He also told us that this is the second Chevrolet Venture that he needed to replace the rack and then the replacement rack also broke. On 3/28/02 we called to find out when the repairs would be complete and the mechanic told us that the replacement rack he installed in our van broke when he was taking it for a test drive after installation. I brought our minivan to iron trail to be repaired. I sent a report earlier this week regarding the steering failure of my van on 3/18/02. After the strut replacement the same noise was present. The only abnormality the firestone mechanic noted was that the strut springs were not properly seated. The mechanic at firestone said the struts were fine but replaced them anyway. I had purchased lifetime replacement from firestone so I had it put back together and I paid for the repairs and drove over to firestone to have the struts replaced. The service writer called and said the struts were in need of replacement. I requested the mechanic to inspect the struts for damage from the faulty strut brackets and let me know if they needed to be replaced. Next the service writer told me the strut brackets needed to be replaced. He heard the noise and would be able to duplicate it. I asked to speak to the mechanic and drove around to show him the noise. The dealer said they could not duplicate the noise and that the component was no problem only a loose wire bracket. I took the vehicle back again and voiced my concerns over the component and the noise. I waited a few days then a component fell from the underside onto my driveway. Only now a groaning clunk upon turns and acceleration. I took it back to the dealer he had some adjustment done and the steering seemed fine. Steering corrections were sloppy you had to move it left or right 3 or more inches to turn. After the repair the vehicle was behaving erratically on the road. I asked about the recall to check the gear and if it would be covered under that recall. The dealer informed me the rack and pinion failed and needed replaced. On the way to the dealer it required a lot of exertion to steer. I took it to the dealer in June or July as it was getting worse. The vehicle steering slowly became stiff and gave resistance in may 2004 when turning or making steering corrections. The campaign 02049 was completed on 30 April 2003 the dealer replaced the power steering bearing. Either there are additional steering rack defects or internal damage had already been done. We believe this current problem is a safety defect and the work done for the steering rack recall did not correct the underlining problem. The leak is not significant and the level has been checking every 1-2 week. The hydraulic hose has been "wet" since the early days (1 or 2 years) after we purchased the car. He blamed it on other things such as hydraulic hose leak. Talked with Chevrolet customer service 1/20/05, they decline responsibility for the current problem and said that it is due to "wear and tear". Lannan Chevrolet confirmed that damage is inside steering rack and it needs to be replaced. Contacted Chevrolet customer service 1/17/05. We took the car in 5/28/05 for this recall and I believe the lower pinion bearing was replaced. Found out there is a recall NHTSA #02v286000 for the steering rack lower pinion bearings that the dealer would replace the lower pinion bearing or replace the steering rack. At turns, more steering movement is needed and vehicle does not response as before. Driving down highway steering wheel can assume positions anywhere between 10 to 2 o'clock while still going straight.
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