1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Steering Problems

While parked, you tried to accelerate and suddenly lost the ability to steer your truck. The bolts connecting the steering gearbox to the frame had sheared off, likely due to being over-tightened. The dealer noted the bolts appeared to have been torqued too tightly during assembly or a previous service. Fixing this will require replacing the sheared bolts and reattaching the gearbox with proper torque specifications.

TAKATA RECALL? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT RECALLS WERE MADE ON THIS VEHICLE THAT I MIGHT HAVE MISSED? AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM. MY DEALER WENT OUT OF BUSINESS AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT ANY OF THE RECALLS I AM JUST NOW FINDING OUT ABOUT. THANK YOU.

EXPERIENCE UNANTICIPATED STEERING WHEEL MOVEMENT AT MODERATE SPEEDS (30 TO 55 MPH). STEERING WHEEL "JERKS" UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING, ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIVING ON A CURVED ROADWAY (IN A MODERATE TURN AT SPEED). VEHICLE HAS DONE THIS FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS, BUT PROBLEM HAS PROGRESSED. WHAT DO I DO TO FIX THIS. *TR

I FILED A COMPLAINT ON 12/28/2004 REGARDING THE STEERING BOX BOLTS BREAKING LOOSE AND THE VEHICLE LOSING ALL STEERING CAPABILITY. GENERAL MOTORS WAS AWARE OF A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT IT DID NOT INCLUDE MY VIN. THEY DID PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, BUT ALL THE DID WAS REPLACE THE BOLTS. MAYBE THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE. ON 6/28/12, THE SAME THING HAS HAPPENED AGAIN WITH ALL THREE BOLTS BROKEN AND NO STEERING. I CONTACTED GM . AFTER TWO WEEKS OF CONVERSATIONS WITH GM, THEY ARE REFUSING TO ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM AND ARE ATTRIBUTING THE BOLTS AND STEERING BOX BREAKING TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DETERMINE A CAUSE FOR THE BREAK OTHER THAN THE THREE BOLTS ARE BROKEN IN HALF. I AM LUCKY THAT MY SON WHO WAS DRIVING WAS NOT GOING AT A FASTER SPEED, OR THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A DEADLY CRASH. GM IS NOT WILLING TO LOOK AT THIS FURTHER OR TO PAY TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. THEY ARE RECOMMENDING REPLACING THE BOLTS, THE STEERING BOX, AND THE LOWER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AT MY COST WHICH IS ABOUT $900. I FIRST THINK THEY SHOULD ADMIT THIS IS A PROBLEM HAVING HAPPENED TWICE IN THE SAME VEHICLE AND TO LOOK FURTHER AT WHY THIS HAS HAPPENED. THEY DID HAVE A RECALL OF 99 CHEVY'S WITH THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. THIS VEHICLE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND NOW HAS IT AGAIN. MY CONCERN IS MOSTLY THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE AND WHETHER I WILL LET MY SON CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE ONCE IT IS REPAIRED. THEY SHOULD ALSO PAY TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. *TR

STEERING DIFFICULTLY IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY. MY TRUCK DOES NOT WANT TO TURN TO THE RIGHT. IT STEERS TO THE LEFT FINE. THIS HAS BEEN AN ON-GOING PROBLEM AND I AM NOT SURE WHAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500. WHILE TURNING RIGHT AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY STIFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD EASILY STEER TO THE LEFT BUT STEERING TO THE RIGHT WAS VERY DIFFICULT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 98V242000: STEERING: GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 150,000.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION, THE STEERING LOCKED UP, AND THE STEERING WHEEL COULD NOT BE TURNED TO THE LEFT. THIS WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE THE SOUND OF HYDRAULIC RESISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE. SECOND, A PIECE OF PLASTIC FELL OFF THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. CAUSING THE DRIVER SEAT TO SLIDE FREELY ON THE ADJUSTER TRACK WHEN THE CONTACT SAT IN THE SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THIRD, THE CONTACT REPLACED THE DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS TWICE. THE LIGHTS ONLY WORKED FOR 3 TO 6 MONTHS AT A TIME BEFORE HAVING TO BE REPLACED. THE LIGHTS WERE NOT ADDRESSED BY A DEALER OR A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP. FOURTH, THE HEADLAMP SWITCH CONSTANTLY BECAME EXCESSIVELY HOT DURING OPERATION OF THE HEADLAMPS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN IN FOR INSPECTION OF THE SWITCH. FIFTH, WHEN THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE MODE WAS ENGAGED, THE WHEELS DID NOT TURN INDEPENDENTLY, CAUSING INCREASED EFFORT IN TURNING THE VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM WAS NOT INSPECTED. SIXTH, THE STARTER FAILED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE STARTER, IT WAS NOTICED THAT THE HOUSING WAS CRACKED. A PRIVATE MECHANIC WAS CONSULTED, WHO NOTIFIED THE CONTACT THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. FINALLY, THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT DID NOT FEED ENOUGH TO ALLOW FOR PASSENGER COMFORT WHICH CAUSED THE PASSENGER TO BE ABRAISED BY THE BELT. THE INERTIAL CONTROL SEEMED TO BE INTERMITTENT. THE SEAT BELTS WERE NOT INSPECTED BY EITHER A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP OR A SERVICE DEALER.

