THE STEERING SHAFT TO DISCONNECT FROM THE STEERING GEAR. THEREFOR THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER STEER. WE AVE A FOUR YEAR OLD AND A SIX YEAR AND HAD WE BEEN GOING 50 MPH THIS COULD HAD BEEN A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE. I CALLED GM AND INFORMED THEM OF THIS PROBLEM AND ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS, THEY SAID NO BUT TOOK THE INFORMATION AND WOULD KEEP IT ON RECORD IN CASE THERE ARE MORE OCCURANCES OF THIS SITUATION. I THEN WENT TO THE COMPUTER AND CHECKED THE NHTSA RECALL INFORMATION, AND FOUND THAT THERE THERE WAS ONE ON THE 1990 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX AND MINIVANS. WE HAVE THE OLDESMOBILE EQUIVALENT OF THE PONTIAC TRANSPORT. THE RECALL DATE WAS 4/8/1997, THE VEHICLE COMPONENT AFFECTED IS THE STRUCTURE AND THE NHTSA RECALL NUMBER IS 97V058000. I THEN CALLED GM BACK WITH THIS INFORMATION, BECAUSE THE PONTIAC TRANSPORT THAT WAS RECALLED IS THE SAME VEHICLE AS THE OLDESMOBILE SILHOUETTE THAT I AM DRIVING. THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE ITS AN OLDS AND NOT A PONTIAC IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE IDENTICAL VEHICLES. ONE ADDITIONAL CONCERN, IS THAT THERE MAY BE MANY OTHER SIMNILAR OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE AND CHEVROLET LUMINA VANS THAT COULD EXPERIENCE THESE SAME MALFUNCTIONS. IF THIS SHOLD HAPPEN TO SOMEONE AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND WITH THE TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING WHEN THIS STRUCTURE BREAKS LOOSE COULD BE DISASTEROUS FOR THE PERSON DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND ITS PASSENGERS AS WELL AS ANY ONCOMING VEHICLES. I WOULD LIKE THIS INVESTIGATED AND FEEL STRONGLY THAT THESE OTHER GM MODELS SHOULD ALSO BE RECALLED.

Mileage: 173,306

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MAKE A LEFT TURN THE STEERING COLUMN BROKE. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 45MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, GOING AROUND IN CIRCLE.*AK

FRAME SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, PULLING THE STEERING SHAFT OUT, RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK

THE BRAKE ROTORS AND TIE RODS WORE OUT, NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

DRIVER'S POWER WINDOW STICKS IN OPEN POSITION, ALSO REPLACED POWER STEERING AND CRUISE CONTROL. *AK

DRIVER'S POWER WINDOW STICKS IN OPEN POSITION, ALSO REPLACED POWER STEERING AND CRUISE CONTROL. *AK

MOUNT TO THE RACK AND PINION STEERING LET GO, RESULTING IN UNCONTROLLABLE STEERING. *AK

STEERING WHEEL MAKES NOISE WHEN TURNING SLIGHTLY LEFT OR RIGHT. *AK