1997 Chevrolet Tahoe

STEERING POSITION SENSOR FAILED, CAUSING THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM TO LOSE RESISTANCE AT SPEED. INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON A SWEEPING LEFT HAND TURN. I WAS APPLYING CONSTANT LIGHT LEFT HAND PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM LOST RESISTANCE AND THE WHEEL TURNED FREELY AND QUICKLY TO THE LEFT. BEFORE I REGAINED CONTROL I HAD MOVED 1/2 LANE TO THE LEFT. THE PROBLEM WAS VERY INTERMITTENT AT FIRST BUT GREW INCREASINGLY MORE REGULAR. THE STEERING WOULD SEEM TO TWITCH AND CAUSE MOMENTARY LOSS OF FEEL. I*AK FINALLY REPLACED THE STEERING POSITION SENSOR AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. WHEN I PURCHASED THE REPLACEMENT PART AT THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP, THE PARTS COUNTERMAN NEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT AND COMMENTED THAT IT MUST BE A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY HAD A WHOLE BIN OF STEERING POSITION SENSORS. IT IS MY CONTENTION THAT THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL ITEM. THE SUDDEN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL CAN BE VERY UN-NERVING.

STEERING BECOMES OVER SENSITIVE CAUSING VEHICLE TO OVER STEER. VEHICLES WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS ARE AS FOLLOWS. 1997-1999 CHEVROLET TAHOE, 1997-1999 GMC YUKON, 1997-1999 CHEVROLET 1500 TRUCKS, 1997-1999 GMC TRUCKS. ANY GM VEHICLE WITH AT V8 GASOLINE POWERED ENGINE WILL HAVE THIS FAILURE. THERE ARE 1000S OF COMPLAINTS IN YOUR DATABASE AND THIS ADDS TO THEM ONLY NOW YOU ARE AWARE THAT ADDITIONAL MODELS ARE AFFECTED AS WELL. IF THERE IS A FATALITY RESULTING FROM THIS DEFECT THEN ALL CORPORATIONS AND AGENCIES AWARE OF THE DEFECT TIME OF THE DEATH WILL BE LIABLE FOR CIVIL DAMAGES. IT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE CONSUMER TO SEE THIS DEFECT IS REPAIRED BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED DUE TO BUREAUCRATIC RED TAPE.*AK

WHEN NEGOTIATING CURVES (WHILE DRIVER IS TURNING STEERING WHEEL AND HOLDING FAIRLY CONSISTANT PRESSURE ON THE WHEEL TO MAINTAIN THE TURN), THE STEERING WHEEL WILL SUDDENLY TURN (TWITCH) IN THE DIRECTION YOU ARE TURNING. THIS SOMETIMES CAUSES AN OVERSTEER TO CORRECT . PROBLEM IS WORSE WHEN VEH. IS COLD AND DOES IT MOSTLY AROUND 35 MPH ALTHOUGH REGULARLY DOES IT AT ALL SPEEDS ALSO. MY SENSE OF THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT THE VEHICLE IS "STEERING ITSELF" , BUT THAT THERE IS A SUDDEN CHANGE IN BOOST TO THE STEERING (DEFECTIVE SPEED SENSITIVE PWR STEERING?) AND SINCE THE DRIVER IS HOLDING PRESSURE ON THE WHEEL IN A CURVE, THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN STEERING BOOST CAUSES THE DRIVER TO OVERSTEER AND THAN OVERCORRECTION IN STEERING, WHICH TO SOME COMPLAINANTS APPARENTLY IS PERCEIVED AS A LOSS OF STEERING. MY WIFE PERCEIVES IT AS A LOSS OF STEERING AND I DRIVE THE VEH AS MUCH AS HER AND CAN TELL YOU THE LOSS OF STEERING IS IN THE MIND DUE TO "PUCKER FACTOR"! I CAN TELL YOU WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT THE PROBLEM IS VERY REAL AND I HAVE HAD 1 OR 2 NEAR MISSES WITH A CAR AND JERSEY BARRICADE AS I OVERSTEERED WITH THE SUDDEN CHANGE OF BOOST. WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN BOOST PROBABLY OCCURS REGULARLY AT THE APPROPRIATE SPEED, ( AS DESIGNED INTO THE SPEED SENSITIVE STEERING SYSTEM), BUT WHEN THE DRIVER HAS TURNING PRESSURE ON THE STEERING WHEEL, AND THE NORMAL STEERING WHEEL BACK-PRESSURE IS SUDDENLY RELEASED (OR SIGNIFIGANTLY REDUCED)THE 1ST ACTION IS A SUDDEN OVERSTEER (AS THOUGH SOMEONE QUICKLY JERKED THE WHEEL LOOSE FROM YOUR HANDS IN THE SAME DIRECTION YOU ARE ALREADY TURNING). I SEE MANY SIMILIAR COMPLAINTS IN THE COMPLAINTS DATABASE AND A NHTSA ACTION # EA99011 OPEN INVESTIGATION SINCE MAY 12, 1999, SEEMS THAT THIS IS A DEFINITE WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. IS THERE A FIX ON THE HORIZON? I SEE THAT SOME DEALERS HAVE REPLACED THE STEERING SPEED SENSOR, BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR IF THAT IS THE CURE. ANY SUGGESTIONS?*AK