Chevrolet Steering: Linkages

Chevrolet is recalling about 8,340 vehicles over a problem with the steering. The tapered stud can loosen and the driver would notice a lag in the responsiveness to steering wheel inputs.

Campaign
96V187000
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Reported
26 September 1996
Vehicles
8,340
Built between
Apr 1996 – Jun 1996
Models
5
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
9 October 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between April 1996 and June 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1996 Chevrolet G10Built April 1996 to June 1996
  • 1996 Chevrolet G20Built April 1996 to June 1996
  • 1996 Chevrolet G30Built April 1996 to June 1996
  • 1996 GMC G25Built April 1996 to June 1996
  • 1996 GMC G35Built April 1996 to June 1996

What the defect is

The steering linkage assemby contains a relay rod tapered-stud attachment nut that was not torqued to proper specifications.

What could happen

The tapered stud can loosen and the driver would notice a lag in the responsiveness to steering wheel inputs. Eventually the relay rod stud can fracture resulting loss of steering control.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE EXISTING CRIMPED NUT AND INSTALL A NEW NUT TORQUED TO SPECIFICATIONS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtApril 1996 to June 1996
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA26 September 1996
  3. Owners notified9 October 1996

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 26 September 1996.

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.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Recall initiated by
MFR

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

Owner notification:owner notification began during september 1996. Note: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 or gmc at 1-800-462-8782.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1800-424-9393.

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.

Same component

Same brand