Hey guys, got an issue I am taking my truck in for tomorrow yet after reading some threads online, starting to get concerned. Truck has a great bit of play/slop in the steering. Truck is a 2016 Denali 2500 with the electronic steering assist. At first I thought it was just the roads, how they slant ya know, but going straight down the road at low speeds, the wheel is super loose, can go left to right about 8" and truck drives straight down the road.. on highway, gotta keep it pinned at 10 or 2 to keep it straight. With a trailer hooked up its even worse. The best part, 5500 miles!
Dropped it off, service guy said it could be weeks to month. National back order on the gear box, and that isn't the promised solution. Just a quick fix. Oh what to do....
I've gone through multiple threads. Most I'm seeing are a new gear box, and a few are getting new centrelinks. Service hasn't told me what mine is yet, just the part is going to be a while. I don't mind warranty fixes happening, yet if this same issue is repetitive and GM doesn't have a solution for it, that's when shits going to hit the fan.
I hope the box they replace it with has the problem fixed, otherwise I'll have to take it back in another 5000-7000 miles
I have to imagine it won't be long until this makes someone drive into something or someone, might be cheaper for GM to pay those lawsuits than fix all the trucks
I hope the box they replace it with has the problem fixed, otherwise I'll have to take it back in another 5000-7000 miles
I have to imagine it won't be long until this makes someone drive into something or someone, might be cheaper for GM to pay those lawsuits than fix all the trucks
I've got a great service department where I bought from, they do quality work and my advisor already stated "it's not looking good, this issue could really set the GM HDs back". He stated to go ahead and begin contact with GM service employees just to have it on record, so if this issue keeps occurring you have a case on your hands, if ever needed to file for a buy back or lemon law
Update: trucks now been at the dealer for a full week. It's getting the entire steering gear box, part is still on national backorder, they do not even have a projected ship date for the parts yet. Not really sure what to .
Update: The GM of my dealership called and said there is a new part being manufactured with stronger components to fix the issue. The issue is an electronic controller shaft within the steering box was not strong enough? GM stated this will resolve the issue. Now if this is true, time will tell. Parts are to suppose shipping from the manufacturer is Boise ID on Monday.
Hope it fixes it. I am taking mine in tomorrow for the first service and I am going to have them look at the steering too. Not real happy with it at this point.
I have never liked the feel of the steering on this truck coming from good steering Toyota trucks. Mine doesn't have what I would call a terrible amount of slack but it has not changed in 20k miles since new. At times going down the freeway it does feel tighter than usual then all of a sudden it's slightly loose. My garage setup is a tight turn in and out with lots of steering left to right so I figure if I had a bad one it would have surfaced by now. It has had a pop noise though when I turn into our office there is a 2" lip of concrete that does make it pop under there if I hit it with wheels slightly turned. Not sure if this is something to be concerned about or not. I have greased the steering 3 times since new. It had no grease that I could see from the factory.
Truck is still under warranty (19,500) so I will monitor this closely.
Until the dealership has had a reasonable opportunity to fix your truck, there is no BBB, lemon law or buy back issue to consider. It looks like GM has a big problem on its hands but they get a chance to try to work it out. This does look like another corporate crime against humanity though. Certainly if it is as wide spread as it looks the NTSB will get into it because few things are as safety critical as steering. You'd think GM would be falling all over themselves to fix this in order to avoid government intervention.
This is not a new technology. GM's implementation is new but others have been doing essentially the same thing for a long time. There is no excuse for the failure.
If it was me in this situation I would be after alternative transportation of equal value while my new truck was laid up. You bought, and GM sold you, transportation. There is an explicit warranty of fitness in the transaction. If you bought food that was inedible, even unhealthy, you would expect to have it replaced or get your money back because in the transaction is the intent that the food is to be eaten and so it is edible. The same applies to your new truck. There is no reason you would buy a truck that isn't safe to drive and it is illegal to sell such a truck.
There is tremendous liability attached to selling a vehicle that is unsafe to drive and loose steering is surely unsafe.
