1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE Complaints

I OWN A 1999 OLDS INTRIGUE AND THAT HAS HAD STEERING SHAFT PROBLEMS. ALMOST EVERY 25K MILES I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE LOWER STEERING SHAFT AT A COST OF OVER $400. THE FIRST TWO INCIDENTS WERE COVERED BY WARRANTY BUT THE LAST ONE I HAD TO PAY FOR. ADDITIONALLY IT APPEARS THAT I AM GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE THE SHAFT REPLACED AGAIN, WHICH WOULD BE THE 4TH SHAFT IN 120K MILES. OLDSMOBILE HAS REFUSED TO ASSIST. BASED ON NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 03V527000 (STEERING:RACK AND PINION) FOR 1998 INTRIGUES, I BELIEVE THAT MY ISSUE MAY BE SIMILAR TO THE CAMPAIGN STATED. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY/DRIVING HAZARD AND HOPE NHSTA CAN EXTEND THE 1998 STEERING PROBLEM TO 1999. THANK YOU FOR YOU ASSISTANCE. *JB

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED AND MUST BE REPLACED AT 71,000 MILES. 'SERVICE ENGINE SOON' LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER REPORTS THAT CODE INDICATES FAULTY TORQUE CLUTCH CONVERTER SOLENOID. AFTER REMOVING TRANSMISSION DEALER REPORTS THAT SHIFT SOLENOID, TORQUE CLUTCH CONVERTER AND VALVE BODY HAS FAILED AND TRANSMISSION MUST BE REPLACED. GM CUSTOMER SUPPORT CONFIRMS DIAGNOSIS. *JB

FRONT STABILIZER BAR BROKE COMPLETELY THROUGH NEAR PASSENGER SIDE MOUNT WITHOUT PRIOR AUDIBLE NOTICE. AREA OF TUBE BROKEN IS APPROXIMATELY WHERE THE TUBE BEGINS TO FLATTEN OUT FOR MOUNTING TO CONTROL ARM. NO PRIOR ACCIDENT OR UNUSUAL STRESS HAS HAPPENED TO THIS VEHICLE. IT APPEARS THAT IT HAS SLOWLY BEEN "WORKED" UNTIL IT COMP-LETELY CRACKED THROUGH, AND THEN THERE WAS A VERY AUDIBLE BANGING NOISE DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE ON CITY STREETS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH ALL ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS WENT OUT. DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT BLANK, AND SPEEDOMETER BEGAN WINDING FORWARD AND BACKWARDS. WINDOWS BEGAN TO ROLL UP AND DOWN, WHILE THE HEADLIGHTS BEGAN TO BLINK OFF AND ON. DEALER CHECKED THE PROBLEM BUT COULDN'T FIND THE CAUSE.*AK

WHEN TURNING IN EITHER DIRECTION STEERING WHEEL DRAGS OR IS NOT RETURNING TO MAKE THE VEHICLE GO STRAIGHT. *AK

REF: 010603001, 010603001A, NHTSA ACTION NUMBER: PE02005, NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 619178. 1999 OLDSMOBILE INTRIQUE, WITH DIMMING HEADLIGHTS. THIS IS A CONSTANTLY OCCURING PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES WITH NO RESOLUTION. THEY SAY GM HAS NO SOLUTION. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. MANY TIMES I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AT NIGHT ON THE INTERSTATE AND SMALL COUNTRY HIGHWAYS WHEN THE LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER AND ALMOST GO COMPLETELY OUT. NOTHING LIKE DRIVING 70 MPH IN BAD WEATHER WITH NO LIGHTS!!! THE HEADLIGHTS DIM EQUAL TO CANDLELIGHT. THESE EPISODES HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY, MOSTLY DURING COLD WEATHER, BUT NOT ALWAYS. EACH EPISODE MAY LAST ANYWHERE FROM 5 TO 30 MINUTES. SEVERAL TIMES I WAS FORTUNATLY ABLE TO BACK OFF AND PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS HAPPENS AT LEAST 6 TIMES PER MONTH, BUT ONLY NOTICABLE AT NIGHT. MY VIN IS 1G3W$52HOXF311164.*AK

WHILE TURNING THE STEERING LOCKED UP WITHOUT WARNING. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THIS MAKE/MODEL, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN. *AK *NM

IN MINOR SIDEWAY SKID, RR LOWER CONTROL ARM BARS (2), BENT LIKE THEY WERE MADE OF COAT HANGARS. CAR ONLY HAS 12000 MILES ON IT, 1999 OLDS INTRIGUE, GARAGE KEPT. CAR FLIPPED ON TO RIGHT SIDE WHEN CONTROL ARM BARS BENT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ROLL OVER ON TO SIDE. SON MATTHEW INJURED. THIS MAY BE ALL W BODIES IN GM LINE. CHEAPENED SYSTEM, NEW STANDARDS ARE NEEDED TO PREVENT VEHICLE ROLL OVER IN MINOR SKID. SON WAS NOT SPEEDING AT TIME OF ACCIDENT. AFTER OWNING 38 GM CARS, THIS DISGUSTS ME. *JB

POWER STEERING HARD TO TURN LEFT, ESPECIALLY AT SLOW SPEEDS. STEERING GETS TIGHT AND RELEASES. DEALERSHIP SAID THE RAC-N-PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. 1.5 MILLION GM CARS RECALLED FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN 11/2002 AND AROUND 800,000 RECALLED IN THE U.S. IN 1/2004. HOWEVER, MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN LISTED IN THE RECALL.

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER LOST POWER STEERING WHEN MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN. THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK