Warren, MI — March 23, 2016 — One of the most recent GM recalls in February concerns steering assembly faults in the 2016 Buick Regal.
Although the first signs of this failure were discovered in another car during vehicle tests last November, the recall only began on February 12, with dealers notified a week later.
According to a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the affected vehicles may have been manufactured as recently as the date the recall started.
The defect
This report noted that bad circuit boards in these vehicles could lead to power steering failure, which could put additional steering pressure on the driver.
The defect was only thought to be in 74 units, signaled by a noticeable malfunction alert when present. The replacement circuit boards include stronger circuit boards.
Timeline of events
The NHTSA also featured a recall bulletin released this month, which explained that the recall parts needed would start shipping on the week of March 14. The bulletin lists 12 parts, including steering knuckle nuts, knuckle bolts and gear nuts.
“Some of these vehicles have a condition in which the power-steering assist system can fail while driving,” the bulletin stated. “If this occurs, the vehicle will lose power-steering assist.”
It also added that “Steering control can still be maintained, but will require increased steering effort, particularly at lower speeds, which could increase the risk of a crash.”
Automotive News grouped this recall in with several other GM recalls issued around the same time. These include actions for other vehicles with the 2016 model year, including Chevrolet Malibu, Colorado and Camaro autos.
The source said that these recalls included nearly 2,000 vehicles total, with the highest coming from a 1,750 unit group of Colorado, Malibu and GMC Canyon vehicles in Canada and the United States.
Check your car’s recall status using MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.
