- Vehicles
- 424
- Built between
- Jul 1996 – Jul 1996
- Models
- 2
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 6 January 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between July 1996 and July 1996. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1996 Buick SkylarkBuilt July 1996 to July 1996
- 1996 Pontiac Grand AMBuilt July 1996 to July 1996
What the defect is
The steering column lower pinch bolt was not properly tightened during assembly.
What could happen
An undertorqued pinch bolt can rattle and cause looseness in the steering system. If the pinch bolt backed out of the joint completely, rotation of the steering shaft against the connector could cause increasing looseness in the steering system and result in loss of steering and an accident.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING COLUMN PINCH BOLT FOR CORRECT TORQUE AND, IF NECESSARY, TIGHTEN THE BOLT TO THE SPECIFIED TORQUE.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJuly 1996 to July 1996
- Recall reported to NHTSA17 December 1996
- Owners notified6 January 1997
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 17 December 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 will begin during january 1997. 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 buick at 1-800-521-7300 or pontiac at 1-800-762-2737.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.