If the dealership is unable to repair the truck to your satisfaction be prepared to act aggressively. First stop should be the BBB since it is the least threatening option and works more "with" the dealership and manufacturer rather than against them. The next step would be the attorney general of your state. They have the clout to apply real pressure. Believe me, manufacturers take lemon laws very seriously. Third would be to file your own law suit. A class action suit would be most threatening to GM but also elicit the most resistance.
It is inexcusable that GM would make this a problem for you but it seems that these days almost all of them act that way.
There are exceptions. BMW sent a tow truck to haul my wife's Mini 400+ miles to the nearest dealership to replace the thermostat. It was home again in 28 hours. It has to have cost them their entire profit on the vehicle to do that but they did it anyway. Some people still care.
Keep in mind that nobody is perfect. GM corporate has to deal with individuals through dealerships and the quality of the service writers, managers and techs is as varied as anything else in life. If you are not getting results from the service department the talk to your salesman. Theoretically the purpose of the service department is to get you to come back again for your next vehicle. If you let your salesman/sales manager know that they are doing the opposite then they may apply a little pressure on your behalf too.
All too often people buy vehicles without considering the service department. The right service manager can make a huge difference in the overall ownership experience.
This is my exact thought, word for word. I have been courteous and understand with my service department to give them a chance. They claim GM has a fix with a NEW part currently being manufactured. If this part is just a bandaid and the issue happens again, I will begin the process of all 3 steps you stated above. I will not have my family in danger due to a faulty steering mechanism. I know you have to be agreesive to get this to fall in your favor.
I was put in a half ton 2wd sierra this morning after asking for a 3/4 ton for work... I'm going on the 2nd week without my truck now. Oh good news, it's suppose to be in the 20s and ice in the DFW this weekend. Yay
Update. After 2.5 weeks finally got my truck back. A new sector shaft was manufactured by GM for the fix. Shipped and installed the next day by service department. Overall happy with my service department for getting it installed so quickly. Hope this is a permanent fix
Good to hear. Sometimes if you just give them a chance they will pull through. There are jerks out there but most service personnel I know are decent folks. Congratulations and Merry Christmas!
On Jul 27 2016 at 6520 miles I had the TSB: PIT5501C done on my truck to correct excessive lash, loose steering wheel, and wheel not centered (alignment). The issue was corrected for a little bit and it came back. The TSB was done again on Oct 29, 2016 at 14321 miles to correct the same issues. The dealer also then order the parts to replace them. The dealer replaced the parts on Nov 09, 2016 at 15217 miles and was corrected. The issue came back and I took back to the dealer on Dec 22, 2016 at 17839 miles at the first sight of the issue which is the steering wheel will not centered. They found that the trucks alignment was off again (caster) and they realigned the truck and said that the previous parts were not loose yet. I went down the road and the steering wheel is still not aligned. One moment the wheel will be pointed slight right to keep the truck straight and then it needs to pointed slight left to keep straight. This is the issue that I have been dealing with. I made a YouTube video (2016 GMC 2500 Steering Issue) showing the steering wheel keeps changing the longer and faster the ride.
Additionally, I noticed that some people say that their steering increases in resistance as they go faster, which is what it is supposed to do. Mine does not do that anymore and instead of having a heavier feel at highway speeds, it is a loose light feeling which is not what you want at speed.
Seems like GM has a real problem on their hands. I expect we will see lots more posts along this line before the problem subsides. If I had one of these truck (oh don't I wish) I would surely keep right on top of this issue and be alerted to any change in feel or centering in the steering.
Perhaps part of the bridge to a real fix is to program out some of the speed sensitivity from the steering. Ultimately you should have it fixed right but I think you can expect at least 2 more trips to the serviced dept. before it is right. The first to verify that it isn't right yet and the second to do the real repair that is in the pipe line at this moment.
Perhaps the thing for others to consider is to not buy a truck with the electric boost option. Just get the old style. After all, it has been good enough for 70 years. For those who are already on the hook, perhaps you should check into your state's lemon laws. Many states say that they have 3 tries to fix it and then they have to buy it back. Beware of attempts to circumvent this law by claiming that it is something different every time. Generally that doesn't matter. Usually there is a total time lost limit too. Document the time the truck is out of your hands.
