Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Pontiac Bonneville submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN MAKING A CLUNKING SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING SHAFT WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 109,000.
2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE SE 2 DEFECTS 1) "CLUNKING" OF STEERING SHAFT - HAS BEEN REPLACED MORE THAN ONCE 2) GAS GAUGE STOP WORKING AFTER 4 YEAR (2006). *TR
STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT NOISE. LOCATED ON STEERING COLUMN. THIS PROBLEM HAS NOT BE ADDRESSED. IT A FAILURE ON MORE THAN ONE MODEL OF GM CARS. ITS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE 2001 UP TO THIS DATE. SEEMS NHTSA HAS NOT NOTICED OR DONE ANYTHING TO MAKE GM CORRECT PROBLEM. GM HAS GONE ON ITS MERRY WAY COLLECTING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS PROBABLY MILLIONS IN REPAIR FEES. LOOKS AS IF GM OR NHTSA TURN AWAY FROM HELPING THE CUSTOMERS WHO FOOT THE BILL. *TR
MY 2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE HAS A BANGING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE CAR. I AM TOLD THERE IS A SAFETY DEFECT BULLETIN ON THIS ISSUE BUT I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS. *TR
THIS IS THE THIRD STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT ON THIS VEHICLE IN 110,000 MILES AND IS DUE TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. CLUNK NOISE CONTINUALLY RETURNS ALONG WITH NOTICEABLE PLAY IN STEERING CONTROL SHORTLY AFTER EACH REPLACEMENT. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO DANGER OF STEERING FAILURE, BUT I'M NOT CONVINCED. THESE PARTS ARE OBVIOUSLY WEARING WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY LEAD TO A FAILURE ON SOME LEVEL IF NOT FATAL. LET'S GET SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THESE POORLY ENGINEERED STEERING COMPONENTS, PLEASE! *TR
12/10/2002 1,840 MILES KNOCKING SOUND FROM LT FRONT WHEEL; REPLACED BEARING STRUT 7/22/2004 24,414 MILES CLUNKING NOISE FROM STEERING SHAFT; LUBRICATED INTERMEDIATE SHAFT 10/25/2004 28,000 MILES COMPLAINED OF STEERING NOISE, DEALET DID NOTHING 2/7/2005 31,584 MILES CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURING CAR LEFT OR RIGHT; REPLACED RT ANDLT STRUT BEARINGS 9/23/2005 39,704 NOISES IN STEERING COLUMN WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL RELACED STEERING SHAFT AS GOODWILL,SINCE PROBLEM STARTED BEFORE WARRANTY ENDED. 12/20/2006 60,699 STEERING NOISES IN STEERING NOISES AGAIN, RELACED INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AGAIN OBVIOUSLY A BIG TIME PROBLEM WITH INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. MUST ALSO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BEARING STRUTS. *TR
HEARD A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE STEERING 9/02. THE PONTIAC SERVICE DEPARTMENT CLEANED AND LUBED THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THE SAME CLUNKING NOISE CAME BACK IN MARCH 2005 THIS TIME THE PONTIAC SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS WORN AND NOISY. THEY REPLACE THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT UNDER GOODWILL, BUT I HAD TO PAY $181.86 FOR LABOR. NOW JANUARY 2007 THE SAME CLUNKING NOISE IS BACK. I ALSO HAVE A 2003 GMC PICKUP THAT IS DOING THE SAME THING. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A RECALL ON GM INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THE PONTIAC SERVICE DEPARTMENT PAPER WORK SAID "DIAGNOSTICS REVEALED STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT JOINT WORN CAUSING NOISE HEARD". *NM
TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS 2002 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE IS EXHIBITING THE SAME FAILURE WITH HIS STEERING COLUMN WHICH HE PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED WHEN THE VEHICLE HAD AN ODOMETER READING OF 35,398 MILES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS STEERING COLUMN FEELS LOOSE, AND DOES NOT RESPOND READILY TO CHANGES IN DIRECTION. HE DID TAKE HIS VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ON THIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAS FOUND SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE FOR THE SAME REASONS. THE CONTACT GAVE SEVERAL COMPLAINT # 1009722 AND 10157566. THE CONTACT FEELS THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND IS AFRAID THE STEERING COLUMN WILL SEPARATE WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT STATED HE DID FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURE AND GAVE THEM A FILE # 71-467055915 WITH DATE OF FILING 01/10/07. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN HAS BEEN A REDESIGNED INTERMEDIATE AND A REPLACEMENT THAT WOULD COST THE CONTACT $ 274.00. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND MAKING TURNS A CLUNKING NOISE WAS HEARD. A HESITATION WAS ALSO FELT IN THE STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE STEERING NEED TO BE LUBRICATED AND THE STEERING FLUID WAS CHECK, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.
