Interesting.
I guess we will have to wait and see what becomes of this.
05 M6 YJ GTO 1 of 447 12.767@109.93
Quote:
The Detroit News
General Motors Corp.'s Pontiac G6 sedans are being investigated by U.S. safety regulators because of complaints of a loss of power steering, Bloomberg News reported today.
The inquiry covers 2005 and 2006 models with electronic power steering, with as many as 176,968 cars affected, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on its Web site. The agency said it received 19 complaints, including two accidents and one injury.
The investigation is the Washington-based agency's first step in its safety review process. About 40 percent of NHTSA's preliminary investigations between 1995 and 2005 led to recalls, Bloomberg reported.
Alan Adler, a spokesman for Detroit-based GM, didn't immediately respond to a voice message seeking a comment
and that's why I love GM. I had the same problem on my sunbird.
Once, I had my power steering and brakes die when I sped up to
merge into traffic. I nearly smashed into a traffic light.
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Hmm my Ion uses Electric power steering as well.. I wonder if other GM vehicles are under investigation for this?
Red 2005 Saturn Ion-3 Coupe
Correct me if I'm wrong... Electric power steering, just like pump driven, will still function fine if the pump fails...
Paul wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong... Electric power steering, just like pump driven, will still function fine if the pump fails...
At speed it should be no problem.
05 M6 YJ GTO 1 of 447 12.767@109.93
My girlfriend has an 04 Malibu, Electronic P/S....It failed, no biggie. Just like when a pump goes out.
Yeah, you guys forget how entirely incompetent most american drivers are... OMG MY STEERING GOT STIFFER WHAT DO I DO????
Still, can't say i didn't see this coming the second they introduced the whole electrice power steering thing... granted, mechanically driven pumps are pretty prone to failure too, but adding electronics just makes one more thing to break.
Arrival Blue 04 LS Sport
Eco
Turbo
Megasquirt
'Nuff said
i use to drive an older civic w/ no ps so it wouldnt be a big deal for me. try making 3 point turns in that thing lol
Let's remove "fine" from function when we say that the steering system on a car will function fine after the powert streeing goes out. It will FUNCTION. But it won't be just a little stiffer. It's a LOT stiffer. I've had my power steering die on my 1984 Crown Vic cop car and let me tell you that I was struggling with the wheel at low speeds and even at high speeds it required a little muscle to turn. Now imagine an old person instead of a strong and hardy 18 year old like I was and you'll see what kind of disaster this could be. When the power steering dies it doesn't feel like a car with no power steering, it feels like a car with cement in the suspension.
Or take this example. Ever do one of those split second maneuvers in traffic? Like merge into a busy lane where your car fits just right? Now imagine your power steering fails JUST as you're in the middle of that turn.
wah, go drive a 2 1/2 ton around for a bit and do some 5 - 10 point turnarounds. makes every car feel like it has power steering.
wah wah... I've driven a bunch of cars and trucks without power steering. That's not the point. A car with a failed power steering is an SOB to drive, end of story. Try this, try to turn your steering WITHOUT starting your car. See how hard that is? It's slightly lighter on the road, SLIGHTLY, but it still requires both hands. It's not like driving a non power assissted car. It's like driving a car that doesn't want to friggin turn anymore. I assume electric power steering runs on electrically propelled gears and crap. Want to try turning THOSE without motorized aid?
Also, most ladies have little tiny arms. So do old people. Not everyone's built like a lumberjack.
Who cares if it's hard to drive, it's all about 2 things:
1. Sudden failure at 70mph during a lane charge (like Knoxfire said) could be deadly.
2. It's a new car, and something is breaking. Not acceptable.
BTW, part of the reason people buy G6's is because of how they drive. I mean not everyone wants to drive a dump truck. Shocking!
A failure at speed wouldn't feel any different from driving with it, regardless of the current wheel position. I've been there, done that.
Both my Grand Prix & RX-7 (both speed sensitive systems) have disabled steering pumps, and I have no problem steering whatsoever regardless of speed. Yes, it's stiffer than a straight manual rack at low to no speed, but once moving (read: over 5 mph) it's not even noticeable.
So... While the argument against failures being acceptable on a new car, there is not a single reason this is a safety-of-life issue.
Paul wrote:So... While the argument against failures being acceptable on a new car, there is not a single reason this is a safety-of-life issue.
I think you've missed this part.
Quote:
The agency said it received 19 complaints, including two accidents and one injury.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
Mr.Goodwrench-G.T. wrote:Paul wrote:So... While the argument against failures being acceptable on a new car, there is not a single reason this is a safety-of-life issue.
I think you've missed this part.
Quote:
The agency said it received 19 complaints, including two accidents and one injury.
i think some of that has to do with people getting freaked out and panic , people are so use to having light touch steering , and the full power eminities , they loose all thought and dont pre-pair for the hard steering when they loose it
Quote:
i think some of that has to do with people getting freaked out and panic , people are so use to having light touch steering , and the full power eminities , they loose all thought and dont pre-pair for the hard steering when they loose it
thats the biggest problem with defects like this. of course part of it is a lot of people don't know what to do when the power steering fails , they think the steering won't work at all.
on a side note, most of the GM cars that come in with Electric power steering, we find that 90% of them the power steering doesn't work. we chalked it up to them being write-offs but i was thinking that the Electric power steering module was really sensitive and was damaged in the crashes. now that i see this every G6 we've had smashed in the nose has had no power steering. weird.
http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/my2005cav/my%20car%20the%20bash.jpg
Paul wrote:A failure at speed wouldn't feel any different from driving with it, regardless of the current wheel position. I've been there, done that.
Both my Grand Prix & RX-7 (both speed sensitive systems) have disabled steering pumps, and I have no problem steering whatsoever regardless of speed. Yes, it's stiffer than a straight manual rack at low to no speed, but once moving (read: over 5 mph) it's not even noticeable.
So... While the argument against failures being acceptable on a new car, there is not a single reason this is a safety-of-life issue.
You're missing an important fact when you're thinking this through. If you have no power steering you know what to expect how it drives etc.. If you turn the wheel slightly and expect it to turn the way it should and easily and it doesn't thats when it causes problems.
Knoxfire is right but he's only takling about at really low speeds or a dead stop. Once the vehicle is moving its not such a big deal. Trust me I work at vehicle maintenance for the Air Force. We get vehicles all the time that wont start. What doesn't work when it wont start? Thats right power steering. We still push them into the shop. So you're basically driving with no P/S. I've driving humvee's 2 1/2 ton trucks etc like that. Even a big ass heavy up armor HMMV is easier to turn while moving.