That was checked and nothing was found. It does not make sense why it is doing what it is. I am going to the dealership this morning to talk about a buy-back / trade-in for an identical 2500 they have. Only difference is that it is a 17. Same options and trim (Denali). I have had to get a lawyer in the past for lemon law issues with Ford and with Kawasaki with the result that i wanted. I got in contact with GM Customer Care through their chat and they said that the buy-back / trade-in is at the dealers discretion. If they are a good dealer then I guess that I will get a good answer today. If not, I guess my lawyer will get a New Years bonus... again. Being a disabled veteran, I have enough issues to deal with, without issues relating to a new truck.
I've noticed a bit more play lately.. Glad I stumbled across this thread. I have a front Cognito leveling kit, think I will get kickback from the dealer about my issue? I have ALWAYS had alignment issues and all the stated symptoms here explain it all.
That idler arm is moving in ways it isn't supposed to. You can see it by watching how the shaft moves in relation to the cross member. It needs an idler arm.
The noise could be looseness in the gear box but that would be unusual. Normally they only make noise when you hit a bump. If it is doing that at a stand still it's more likely to be the pitman arm moving on the shaft. If it is actually inside the box then it is defective.
This isn't new tech. I don't know why GM is suddenly having all this trouble building parts that they have been building for decades.
I wonder where I can get one of the buyback trucks. If it went for cheap I could surely come out ahead by fixing it myself. I have all kinds of unrealistic fantasies. After all, if it is realistic it isn't much of a fantasy.
And here we have a perfect example of why it is a tricky thing to mod a new truck. It could cost you a lot more than the cost of the mod. If the dealer isn't already aware of your leveling kit I suggest you take it off until the truck is fixed. Some dealers will try anything to get out of a warranty claim and into a customer pay repair. They make a little more money that way.
We all know that a simple leveling kit isn't going to ruin a truck's steering and suspension but any excuse will do. A big lift would be an even bigger excuse to deny a claim.
Really hoping this issue doesn't keep occurring. I will be watching it closely. At the next time this occurs I will be bringing this up to my dealership about a buy back or trade in. They also are a dealer for Ford. Idk if that's a smart trade in though...
Just an update: my dealer sent me an email earlier and stated that they put in a request to GM for a payment payback for my truck being in service for 3 weeks. GM ok'd it and they will be sending me a reimbursement check for a month worth of payment on the truck. My dealer stated by me contacting the GM customer service rep via this site GM members reaching out and creating a case for me, it was noticed by GM and they decided it was appropriate.
My dealer also said that they would make a payment for the hassle that I have went through. I told them to hold off until the issue has been resolved. I went to the dealership today and had one of the head techs ride with me and he was able to see that the steering wheel is not centered and that it is not caused by the crown of the road. Yes, getting nity-picky. I also made another video that I will post tomorrow that clearly shows that the wheel is pointed to the right while I am in the right lane. If it were the crown of the road, it would be pointing to the center of the road, all of the time. I mentioned the lemon law to test the waters and they immediately said it was not a safety issue currently. I did not correct them as I want to see how far I can get without a lawyer involved officially. Although it helps, the issue does not have to be safety related to fall under the lemon law. The current course of action is to replace the parts again and do another alignment. Unfortunately, the parts are on back order due to others having the issue and there is no ETA. They said that since I had a case number they were able to escalate it in priority. Lawyer already said that I would be able to file now and most likely reach a settlement without going to court (like I had to do with Ford and Kawasaki) that would be higher then one payment. Told him that I wanted to see what the dealership would offer and do first. Will make sure to update here and on my new YouTube Channel (CyberDef). I am new to YouTube posts so be gentle.
Hey Roadking, have been following this issue on GM Trucks.com since my 16 began spewing Power Steering fluid all over my garage at 450 miles. So far replacing the box seems to be the only solution that works (in leu of Pitman arm replacement, srew adjusting and thread locking, re adjusting ect). Mine was replaced a few weeks ago, and so far as I can tell its worked. I guess time will tell.
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