THE STEERING WHEEL HAS A CLUNKING SOUND & FEEL AS YOU TURN THE CAR. THE LOCAL DEALER HAS REPLACED THE SHAFT 3 OR 4 TIME IN 58,000 MILES, AND IT IS VERY BAD AGAIN. IN THE PAST THEY DID NOT CHARGE TO REPAIR, BUT NOW WANT TO. THIS IS LIKE SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS IN THE SYSTEM FOR THIS PROBLEM. *NM
I HAVE A 2002 BONNEVILLE. TWICE DURING THE EXTENDED WARRANTY PERIOD, THE DEALER REPAIRED AND REPLACED BEARINGS IN THE STEERING MECHANISM BECAUSE OF CLUNKING, BANGING, RUBBING NOISES AND PLAY IN THE STEERING. AT 87,000 MILES, IT BEGAN HAPPENING AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY SAID IT WAS A DEFECT THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE REPLACEMENT PARTS ON AND NOW THE FIX WAS TO CHANGE THE OIL IN THE MECHANISM WITH A HEAVY DUTY OIL AT $160. IT LASTED 3 WEEKS. THEY HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN I CONTACTED GM CUSTOMER SERVICE THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING MORE THAT COULD BE DONE. THIS HAS BECOME A SAFETY CONCERN DUE TO THE SLOPPY STEERING THAT INCREASES AS THE NOISES INCREASE . *NM
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 25 MPH, OVER A SERIES OF SMALL BUMPS, STEERING COLUMN SHAKES AND FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS GOING TO BREAK IN FRONT END, NO ACCIDENTS OF LOSS OF STEERING, GM HAS REPLACED THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT 3 TIMES, THEN STRUTS, BUSHINGS AND MOUNTS AND LUBED THEM 2 OR 3 TIMES ALSO
THE CONSUMER LOST STEERING CONTROL WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH. THE CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL WITHOUT BEING INVOLVED IN A VEHICLE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE HIGH PRESSURE HOSE FOR THE POWER STEERING ASSIST ERUPTED. THE CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED SINCE A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED BEFORE. *AK THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT WAS REPLACED, BOTH FRONT WINDOW LIFT MOTORS WERE REPLACED, WATER LEAKED IN THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR, THERE WAS AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF ENGINE NOISE AS WELL AS HEAT AND EXHAUST ENTERING THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, THERE WAS TWO INCHES OF PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL, THE STEERING LOCKED UP, THERE WAS A LACK OF POWER STEERING FLUID IN THE RESERVOIR, HIGH PRESSURE HOSE FLUID LEAKED ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE, THE UPPER NUT AND THE BOLT THAT HELD THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT TO THE STEERING WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS EXTREMELY LOOSE. *SC
[1]CLUNK NOISE FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE DURING TURNING NEUVER/STEERING WHEEL ROTATION; [2]SAME AS #1; [3]STEERING COLUMN REPLACED [OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. *AK
CLUNK SOUND COMING FROM THE TURNING OF THE STEERING WHEEL DURING COURSE OF DRIVING. *AK
2002 PONTIAC,STEERING ASSEMBLY CLUNKING NOISE. *BF THE DEALER HAS A KIT THAT CAN BE INSTALL TO ALLEVIATE THE CLUNKING NOISE BUT THE CONSUMER FEELS THE PROBLEM SHOULD BE RECALLED. *NM
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
CONSUMER STATES WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL THERE IS A CLUNKING NOISE THAT CONSUMER CAN FEEL IN THE REAR. TOOK TO PONTIAC, AND DEALER STATED TWO METAL GEARS WERE RUBBING TOGETHER. *AK
TILT STEERING WHEEL LOCKS WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK
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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