Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Note: I have filed a safely complaint before with the NHTSA about this safety issue on nov 9, 2020 reference number: 11373799. And now due to safety negligence from the investigation department of the NHTSA ..excessive heat coming from the extremely hot oil that's dripping off the extremely hot exhaust manifold that's leaking from the valve cover started a fire under the hood and also leaked into the cylinder causing the piston to slit into numerous pieces then violently being shot back and forth striking the cylinder walls violently then breaking through the engine block and oil pan, then spilling hot oil on the I-105 highway at high way speed coming up on a fork, lost oil compression and stalling out with heavy thick can't see in more then 5 feet in front of you grey/black smoke coming from both ends of the vehicle. Almost costed me my life
Reference recall 02V286000-Pontiac Grand Prix-1997-rack and pinion problem-my son matt was driving in snowy weather and was making a slow left turn into an apartment complex. The car veered to the right on him and he hit a utility pole. He just assumed that he hit ice, etc and it went off the road. The next day matt received a recall notice for the steering problem in the mail. I filed a report with Pontiac - claim number 1-72613849. They just notified me that they have rejected the claim because the ball bearings were not visibly broken. My contention is that the problem could be intermitent causing the same problem to occurr that resulted in the recall. However the gears / assembly May not appear to have any damage that is recognizable by human inspection. That's all they are doing now is having a mechanic perform an inspection. …
My daughter used an excuse that she came home late because the car would not turn left and she hit a mailbox. I did check her story and yes. It would not turn left. I searched the internet and found many of these incidents. Not only with this car, but many GM models. The steering rack will need to get replaced at my expense. If there was a postal worked at the mail box, or some one getting their mail, it could have been a lot worst. Is general motors waiting for a death to occur?? Maybe they should take a look at the Goodyear tire incident.
The reason for complaint is a fire under the hood. The insurance company has said it is totaled. No offer has came in for a clain as of today. The car was parked and had been off for approx. 15 min. When smoke was noticed coming from hood area .fire dept. Was called and fire was exstingished. No injury occurred. This fire could have burned our home had it been in our garage.
Mid way making a left hand turn, the steering wheel temporarily locked up. This caused the consumer's vehicle to hit a curb. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. The consumer believed there was a direct correlation between the recall that was performed on the vehicle and the steering failing.
Recall 00V286000 concerning rack and pinion. Steering locked when making a turn, then vehicle rolled over. Vehicle was towed to dealer. However, it was not inspected. Consumer stated that the wheels locked.
In regards to NHTSA campaign #02V286000, GM recall #02049, for a defective rack and pinion unit in my 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The recall repair work was performed on 03-06-03 at community Pontiac motors of iowa city, iowa (phone # [phone]), after picking up the car from community motors, the steering was pulling to the right and was off center. Community motors then performed an alignment on 03-24-03. The steering was better but still pulled to the right some. Also, the car was hard to steer at times while making left turns and while the vehicle was stopped while before the recall repair was performed my car's steering was normal. On 11-13-03 community motors determined that the rack and pinion unit was bad and replaced it using an aftermarket napa brand rack and pinion at my expense of $737. …
Steering:rack and pinion-this is an ongoing problem. I bought my 97 Grand Prix gtp in March 2003. The recall for the steering issued supposedly was done prior to me driving it off the lot. In September of 2004 I began to have problems turning left. I took the car into the local GM dealership to find out what was causing the problem in March 2005. The dealership said that the recall issue had been taken care of and that I would have to pay $1,000 to get it fixed. I asked them if a failed part could have been used to fulfill the recall earlier and the dealer said it didn't matter. The dealer said that they only had to fix the recall once and that it had a 12 month warranty. My husband called GM and they also told us that we would have to pay for the recall to be fixed for the same reasons as stated by the dealer. This is a recall that needs to be reinstated. …
There is a recall of 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix #02V286000. Recall date 11-04-2002 for assembly dates 1-1-1996 through 10-31-1997 my cars assembly date is 8-30-1996. My car has the exact consequence of this recall. The recall listing is: certain passenger vehicles and Mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between January 1, 1996 and October 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape. Consequence: if this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. …
Problems with power steering pump, alternator, rack and pinion, power windows, and head gaskets. The power steering pump had suddenly gone out in traffic, the vehicle stopped abruptly in the middle of traffic(the alternator was replaced), the consumer discovered that the windshield wipers were inoperative upon start due to the failure of the wiper linkage under the cowl, the steering skipped as the consumer made right hand turns(the rack and pinion was replaced along with the power steering pump), the headlight lens had fallen off, the ceramic headgasket had to be replaced, the was a hesitation and alternator had to be replaced for a second time, the air bag warning light had come on due to a short in the wiring harness, the transmission grabbed along with hesitation(a tune up was performed and work was done to the transmission), the vehicle couldn't be taken out of the park …
Related recalls
Steering › Rack and pinion
Certain passenger vehicles and Mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between January 1, 1996 and October 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Remedy: Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began January 24, 2003.
NHTSA investigations
Steering rack and pinion
Odi has received 200 complaints fromt consumers and 1,238 from GM alleging failure or lockup of the steering rack and pinion unit (r&p).this alleged condition can result in the loss of steering control of the vehicle and a crash can result.GM has reported six crashes in which eight people have sustained injuries ranging from bruises, airbag burn, seat belt abrasion, facial injury, neck and back pain.all crashes were…
Power rack and pinion steering failure
The lower pinion bearing in the rack and pinion steering assembly May fail.GM will recall 1997-98 grand prix built between 1-mar-96 and 31-oct-97; and 1996-98 u-vans/j-cars built between 1-jan-96 and 31-oct-97.see attached summary.
Steering complaints in other Grand Prix years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix?
NHTSA has 216 complaints about the steering of the 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix, 27% of the model year's 810 complaints. The component named most often is rack and pinion (130 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-286 (rack and pinion, Nov 4, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 87,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 15 crashes, 3 fires and 12 injuries and 2 deaths to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.