STEERING GEAR BOX FAILED. *SLC

INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. THIS HAPPENED MOSTLY AT SLOW SPEEDS. TRUCK HAS BEEN SEEN BY THE DEALERSHIP 8 TIMES. DEALER HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF MY SAFETY DEFECT: THIS PICKUP HAS RECENTLY DEMONSTRATED THE CHARACTERISTIC OF NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN THE FRONT WHEELS OF THE VEHICLE WITH THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM WHEN AT A STOP AND ON OCCASION AT LOW SPEEDS SUCH AS IN A PARKING LOT. I CONSIDER THIS ABNORMALITY TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT IN THE STEERING SYSTEM OF THE VEHICLE. TO DATE, THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO PARKWAY CHEVROLET IN DEER PARK, WA ON FOUR SEPARATE OCCASIONS IN ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE THIS PROBEM. THUS FAR THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. THE FINAL ROAD TEST THE DEALER SERVICE SHOP FOREMAN DEMONSTRATED THE CONTINUATION OF THE PROBLEM. THIS FACT IS DOCUMENTED ON THE LAST SERVICE REPAIR ORDER. THE SHOP FOREMAN AND THE SERVICE MANAGER, KELLY CONNELLY, INFORMED ME THAT THE GM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PEOPLE CONSIDERS THIS ABNORMALITY AS "NORMAL" AS THEY HAVE PERFORMED THEIR PRESCRIBED TESTS, THE RESULTS SHOWING "NORMAL" CONDITIONS AND AFTER ALL, "THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO ONLY OCCUR WHEN NOT ROLLING"! THEREFORE, THEY SAID THAT THEY WILL NOT AUTHORIZE ANY FURTHER WARRANTY WORK. I CONTEND THAT GM NEEDS TO DEVELOP FURTHER TESTS TO ISOLATE THE SOURCE OF THIS PROBLEM WHICH ONLY BEGAN OCCURING AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30,000 MILES OF DRIVING. I HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF DRIVING A VEHICLE WHICH HAS DEMONSTRATED A PROBLEM IN THE COMPUTER CONTROLLED POWER STEERING SYSTEM. AT THIS POINT, CHEVROLET SEEMS TO KNOW THAT A PROBLEM EXISTS BUT ARE UNWILLING TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER WARRANTY WORK ON MY VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THAT THE NHTSA SHOULD BE INFORMED OF THIS SAFETY DEFECT. CHEVROLET IS APPARENTLY UNWILLING TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION OR REPAIR TO THE PROBLEM. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. FOR YOUR REFERENCE, THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE FILE #[XXX] AND THE TECH CASE IS #365437 SHOULD CHEVROLET BE WILLING TO LET YOU REVIEW THESE DOCUMENTS. VERY TRULY YOURS, [XXX]. *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

STEERING WAS HARD TO TURN IN FORWARD AND BACKWARD MONEUVERS. *AK

STEERING SHAFT BEARINGS FAILED CAUSING RATTLE IN STEERING WHEEL. *MJS

WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING WHEEL COLLAPSED.DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED. *AK

WHILE MAKING A TURN RIGHT OR LEFT VEHICLE BINDS AND MAKES A HARD TURN WHICH MAY CAUSE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON WET PAVEMENT, THE BOLT CAME OUT FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, WHICH IS PART OF THE STEERING GEAR BOX, AND CONSUMER LOST CONTROL. CONSUMER HAD TO RUN INTO SOME SNOW INORDER TO BRING VEHICLE TO A STOP. *AK