General Motors Corp.: Steering › Steering Wheel/Handle Bar
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Dec 17, 1996 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 424. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
THE STEERING COLUMN LOWER PINCH BOLT WAS NOT PROPERLY TIGHTENED DURING ASSEMBLY.
The risk
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.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE STEERING COLUMN PINCH BOLT FOR CORRECT TORQUE AND, IF NECESSARY, TIGHTEN THE BOLT TO THE SPECIFIED TORQUE.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Buick Skylark | 85 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 1996 Pontiac Grand AM | 450 | 6 | 14 | 33 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 96V249000.
Full record for the 1996 Buick Skylark → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →