The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will study whether 714,000 GM vehicles have a defect in their steering systems similar to other GM vehicles already recalled last year.
The agency has 357 complaints on record that say the steering racks on these models — 1996-98 Buick Regal, 1997-98 Buick Century, 1996-98 Chevrolet Lumina and Monte Carlo, 1996-97 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue — lock up or lose power unexpectedly.
More than a million contemporary GM vehicles were recalled for the same reason last year, including the Cavalier, Sunfire and GM minivans.
