Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 44 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 44, in the owner's own words
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE FRONT LEFT STEEL BRAKE LINE BURST DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST. AFTER INSPECTING THE REMAINING LINES UNDER THE VEHICLE ALL OF THE METAL LINES , INCLUDING THE FUEL AND POWER STEERING LINES ARE EXCESSIVELY RUSTED TO THE POINT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.THE REPAIR COST 1200 DOLLARS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A KNOCKING COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE NOISE WOULD BECOME LOUDER WHEN ATTEMPTING A TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SECTOR SHAFT WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 125,000. UPDATED 8/31/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE WAS RECURRING. UPDATED 09/11/2012 *JS
JUST BOUGHT THIS TRUCK AND THERE IS A CLUNKING, THUMPING, IN THE STEERING COLUMN. MY MECHANIC SAYS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH ALL FULL SIZE GM PRODUCTS, GM NEEDS TO FIX THIS WITH A PERMANENT FIX. HOW CAN THIS NOT BE A SAFETY ISSUE? I BOUGHT THIS TRUCK FOR SAFETY OF MY FAMILY.
CLUNKING IN STEERING COLUMN GM KNOWS ABOUT PROBLEM STEMS FROM 2004 TILL2008 ALL HAVE BAD STEERING SHAFT GM REFUSES TO REMEDIATE THE PROBLEM HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES ARE AFFECTED PLEASE PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS PROBLEM .THIS PROBLEM OCCURS ON CHEVY SILVERADO PICKUPS. *TR
STEERING SHAFT NOISE AND VIBRATION ON 2004 CHEVY SILVERADO THERE IS A CLUNKING AND VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEN TURNING AT LOWER SPEEDS. ALL FRONT END COMPONENTS WERE VERIFIED TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION WITH NO PLAY. CLUNKING IS BELIEVED TO BE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR
THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT ON MY CHEVY SILVERADO HAS BECOME LOOSE AGAIN AND NOT ONLY DOES IT MAKE A CLUNKING SOUND WITH VIBRATIONS, IT NOW ALLOWS THE STEERING TO UNEXPECTEDLY DRIFT OVER UN EVEN PAVEMENT OR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN A CROSS WIND. HAS BEEN FIXED ONCE. *TR
CLUNKING IN INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME IN 35,000 MILES THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE GREASED. GM DID NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM OTHER THAN GREASING IT AGAIN. IT WILL NEED TO BE GREASED AGAIN IN ~ 10K MILES...THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! *TR
2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO...THE STEERING COLUMN MAKES A HORRIBLE CLUNKING NOISE. WE HAVE HAD IT REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES UNDER WARRANTY BUT NOW THERE'S NO WARRANTY AND THESE PARTS AND LABOR ARE TOO EXPENSIVE TO FIX. THE DEALER SAYS AND I KNOW FROM OWNING ANOTHER 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN THAN THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THESE YEAR MODEL TRUCKS AND SUVS. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THEY CAN OBVIOUSLY SEE IS WRONG! SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE THE STEERING IS NOT ACTING RIGHT BECAUSE OF IT AND I FEEL UNSAFE DRIVING IN THESE CONDITIONS. PLEASE HELP!!!! *TR
STEERING COLUMN VIBRATION AND HEAVY "CLUNK" ON TURNING, TRUCK WAS LOOKED AT SEVERAL TIMES UNDER WARRANTY, AND STEERING COLUMN WAS "GREASED" TO FIX ISSUE, WHICH MADE NOISE DISAPPEAR FOR SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. PROBLEM BECOMING MORE FREQUENT, AND "GREASE" FIX LASTING LESS TIME EACH ATTEMPT. *TR
STEERING YOKE HAS BEEN FIX TWICE WOULD LIKE IT FIXED DEALERS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT HAS NO ANSWER ALL THAT IS SAID TO ME IS WE WILL REPACK THE YOKE THIS IS ONLY GOOD FOR 4 TO 5 MOUTHS WHAT SHOULD I DO. *TR
THERE IS A BANGING IN THE STEERING COLUMN. *JB
WHEN I BOUGHT MY 04 SILVERADO TRUCK USED IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR I NOTICED A KLUNKING IN THE STEERING. AFTER GETTING IT CHECKED OUT I FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. MY FATHER-IN-LAW BOUGHT AN 02 AND HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. WELL AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THE 01-05 SILVERADOS. I HAVE SPOKEN TO OTHER OWNERS ABOUT THIS AND A COUPLE HAVE SAID THAT GM SAID THAT ITS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE SO THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT. THEY MAKE A REPLACEMENT FOR THIS SHAFT BUT IT IS $92 AND THEN THEY HAVE TO PUT IT IN. I THINK THAT IF IT IS A PROBLEM THAT IS THIS BIG THAT THEY SHOULD FIX IT FOR FREE. I JUST WANT TO MAKE IT KNOWN THAT WE THE GM OWNERS ARE GETTING SHAFTED YOU COULD SAY AND THEY DON'T CARE. I WANTED TO SEE WHAT I COULD DO TO TRY TO GET THEM TO HELP US OUT. *TR
#1-BLOWER MOTOR ON HIGH THEN WILL ONLY BLOW INTERMITTENT.#2 STEERING TO THE LEFT CAN FEEL CLUNKING NOISE STEERING WHEEL AND FEEL IN THE FLOORBOARD. LOCAL GARAGE CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. DID ALIGNMENT. DID NOT FIX PROBLEM. ALSO SOMETIMES HARD TO STEER AFTER REVERSING. *TR
CLUNKING NOISE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. WAS TOLD THIS WAS CHRONIC PROBLEM BY A LOT OF OTHER OWNERS. *TR
MY 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO Z71 HAS A FAILURE IN THE STEERING COLUMN LINKAGE WHERE IT MAKES A CLUNKING & WHINING NOISE, PRIMARILY WHEN TURNING LEFT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT MY MECHANIC TELLS ME WILL CAUSE THE STEERING TO FAIL AND THAT ALMOST ALL OF HIS CUSTOMERS WHO OWN LATE MODEL GM TRUCKS HAVE THIS FAILURE. MY DEALER, CLASSIC CHEVROLET, HAS ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON FAILURE IN CHEVY TRUCKS. MY 2002 SUBURBAN HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM AND THE DEALER HAD TO REPLACE IT TWICE BEFORE IT WAS REPAIRED PROPERLY.*JB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD VIBRATE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE DEALER COULD NOT ORDER THE PART AND ADVISED HIM TO CHECK WITH ANOTHER DEALER. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 22,200 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,500.
THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT ON CHEVROLET SILVERADO TRUCKS BECOMES LOOSE AND ALLOWS STEERING TO UNEXPECTEDLY DRIFT OVER UNEVEN GROUND OR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN A CROSS WIND. ALL OF THE DEALER SERVICE SHOPS ARE AWARE OF THIS. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS AT 16,596 MILES AND THE REPAIRS WERE MADE, THE PART FAILED AGAIN AT 42,176 MILES. *JB
TL* - THE CONTACT PURCHASED A 2004 CHEVROLET SILVERADO FROM CHEVROLET OF TYSON'S. THERE WAS A KNOCKING SOUND IN THE STEERING WHEEL REGARDLESS OF THE SPEED AT WHICH THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING. GM STATED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE STEERING FAILURE, AND WERE REDESIGNING THE STEERING COLUMN, IT DILL NOT BE FINAL UNTIL FEBRUARY AFTER THE CONTACTS WARRANTY EXPIRESD,AND WAS ADVISED BY GM TO CALL NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. *AK
ON 12/24/06 I STARTED HAVING TROUBLE WITH STEERING AND BRAKING, ON 12/26/06 I LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER OR TO BRAKE. ON 12/28/06 I TOOK THE TRUCK TO PARKS CHEVROLET IN CHARLOTTE, NC---I WAS TOLD THAT THE TRUCK WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE UNLESS I REPLACED THE BRAKE HYDRD-BOOSTER, I AGREED TO AT A COST OF $784.81. *JB
CLUNKING AND RATTLING NOISE IN STEERING SHAFT THAT CAN BE FELT IN STEERING WHEEL. DEALER AND GM ACKNOWLEDGES PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT FIX IT UNDER WARRANTY. DEALER SAYS THAT GM HAS NOT COME UP WITH A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. DEALER ALSO SAYS THAT PROBLEM IS NOT A SAFETY PROBLEM BUT I AM CONCERNED. DEALER ALSO STATES THAT THIS OCCURS IN OTHER MODELS SUCH AS SUBURBANS AND AVALANCHES, ETC. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TURNING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS A NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED. THE PROBLEM RETURNED A YEAR LATER AND THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED A SECOND TIME. WHEN THE PROBLEM RETURNED A THIRD TIME, A YEAR LATER, THE DEALERSHIP STATED THE MANUFACTURER AUTHORIZED REPAIR WAS LUBING THE STEERING COLUMN.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING COLUMN MADE A POPPING SOUND AND THERE WAS SLACK IN THE STEERING. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE STEERING SHAFT IN MARCH 2006, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH COMING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE THE STEERING SYSTEM STARTED MAKING NOISES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO ORDERED THE PART TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THREE MONTHS LATER THE PART ARRIVED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE FOR TWO MONTHS THE NOISE REOCCURRED WORST BECAUSE IT OCCURRED AT ANY SPEED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN FOUR TIMES TO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS BUT NONE OF THEM HAS BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.
LOOSE STEERING COMPONENTS ON 3 GM VEHICLES I OWN. DEALER REPLACED ONCE AT 7000 MILES. PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN AT 14,000 MILES. SAME PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED ON MY 2005 CADILLAC ESCALADE AND 2003 CHEVROLET SUBURBAN. EVIDENCED BY LOUD CLUNK WHEN DRIVING. LOOSE STEERING COMPONENTS COULD LEAD TO FAILURE. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT HE HAD ORDERED OVER 150 OF THE SAME COMPONENTS AT THE TIME OF FIRST REPLACEMENT. GM REFUSES TO REPLACE COMPONENTS, INSTEAD PACKING WITH GREASE AS A TEMPORARY FIX. PROBLEM WILL BE ON GOING UNTIL SUB-STANDARD PARTS ARE REPLACED. *NM
THE TRUCK LOSES POWER STEERING ASSIST IN SLOW TURNING MANEUVERS THERE WERE NO EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT ABOUT 2000 MILES AND HAS PERSISTED TO 20,000 MILES. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED OVER 25 TIMES. THE DEALERSHIP HAS REPLACED THE STEERING GEAR 2 TIMES, THE POWER STEERING PUMP, THE HOSES FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP, THE HYDRAULIC VACUUM ASSIST 2 TIMES AND THEN PLACED A MANUAL VACUUM ASSIST THE THIRD TIME WHICH IS NOT ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT, THEY HAVE REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL FOR THE VACUUM ASSIST 3 TIMES AND MOST RECENTLY REPLACED THE ELECTRONIC FUSE CONTROL FOR THE VACUUM ASSIST. *NM
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
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