1997 Chevrolet Lumina: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina. The campaign is 03V527000. NHTSA received the report on 11 Dec 2003. The NHTSA record gives the component Steering / Rack and Pinion. NHTSA has 347 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on this campaign.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of campaign 03V527000, in the NHTSA record

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 on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

1 campaign. 750,283 units in total.

03V527000Received 11 Dec 2003. 750,283 units.
Steering / Rack and Pinion
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Certain passenger vehicles have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These retainers could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
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. If the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. With the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. In any of these conditions, a crash could occur.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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 on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1-866-608-8080; chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438; oldsmobile at 1-800-630-6537; or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Manufacturer campaign number 03062. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Feb 2004.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

347 complaints, 438 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1997 Chevrolet Lumina
All 1997 vehicles

1997 Chevrolet Lumina: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1997 Lumina	All 1997 vehicles	Lumina, all years	Mentions
Steering	205.5	69.9	71.6	90
Engine and Engine Cooling	127.9	128.6	101.1	56
Fuel System, Gasoline	100.5	49.4	34.4	44
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	86.8	100.8	300	38
Air Bags	86.8	60.9	33.9	38
Electrical System	63.9	81.7	74.9	28
Power Train	47.9	87.5	48.9	21
Visibility	45.7	55.8	49.7	20
Exterior Lighting	38.8	25.4	26.7	17
Structure	32	40.1	56.4	14

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 24.

Complaints that report a crash: 34
Complaints that report a fire: 8
Injuries in the complaints: 28
Deaths in the complaints: 7
Date of the newest complaint: 13 Nov 2019

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2003, with 61 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA03019	Engineering analysis	POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE	Steering	15 Sep 2003	18 Dec 2003	03V527000
RQ03001	Recall query	POWER RACK AND PINION STEERING FAILURE	Steering	2 Jan 2003	15 Sep 2003

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1997 Chevrolet LuminaThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1997 Chevrolet Lumina: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/chevrolet/lumina/1997/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina?: 750,283 units in 1 campaign. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Chevrolet Lumina have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 29 recall campaigns for the Chevrolet Lumina, model years 1987 to 2008. 1 of them names the 1997 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina name most often?: Steering: 90 of 438 component mentions, or 205.5 per 1,000. For all 1997 vehicles the figure is 69.9 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1997 Chevrolet Lumina open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.