General Motors Corp.: Steering › Gear Box (other Than Rack and Pinion)
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Aug 29, 1997 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 14,580. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL STEERING. THE PINION BEARING CAGE IN THE STEERING GEAR CAN SEPARATE UNDER HIGH STEERING SYSTEM LOAD CONDITIONS, SUCH AS PARKING LOT OR SIMILAR LOW SPEED MANEUVERS.
The risk
THIS COULD RESULT IN THE PINION GEAR DISENGAGING FROM THE RACK CAUSING A LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE MANUAL STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 Saturn SL | 227 | 3 | 9 | 30 |
| 1996 Saturn SL | 287 | 2 | 2 | 50 |
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 97V138000.
Full record for the 1997 Saturn SL → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →