1991 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner Complaints

DT: CONTACT STATED REAR CRADLE BOLTS AND RETAINERS RUSTED AND DISCONNECTED THE STEERING WHILE THEY WERE DRIVING. CONTACT NOTICED THIS AROUND JUNE. WAS AT A STOP SIGN AND STARTED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN AND NOTICED THERE WAS NO STEERING. DEALER SAID THAT CRADLE BOLTS RUSTED AND FIXED IT. GM STATED CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 97V058000 DUE TO VIN ALTHOUGH IT HAD THE SAME FAILURE AS MENTIONED IN THE RECALL.*AK

NHTSA ID

10130875

Incident

Jun 12, 2005

Mileage

173,000 mi

DT: CONSUMER STATES 1991 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE WAS HAVING MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. IT WAS A LEASED BY THE CONSUMER. THE VEHICLE NEEDED THE SPARK PLUGS FOR THE ENGINE, POWER STEERING LINE, SHOCKS, BRAKE WORK, AND A TUNE UP. THE ENGINE HAD TO HAVE THE MODULE REPLACED. THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER A WARRANTY THAT THEY PURCHASED FROM THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER WILL NOT REPAIR ANY OF THE PARTS. DEALER SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS OR THE VAN ANYMORE. DEALER A COULD DO THE REPAIRS, BUT HE WAS NOT LICENSED TO DO THE WORK. THE VAN HAD BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS 3 TIMES. CONSUMER SAID THE VAN NEEDED TO GO BACK RIGHT NOW FOR MORE WORK, BUT IT WILL COST $971.34 FOR THE WORK. THE OWNER CALLED THE DEALER, AND THE DEALER KEPT YELLING AND COMPLAINING THAT HE DID NOT WANT TO DO THE WORK ANYMORE. THIS HAD BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE THE DAY CONSUMER BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER TOLD THE CONSUMER YESTERDAY TO TAKE THE CAR SOMEWHERE ELSE. THE WIRING HARNESS ALSO NEEDS REPLACEMENT.*AK

NHTSA ID

10130421

Incident

Mar 20, 2005

Mileage

150,000 mi

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD CAME TO A STOP SIGN, MADE A RIGHT HAND TURN TRIED TO STRAIGHTEN THE WHEELS OUT. THE STEERING WHEEL JUST KEPT SPINNING AROUND AND AROUND. WAS ABLE TO MANUEVER THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. FAILURE WAS: THE REAR CRADLE BOLTS THROUGH THE RETAINERS DUE TO CORROSION OF THE RETAINER AND THE REAR CRADLE DROPPED DOWN AND CAUSED THE STEERING SHAFT TO DISCONNECT FROM THE STEERING GEAR. THEREFOR THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER STEER. WE AVE A FOUR YEAR OLD AND A SIX YEAR AND HAD WE BEEN GOING 50 MPH THIS COULD HAD BEEN A SERIOUS CATASTROPHE. I CALLED GM AND INFORMED THEM OF THIS PROBLEM AND ASKED IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS, THEY SAID NO BUT TOOK THE INFORMATION AND WOULD KEEP IT ON RECORD IN CASE THERE ARE MORE OCCURANCES OF THIS SITUATION. I THEN WENT TO THE COMPUTER AND CHECKED THE NHTSA RECALL INFORMATION, AND FOUND THAT THERE THERE WAS ONE ON THE 1990 PONTIAC GRAND PRIX AND MINIVANS. WE HAVE THE OLDESMOBILE EQUIVALENT OF THE PONTIAC TRANSPORT. THE RECALL DATE WAS 4/8/1997, THE VEHICLE COMPONENT AFFECTED IS THE STRUCTURE AND THE NHTSA RECALL NUMBER IS 97V058000. I THEN CALLED GM BACK WITH THIS INFORMATION, BECAUSE THE PONTIAC TRANSPORT THAT WAS RECALLED IS THE SAME VEHICLE AS THE OLDESMOBILE SILHOUETTE THAT I AM DRIVING. THEY SAID THAT BECAUSE ITS AN OLDS AND NOT A PONTIAC IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE IDENTICAL VEHICLES. ONE ADDITIONAL CONCERN, IS THAT THERE MAY BE MANY OTHER SIMNILAR OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE AND CHEVROLET LUMINA VANS THAT COULD EXPERIENCE THESE SAME MALFUNCTIONS. IF THIS SHOLD HAPPEN TO SOMEONE AT HIGHER SPEEDS AND WITH THE TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING WHEN THIS STRUCTURE BREAKS LOOSE COULD BE DISASTEROUS FOR THE PERSON DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND ITS PASSENGERS AS WELL AS ANY ONCOMING VEHICLES. I WOULD LIKE THIS INVESTIGATED AND FEEL STRONGLY THAT THESE OTHER GM MODELS SHOULD ALSO BE RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

10122254

Incident

May 25, 2005

Mileage

173,306 mi

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT BACK INTO ITS HOLSTER. THIS RESULTED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER NOT BEING RESTRAINED IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID

10073486

Mileage

150,000 mi

FRONT SEAT BELT WILL NOT RETRACT. *LA

NHTSA ID

10043230

Incident

Oct 1, 2003

Mileage

133,279 mi

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MAKE A LEFT TURN THE STEERING COLUMN BROKE. *AK

NHTSA ID

10025020

Incident

Jun 26, 2003

WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 45MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, GOING AROUND IN CIRCLE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10024630

Incident

Jun 20, 2003

PROBLEM #1 - ON THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR THE DOOR SHUTS AROUND A METAL KNOB THAT IS PART OF THE DOOR. THE METAL KNOB COMES OFF OF THE VEHICLE MAKING THE DOOR IMPOSSIBLE TO SHUT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. PROBLEM #2 - THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT WILL NOT RETRACT INTO THE HOLDER AND SO IT IS LOOSE AND WILL NOT PROTECT THE PASSENGER ADEQUATELY. NLM

NHTSA ID

767584

Incident

Aug 22, 2001

I HAVE NOT RECEIVED RECALL #97V058/MANUFACTUER'S RECALL NO 97016 NOTICE CONCERNING REAR CRADLE BOLTS. I WOULD LIKE TO NOW IF YOU ARE EVER GOING TO TAK E CARE OF THIS PROBLEM IN MINNESOTA I WOULD REALL LIKE TO GET THIS DONE . THANK YOU.*AK

NHTSA ID

764664

TREAD SEPARATED OFF RIGHT REAR KELLY TIRE CAUSING VAN TO LOSE CONTROL AND ROLL, KILLING ALL THREE PASSENGERS ON BOARD, ON 7/16/99, WHERE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT WAS 75 MPH. *AK( DOT NUMBER: C2T9K FAR TIRE SIZE: 20570R14 )

NHTSA ID

732418

Incident

Jul 6, 1999

15 INCH TIRES, ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT WITH OLDSMOBILE SILHOUTTE 1991. CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 80 MPH WHEN FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT ,TREAD COMPLETELY SHREDDED,AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO SIDE OF VEHICLE. NEXT DAY FRONT DRIVER'S TIRE EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECT. IT ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE SIDE OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER HAD ALL FOUR TIRES REPLACED WITH FIRESTONE ST70C. *AK

NHTSA ID

869136

Incident

Aug 7, 1997

FRAME SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING, PULLING THE STEERING SHAFT OUT, RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK

NHTSA ID

865418

Incident

Jul 12, 2000

THE SLIDING DOOR ON THE RIGHT SIDE WILL NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE, LEAVING THE BACK AND REAR PASSENGERS NO WAY TO QUICKLY ESCAPE IN AN EMERGENCY. I UNDERSTAND THIS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM ON GM MINIVANS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT. *AK

NHTSA ID

717860

Incident

Nov 1, 1999

IN A PARKING LOT WENT TO OPEN THE SLIDING DOOR AND THE DOOR WOULD NOT SLIDE OPEN. WAS TRYING TO GET INSIDE THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND WAS NOT ABLE TO. MADE THE NECESSARY REPAIRS THEMSELVES. IT APPEAR THAT THE LOCK MECHANISM BROKE OFF INSIDE THE DOOR. *AK

NHTSA ID

855220

Incident

Jul 5, 1999

WHEN TRAVELING 35 MPH THE H FRAME, WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE MAIN FRAME, WASHER AND NUTS RUSTED OUT, CAUSING COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER, DEALER HAS REPLACED PARTS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

854803

OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLES ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CRACKING AND FATIGUE. DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE DOOR HANDLES. *AK

NHTSA ID

854365

DRIVER'S OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE. DOOR CANNOT BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID

854291

Incident

Jan 1, 1996

WHILE DRIVING @ 30MPH, SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. FIRE ORIGINATED UNDER THE HOOD. FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT FIRE OUT, DETERMINED THAT CARBURETOR/T HAD TOO MUCH GAS. REPAIRWORK NOT DONE. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID

844065

Incident

Aug 1, 1999

MOST OF THE SEAT BELTS HAVE FAILED ON VEHICLE. SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT AND ARE USELESS. BOLTS ARE SO DIFFICULT TO REMOVE THAT I AM NOT REPLACING THE EXPENSIVE FRONT PASSENGER BELT.

NHTSA ID

780697

BOTH FRONT DOORS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

540211

BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS ARE INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ID

534163

EA97019, IN AN ACCIDENT, THE DEFECTIVE DRIVER'S SEATBACK COLLAPSED BACKWARDS UPON IMPACT, CAUSING INJURIES. *AK

NHTSA ID

820317

Incident

Mar 1, 1994

RIGHT REAR WHEEL, WITH AXLE, BROKE OFF WHILE DRIVING. CAUSED VEHICLE TO FLIP 3 TIMES.

NHTSA ID

527462

Incident

Jun 13, 1997

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY RIGHT REAR WHEEL DISCONNECTED, LOST CONTROL, VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER THREE TIMES, RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT/INJURIES. *AK

NHTSA ID

521342

Incident

Jun 13, 1997

RECALL #97V058: RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE JUNE 11, 97. MADE AN APPOINTMENT THE SAME DAY. TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIR AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PARTS. TOOK IN AGAIN ON 7-10-97, STILL NO PARTS AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY DO KNOW WHEN THEY WILL HAVE THE PARTS. *AK

NHTSA ID

814086

Incident

Jun 11, 1997