Chrysler Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar

Chrysler is recalling about 675,000 vehicles over a problem with the steering. If the steering wheel separates from the center hub attachment to the steering column, loss of control can occur increasing the risk of an accident.

Campaign
96V229000
Manufacturer
CHRYSLER CORPORATION
Reported
18 November 1996
Vehicles
675,000
Built between
Jan 1991 – Jun 1992
Models
7
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
27 December 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between January 1991 and June 1992. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1991-1992 Chrysler Town AND CountryBuilt January 1991 to June 1992
  • 1991-1992 Dodge CaravanBuilt January 1991 to June 1992
  • 1991-1992 Dodge Grand CaravanBuilt January 1991 to June 1992
  • 1991-1992 Dodge ShadowBuilt January 1991 to June 1992
  • 1991-1992 Plymouth Grand VoyagerBuilt January 1991 to June 1992
  • 1991-1992 Plymouth SundanceBuilt January 1991 to June 1992
  • 1991-1992 Plymouth VoyagerBuilt January 1991 to June 1992

What the defect is

The steering wheel armature stamping can crack and separate from the center hub attachment to the steering column.

What could happen

If the steering wheel separates from the center hub attachment to the steering column, loss of control can occur increasing the risk of an accident.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING WHEEL FOR ARMATURE CRACKS IN THE CENTER HUB ATTACHMENT AREA. ANY STEERING WHEELS SHOWING CRACKS WILL BE REPLACED. ALL OTHER VEHICLES WILL HAVE A REINFORCEMENT PLATE INSTALLED TO PREVENT STEERING WHEEL SEPARATION IN THE EVENT CRACKING OCCURS.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJanuary 1991 to June 1992
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA18 November 1996
  3. Owners notified27 December 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 18 November 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
CHRYSLER CORPORATION
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

Owner notification began december 27, 1996. 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 chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.ALSO contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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