1,530 of the
23,671 complaints filed about the Chevrolet Silverado 1500
are about the steering —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2014.
Body to frame ground cables corroded in half two different times within about 6 months. First time engine wouldn’t start had to have it towed to dealer for repair, over 30 codes were shown when this happened. Next incident some of my lights were working intermittently and my steering was rendered inoperable for 20 to 30 seconds at a time making it impossible to steer the vehicle, several codes were found when this happened, I drove the truck to a Chevrolet dealer for repair. Both repairs were deemed to be corroded ground cables. Chevrolet has a “customer appreciation program” covering 2019-2024 Silverado trucks but for some reason my VIN number doesn’t land in the program even though it has the same issues that are covered for the other silverados.
NHTSA complaint #11762918 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My truck lost steering as I was trying to pull into a parking lot. It started as a momentary jerking of the steering wheel then total loss of steering. The ABS error and Trailer Braking failure warning also appeared. After 4 to 5 restarts of the truck the steering came back. If this was to happen at high speed it would have been very bad. I feel this is definetly a safety issue..
NHTSA complaint #11761708 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I applied brake and pedal went straight to floor without any stopping. I had to steer into a ditch to avoid a collision resulting in more damage to steering system, frame, windshield and body. This was complete brake system failure and yes is available for inspection. I was in a very rural area at time and was able to avoid a collision however, if I had been in city or on highway it could have easily resulted in injury or fatalities. The problem is currently under federal investigation and has been widely reported as a serious problem which may soon result in widespread recall. The vehicle has not been inspected yet by dealership or anywhere else as it just happened 18 hours ago. There were no warning lights or chimes before the incident when pedal went to the floor. After incident dashboard lit up with warning lights including, Brake, ABS, Traction control, power steering, Collision system, Engine light, Steering Column and others. Truck speed limited to 43 mph. And pedal still goes to the floor without applying brakes.
NHTSA complaint #11761308 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We recently had a brand new engine installed In our truck that only had 70k miles and only 7 years old due to white smoke coming out of tail pipe. The day after receiving the truck back after having the brand new engine installed the truck was not operating properly then gave me a bunch of warnings and then the brakes wouldn’t work and the steering wouldn’t work. I informed the dealership that installed the brand new engine and they had the truck towed back to their shop just to look at it for 3 days and proceed to tell me there was no issues they could find. Picked the truck back up just to have the same issue happen not even a month later. I was able to document the warnings and issues while they were happening and provided those to the dealership when we drop it off for the second time after getting a brand new $13k engine installed. If you would like the video I captured of the warnings I will happily send them.
NHTSA complaint #11760477 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On July 22, 2026 took truck to dealership for oil change and reported getting random (trailer brake, power steering) service alarms. Was told it might be a ground strap issue and was sent on my way. After investigating, there is a GM service bulletin (#23-NA-201) on the issue but does not cover my truck. After a week of vacation, began driving truck again and alarms became more frequent, including loss of power steering and jerking of steering wheel while driving. Arranged with dealership to replace the ground strap (at my expense). By the time they could schedule, the alarms were constant and the truck had completely lost power steering. One of the power steering failures nearly resulted in an accident while turning.
NHTSA complaint #11760322 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality for approximately 1 minute. The failure had occurred while the steering wheel was straight or turning towards the left or the right, and the steering wheel was jerking during the failure. The “Power Steering” message was displayed, and there was an audible chime intermittently. The dealer was contacted, and the issue was discussed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 158,000.
NHTSA complaint #11758442 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When I put the pickup in park, I get a message that states "Shift to Park". The pickup is completely stopped, the gear shift indicator is in "P". When I get out of the vehicle I get two loud two-horn alerts indicating that the pickup in not in Park, when in fact it is. Doing some research, I have seen that this is a common problem for GM vehicles. The console shift vehicles are actually involved in a class action lawsuit, while the steering column shift vehicles are not.
NHTSA complaint #11758467 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
COMPONENT: Electric power steering (EPS) and electrical/power distribution. Available for inspection. FAILURE: My 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT (5.3L, 4WD) intermittently loses EPS assist during tight low-speed turns; steering becomes suddenly and severely heavy. On one occasion the engine shut off completely while I was turning - steering went heavy immediately before the stall. The same events bring random Service StabiliTrak warnings, Tow/Haul messages I did not request, and loss of stereo audio and turn-signal chime, sometimes together. Shutting off, opening the driver's door, waiting a minute, then remote starting restores normal operation - modules appear to reset when the truck fully powers down. SAFETY RISK: Loss of steering assist plus complete engine shutdown occurred while turning. Losing both in traffic could readily cause a crash. RECALL: NHTSA 18V-586 (GM 18289, EPS Loss of Steering Assist) was completed on this VIN 2018-10-11. Eight years later the vehicle still loses steering assist, now with engine stall. GM's Part 573 report states the remedy only reduces EPS current draw so voltage stays above the 8.8V cutoff; it appears inadequate here. GM TSB 18-NA-161 describes this same symptom set and attributes it to high-resistance battery cable connections, a poor BCM ground at G218, a shorted B+ cable at the starter solenoid, or a faulty battery - a hardware condition never made subject to recall despite causing engine stall and loss of steering assist. INSPECTION: Hotchkiss Auto could not recreate the failure; the vehicle set numerous codes across multiple modules, making the fault impossible to isolate. Not inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance. No crash, injury, or fire. PRIOR REPAIR: Two months ago I cleaned and tightened two grounds (front passenger wheel area, under driver's dash). Symptoms stopped two months, then returned. WARNINGS: StabiliTrak and Tow/Haul messages precede and accompany the failures. First appeared June 2025.
NHTSA complaint #11756917 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for an undisclosed repair. The vehicle was picked up and driven for seven minutes down the road, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the following day the vehicle was diagnosed and determined to have a failed steering angle sensor. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket; however, after the repair, the issue reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 216,300.
NHTSA complaint #11756455 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
For the past 2 years ive been having issues of losing power steering. Lots of parts and modules have been replaced out of pocket. Still not fixed. When it goes out it can be out for days to weeks and is extremely hard to steer. Its gone out or come back in during a turn which is very problematic and unsafe. I always get the same dash message, "service power steering drive with care". The dealership is aware and has seen the malfunctioning steering. So far the rack and pinion gear box has been replaced at $2700, then it was a terminal resistor that was replaced for $2,100, and several other trips in costing more money just to get the steering fixed but technicians have been unsuccessful so far despite their best efforts.
NHTSA complaint #11756540 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving normally OR pulling a camper (same day), power steering seems to "stick" as I exit either a moderate RH or LH corner. I must apply extra effort to the steering wheel to straighten out, and that invariably leads to an over-correction and departure into either the shoulder or the opposite lane. Problem is not sensitive to speed or weather conditions. The symptoms are not necessarily worse when pulling a camper, but the consequences are much more drastic and losing control of the vehicle feels much more imminent than when driving just the truck. Because the problem comes and goes so quickly, I can be applying force to straighten the wheel when suddenly, no force is required and the truck veers either left or right. I see no warning lights, nor do I see any messages displayed. I have not yet had the opportunity to get the truck to a mechanic. I'm not confident that I can safely drive to a repair facility, as the steering is so unpredictable.
NHTSA complaint #11753515 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Approximately one week ago I was driving at a safe speed on a two-lane highway. Suddenly, my steering wheel and truck jerked to the right. For 8-10 seconds a warning message was displayed "Power Steering ... Drive Carefully." I took the truck to my local dealership. They scanned for trouble codes. The technician said something about an interruption communicating with the electrical system. My service advisor took the truck on a 15-mile drive and had no problem. They scanned again and there were no trouble codes. The service advisor said they could not fix the problem if they did not know the cause of the problem. I left the dealership. Since then, I have had 4 more incidents. Once the warning message appeared again, but no jerk of the steering wheel or truck; once there was the same warning message and a jerk of the steering wheel and truck; and twice there were sudden jerks of the steering wheel and truck but no warning message. I have reported each of these incidents to the dealership. I also called Chevrolet Customer Assistance. I explained the problem and asked if they would assign a Field Service Engineer to assist the dealership. hey declined my request. Because I momentarily lose control of steering the truck, I fear for my safety and the safety of others.
NHTSA complaint #11752802 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was camping at a state park outside of Kenton Ohio. On Sunday July 19 2026 while backing up my travel trailer I lost power steering to my 2019 Silverado 1500. then a message came on my display saying service power steering soon and then a check wiring harness warning. I turned off truck and restarted it and warnings cleared and power steering came back. The following morning July 20th started the truck, no power steering and service engine light was on drove to Kenton and had codes read. Had multiple codes for different control modules. Power steering came back and I was able to drive home. Called my dealer and was able to get appointment on July 24. Tried to start truck and it would crank, start run rough for a few seconds then stall out. Had to have it towed to dealer for repair. End result faulty ground strap from body to frame, loss of electric power steering ability while driving due to a ground cable could have been a very dangerous situation for everyone in the vehicle and on the road
NHTSA complaint #11752809 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while turning into a parking space, the steering wheel locked up, and the contact was unable to park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent dealer where the failure was diagnosed as a corroded ground strap. While diagnosing the vehicle the dealer became aware that the ground strap in the passenger’s side wheel well was damaged from road salt and water. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
NHTSA complaint #11752675 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I had a complete loss of steering and had to have the truck towed to the dealership. This could have caused a very serious accident. There was no previous warning - it just went out. The dealership charged me $2183 to replace the steering gear. According to the literature, the steering function should last to well past 100K miles (my truck had 66,552 miles on it). In addition, there are multiple reports of steering going out online - perhaps a recall is in order. The literature also states that if diagnostic code C1599 then the steering rack is completely fine mechanically but it has simply lost its electrical connection. That is the code that the dealership saw - it sounds like the fix could have been much simpler and cheaper.
NHTSA complaint #11751362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Without prior warning my power steering went out. This could have been life threatening. I had to have it towed to the dealership (Voss Chevy, Centerville OH). The truck had 66,552 miles on it and the extended warranty that we purchased thru Voss expired on 26 Mar 2026 and although we were under the 75K mileage, they would not honor it (planned obsolescence?) So they replaced the steering gear for $2183. After researching, the literature says that diagnostic code C1599 (which is what Voss saw) indicated that the steering rack is completely fine mechanically but it has simply lost its electrical connection. In addition, literature says that a steering rack should last at least to 100K miles. There are also multiple issues documented on carcomplaints.com regarding the loss of power steering. Perhaps a recall is needed. In addition, I believe we were mislead as to what repairs were needed.
NHTSA complaint #11751271 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Over the last week, my truck power has been almost shutting down after the stabilitrac warning appears on the dash while I’m turning or going over uneven pavement. The whole system shut down once already when turning around in a driveway. I have a new battery. Spark plugs are good. ABS is good. There are no recalls I can find, but this must be electrical somehow. Help me pls before it causes an accident.
NHTSA complaint #11745410 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 experiences an intermittant, uncommanded mechanical drivetrain lockup and severe binding when accelerating from a complete stop. The vehicle rolls fine in a straight line for several feet, but the exact moment the steering wheel is turned slightly (a couple degrees), the drivetrain violently binds up. This creates resistance in the steering and acceleration, as well as a severe physical and audible metallic clunking slam and massive shockwave vibrations felt directly through the steering wheel, floorboards, brake/gas pedals, and driver’s seat. During the last event, the vehicle threw a "Service 4 Wheel Drive" dash message and refused to shift out of "Auto" mode back into 2WD. Because this is a pure mechanical interference/binding issue, it does not consistently throw active electronic trouble codes. A standard OBD2 code scan will show nothing. After turning the vehicle off for several hours and testing again, the problem persisted. After towing the vehicle to a dealership (6/10/2026) it sat for at least 5 days before dealership service looked at it. By this time, the active warning lights cleared. My initial servicing dealership refused to perform physical hardware or fluid diagnostics under my factory warranty, stating they would not look at the vehicle unless I paid $860 out-of-pocket or until the drivetrain "completely grenaded" on the road. Because this uncommanded lockup restricts my ability to steer the vehicle safely from a stop, it presents an immediate crash hazard. At the direction of General Motors Corporate, I am escalating this issue and moving the vehicle to a secondary certified facility (Feldman Chevrolet of Novi) on June 23, 2026, for a formal physical hardware and fluid tear-down inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11745032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.