Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1996 Cadillac Deville submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 44 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 44, in the owner's own words
CAR LOSES POWER COMPLETELY AND CUTS OFF. THERE IS NO ELECTRIC OR ENGINE AVAILABLE AND THE CAR MUST BE RESTARTED IN ORDER TO PROCEED IN TRAFFIC. THIS FAILURE USUALLY OCCURS AT LOW RATES (20-35MPH) OF SPEED BUT ESPECIALLY WHEN TURNING CORNERS. POWER STEERING IS DIMINISHED DUE TO POWER FAILURE. *TR
1996 CADILLAC CONCOURS DEVILLE. 1. EVENTS LEADING TO FAILURE: POWER STEERING FAILS DURING RAIN EVENTS. 2. FAILURE & CONSEQUENCES: UNABLE TO SAFELY STEER VEHICLE. 3. BELT TENSIONER REPLACED; DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *JB
ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS VEHICLE EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING FAILURE. STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, AND IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. *AK
WHENEVER THE VEHICLE GOES THROUGH EVEN TO A MODERATE WATER PUDDLE THE POWER STEERING IS SUBJECT TO TEMPORARY FAILING AND THE DRAG ON THE WHEEL IS CONSIDERABLE. VERY HARD TO STEER FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. MANY PEOPLE WOULD BE UNABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. NUMBER OF FAILURES IS MANY BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET TOGETHER AND REPORT THE MATTER. *LA
WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED THEY DIDN'T HOLD. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM HOOD. UNABLE TO STEER VEHICLE, STEERING LOCKED UP. VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND WAS TOTALLED.*AK
VEHICLE IS GOING 45-55MPH IT STARTS TO DECELERATE. STEERING GETS STIFF. OIL PRESSURE LIGHT COMES ON, AND WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED VEHICLE BEGINS TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT PRESSING ON ACCELERATOR PEDAL. PROBLEM HAS DUPLICATED ITSELF MANY TIMES, BUT DEALER CAN'T DUPLICATE THIS PROBLEM TO FIND A SOLUTION. ONCE VEHICLE IS RESTARTED THERE IS NO PROBLEM.*AK
METAL CASTING ON IDLER IS BROKEN AND DOES NOT REMAIN POSITIONED ON MAIN DRIVE BELT, WHICH CAUSES VEHICLE TO BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. *AK CONSUMER STATED THE CASTING WHERE THE BOLT WAS ATTACHED CRACKED, AND THE BOLT PULLED OFF FROM THE BLOCK, AMKING THE VEHICLE INOPERATIVE.*SLC
THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS WARM, THE DEALER HAS REPLACED MANY COMPONENTS BUT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM STILL EXIST. NLM
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE DURING RAINY WEATHER THE POWER STEERING LOCKS UP WHILE MAKING TURNS, VEHICLE WAS DESIGNED WITHOUT A SPLASH SHIELD TO DEFLECT WATER FROM THE SERPENTINE BELT. NLM
WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT TURN. CONSUMER HAS COME VERY CLOSE TO HAVING A COLLISION ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY REPLACED STEERING BELT. NEXT TIME, DEALER PUT ON A SPLASH PAN. HOWEVER, CONSUMER IS STILL EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE GOING OVER SMALL PUDDLES OF WATER STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK, NOT ALLOWING THE DRIVER TO TURN THE VEHICLE. ALSO, SUDDENLY VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 70MPH. DEALER HAS INSPECTED AND REPAIRED VEHICLE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE RIGHT HAND TURN, STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES, STEERING WHEEL FINALLY TURNED. THIS HAPPENED TWICE THAT DAY. CONTACTED DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT WHEN THE SERPENTINE BELT GETS WET, IT WILL SLIP. GMC IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE ISSUED A BULLETIN. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON LOCAL ROAD IN RAIN, ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN, AND STEERING WHEEL DIDN'T RESPOND. KEPT PULLING AND IT FINALLY TURNED. CONTACTED DEALER . DEALER SAID THAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WAS THE SERPENTINE BELT THAT BECAME WET FROM THE RAIN. *AK
WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE CUTS OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK UP. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND OTHER PARTS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
LOST POWER STEERING TWICE, BELT SLIPS OFF IN WET WEATHER. YH
WHEN DRIVING UNDER WET CONDITIONS AND WATER GETS TO THE UNDERBODY OF THE VEHICLE, THERE IS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE. AND SAID THE VEHICLE NEEDED A SHIELD. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN WET WEATHER, LOST POWER STEERING ASSIST BY BELT SLIPPING WHEN WET. DEALER CLAIMED THIS WAS MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND REPLACED WHAT HE SAID WAS A "WORN OUT BELT".
STEERING AND BRAKES LOCK, USUALLY ON A CURVE, ALWAYS ON WET ROAD. PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED WITH OTHER DRIVERS IN THIS VEHICLE. QUESTIONS TO DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT OFFER NO ENLIGHTENMENT OR SATISFACTION; THEY'VE NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
THIS AUTOMOBILE LOSES POWER STEERING ASSIST WHEN TURNING AND WATER IS SPLASHED UNDER THE FRONT OF THE CAR.STEERING FAILURE HAS HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND IS VERY DANGEROUS IN TURNS WHEN YOU NEED POWER ASSIST MOST. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED THE DEALER SINCE I FEEL IT IS A DESIGN PROBLEM AND NOT A ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ISSUE. *AK
UPON TURNING FRONT WHEEL THREW WATER ON THE POWER STEERING BELT CAUSING IT TO MALFUNCTION. THE BELT IS BEING REPLACED UNDER RECALL, HOWEVER ONLY IN WET STATES, FLORIDA NOT INCLUDED.
STEERING FROZE AT 20MPH AFTER LEAVING STOP SIGN. NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE. STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT MOVABLE. VEHICLE KEPT MOVING. APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE. AT DEALER'S INFORMED FAULT WITH STEERING BELT & HOUSING WHEN IT'S WET. *AK *ML
WHILE DRIVING IN RAIN OR SOON AFTER IT RAINS, THE POWER STEERING PUMP DRIVE BECOMES WET AND SLIPS WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED CAUSING DIFFICULTY STEERING AND NEAR CRASHES ON THREE OCCASIONS.
STEERING WHEEL HAS LOCKED ON TWO OCCASSIONS.
POWER STEERING DRIVE BELT FAILED WHEN WATER ENTERED UNIT.
FRONT STRUT MOUNTS R/R REPLACED DUE TO CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURNING HARD IN REVERSE GEAR.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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