1991 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE Structure Problems

DT: CONTACT STATED REAR CRADLE BOLTS AND RETAINERS RUSTED AND DISCONNECTED THE STEERING WHILE THEY WERE DRIVING. CONTACT NOTICED THIS AROUND JUNE. WAS AT A STOP SIGN AND STARTED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN AND NOTICED THERE WAS NO STEERING. DEALER SAID THAT CRADLE BOLTS RUSTED AND FIXED IT. GM STATED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 97V058000 DUE TO VIN ALTHOUGH IT HAD THE SAME FAILURE AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL.*AK

Mileage: 173,000

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

PROBLEM #1 - ON THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR THE DOOR SHUTS AROUND A METAL KNOB THAT IS PART OF THE DOOR. THE METAL KNOB COMES OFF OF THE VEHICLE MAKING THE DOOR IMPOSSIBLE TO SHUT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. PROBLEM #2 - THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT INTO THE HOLDER AND SO IT IS LOOSE AND WILL NOT PROTECT THE PASSENGER ADEQUATELY. NLM

I HAVE NOT RECEIVED RECALL #97V058/MANUFACTUER'S RECALL NO 97016 NOTICE CONCERNING REAR CRADLE BOLTS. I WOULD LIKE TO NOW IF YOU ARE EVER GOING TO TAK E CARE OF THIS PROBLEM IN MINNESOTA I WOULD REALL LIKE TO GET THIS DONE . THANK YOU.*AK

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

WHEN TRAVELING 35 MPH THE H FRAME, WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE MAIN FRAME, WASHER AND NUTS RUSTED OUT, CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CRACKING AND FATIGUE. DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE DOOR HANDLES. *AK

DRIVER'S OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE. DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

BOTH FRONT DOORS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM

SLIDING DOOR DISCONNECTED FROM TRACK WHEN OPENING. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT

DRIVERS SIDE DOOR INOPERATIVE. *AK