On certain vehicles, the nut that secures the axial joint of the left steering tie rod to the steering gear box may not have been tightened securely. This could lead to loosening of the nut and, initially to steering wheel play and/or misalignment, as well as noise from the steering linkage. If vehicle operation continues, the tie rod could disconnect from the steering gear box. If this were to occur, loss of steering control could result.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and re-torque the nut securing the axial joint of the left steering tie rod. If the torque of the nut is found to be loose, the right nut will also be checked and
On certain vehicles, there is a potential on high metrage vehicles for the steering wheel armature stamping to crack and separate from the center hub attachment of the steering wheel. This could result in loss of steering control and a possible crash.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Vehicles will be inspected for armature cracks in the center hub attachment area. Steering wheels exhibiting cracks will be replaced. All other vehicles will have a reinforcement plate attached.
On certain vehiclces, the handlebar assembly attachment bolts are not to specification and may fail, allowing the handlebars to separate from the motorcycle. The bolts are incorrectly made from Rolled Steel and not the Boron steel called for in the specification.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will install a new handlebar assembly with correct bolts.
On certain vehicles, the retaining bolts for the steering rack mounting brackets may not have been torqued to the proper specification. This could eventually cause the steering rack to become loose to the point where difficulty in steering the vehicle may be experienced.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will check steering rack mounting bolt torque and if the torque is insufficient, new bolts will be installed.
On certain vehicles, the nut that attaches the steering wheel assembly to the steering column may be upside down in the steering wheel assembly. This could overstress the steering column shaft when the nut is tightened. In addition, the nut may have been cracked during manufacture, which could result in the nut fracturing when it is tightened during vehicle assembly. Either of these conditions could potentially lead to the steering wheel becoming loose or separating from the steering column. This could result in loss of steering control and a crash without prior warning.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the steering wheel retention armature an, if necessary, the steering column will be replaced.
On certain vehicles, insufficient electrical contact may occur in the torque sensor which controls the power assist operation of the electric power steering gear box. This could possibly cause the power steering warning icon to be displayed and the driver would experience higher than normal steering effort.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Vehicles will be inspected and, if necessary, electric steering box will be replaced.
On certain vehicles, one of two brackets used to bolt the front control arm to the body structure may not have been welded to specifications. Depending on the strength of the weld seams, the control arm could gradually loosen and ultimately separate from its bracket resulting in control difficulty or possible loss of vehicle control.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Vehicles will be inspected and suspect control arms will be replaced.
On certain vehicles, the plastic collar which fits over the lower steering rack input shaft may not have been pushed down fully onto the rack at the assembly plant. As a result, there can be substantially more clearance between the steering rack and the collar than the design clearance. This could eventually result in the input shaft separating from the rack with subsequent loss of steering capability.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Steering rack input shaft collar will be inspected for proper positioning and repositioned if necessary.
On certain 3500HD vehicles, the tapered hole in the drag link end that attaches to the pitman arm tapered ball stud may be machined too deep causing the hole to be oversized. A drag link with an oversized hole may not "seat" the pitman arm tapered ball stud when assembled. This could cause higher than normal friction between components during operation, and over time, result in a joint separation or a broken ball stud. If the joint separated or the ball stud broke while the vehicle was moving, steering control would be lost and a vehicle crash could occur without prior warning.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the steering linkage assembly, and if necessary, replace the drag link and pitman arm.
On certain vehicles, vibration in the Active Cornering Enhancement (ACE) high pressure hydraulic tubing can result in a leak and loss of system fluid. Low fluid levels can result in system pump failure which will throw off the auxiliary drive belt, resulting in a loss of engine auxiliary functions (power steering, water pump, alternator and air conditioning). Should this occur, steering effort will be increased, which may increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will install new specification hydraulic tubing.
On certain vehicles located in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island, extreme levels of moisture and salt can result in corrosion at or near the engine cradle mounts resulting in possible failure of the mounts. If failures occur at both rear mounts or both front mounts, movement of the cradle can cause separation of the steering intermediate shaft resulting in loss of steering control.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will install reinforcement plates on repairable cradles, non repairable cradles will be replaced.
Certain vehicles may be susceptible to loss of directional stability in sharp turns or abrupt lane change maneuvers at extremely high speeds due to a steering system that is very responsive to steering input.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Stabilizers will be replaced in front on front wheel drive vehicles and on both front and rear on quattro drive vehicles. A modified control arm will be installed in front together with firmer shock absorbers in front and rear. In addition, a rear spoiler will be installed.
On certain vehicles, the steering gear unit internal end-of-travel stops may have missed the heat treat process, resulting in soft internal travel stops. Soft steering gear internal travel stops could be damaged in normal use and result in sticking, binding, or seizing of the steering gear and the potential for reduced steering control. This could increase the risk of a crash without prior warning.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Steering gear assemblies will be inspected for a suspect build date code and those containing a suspect build date code will be replaced.
On certain vehicles, the power steering pump pulley may fail resulting in a loss of steering power assist as well as the water pump, alternator and air conditioning. Loss of power steering would result in a requirement for increased steering effort and could in turn result in a vehicle crash.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Power steering pump pulley will be replaced with a redesigned pulley.
On certain vehicles, the steering wheel set nut may loosen and cause an abnormal steering vibration and looseness. If the owner continues to operate the vehicle in this condition, the nut may eventually come off, and the steering wheel may separate from the steering shaft. This would result in loss of control and a possible crash.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Steering wheel set nut will be tightened on affected vehicles.
On certain vehicles, the inner tie rod nuts may be loose, which could result in separation of a tie rod. Separation of a tie rod could cause unexpected steering input in some maneuvers and could cause a crash without prior warning.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Dealers will check the torque of the inner tie rod nuts and if necessary, adjust the vehicle toe-in and tighten the inner tie rod nuts to the specified torque.
On certain vehicles, the steering assembly tie rod seals do not seal properly. If moisture and/or dust particles enter the swivel bearing mechanism, the swivel bearing may wear over time to a point where the steering begins to feel "loose" and could diminish the steering control of the vehicle with the potential for a vehicle crash.
On certain vehicles, the rubber boot on the lower lateral ball joint could be damaged, allowing the intrusion of dirt and water, leading to extraordinary wear on the ball joint and possible separation. This could result in loss of vehicle control and a possible crash without prior warning.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Lower lateral ball joints will be inspected and if cut or damaged boots are found, the lower lateral arm will be replaced.
On certain vehicles, the steering slip shaft connecting the steering column to the steering gear input shaft may be too long. If this condition exists, the steering slip shaft may put sufficient side load pressure on the steering gear input shaft to break the input shaft. This would result in a loss of steering control and a possible crash without prior warning.
Safety Risk
No risk description available.
Remedy
Steering slip shaft will be replaced on affected vehicles.
