- Vehicles
- 750,283
- Built between
- Jan 1996 – Oct 1997
- Models
- 8
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 5 February 2004
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1996 and October 1997. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996-1998 Buick RegalBuilt January 1996 to October 1997
- 1997-1998 Chevrolet LuminaBuilt April 1996 to October 1997
- 1997-1998 Chevrolet MalibuBuilt October 1996 to October 1997
- 1997-1998 Chevrolet Monte CarloBuilt April 1996 to October 1997
- 1997-1998 Oldsmobile CutlassBuilt October 1996 to October 1997
- 1996-1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass SupremeBuilt January 1996 to May 1997
- 1998 Oldsmobile IntrigueBuilt November 1996 to October 1997
- 1996 Pontiac Grand PrixBuilt January 1996 to April 1996
What the defect is
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.
What could happen
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.
What gets fixed
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.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1996 to October 1997
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 December 2003
- Owners notified5 February 2004
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 11 December 2003.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
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.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 03062
- Recalling manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
- Recall initiated by
- ODI
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
GM recall no. 03062.CUSTOMERS can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.