During a three point turn, the power turned off the car completely for a brief few seconds on the screens and the steering wheel locked. Was able to straighten it and all power was back on immediately. Stabilitrak warning has come out on the dash a few times. There seems to be a sudden power loss till the wheel is straightened. Luckily no one was behind, but this has happened a few times when turning.
Chevrolet Colorado steering lock-up problems
51 of the 3,667 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Colorado describe steering wheel locks up, most of them for the 2016 model year.
- owner complaints
- 51
- worst model year
- 2016
- typical mileage
- 72,000
By model year
Often reported together
Engine failure 16Power steering loss 10Stalling 3Loss of power 3Jerking 2Won't shift 1Pulling 1
Trouble codes mentioned
C0545 2U0420 1U0101 1U0073 1
What owners say
September 18 2026 I was driving with my 3 grand kids in the truck when coming into a right curve the steering locked up causing me to go into on coming traffic. I yanked hard right and got it back in the lane. Felt like the truck cut off, pulled off side of the road looked it over didn’t see anything wrong checked the steering seemed ok. Drove slow got my grandkids dropped off had a 15 min ride home, did it again. Don’t feel safe driving it. Waiting for answers
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, or while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel locked up, and excessive force was needed while steering the vehicle. The "Stabili-trak - Caution When Driving" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure started intermittently but became more frequent. Recently, upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was pulling to the left, making it increasingly difficult to operate the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact left a voice message. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V213000 (Steering); but the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel locked. The message "Stabili-trak - Caution When Driving" was displayed. The contact stated that during the failure, the contact had to pull over to the side of the road almost every month. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that there would be a charge for a diagnostic test. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
My steering failed. I was driving under 30 mph and my steering locked up and I was presented with a Service notification "Stabilitrak". I can not turn my wheel and was not able to go down my driveway.
When the truck is driven there are times at random that the steering wheel locks into place while driving at any speed on the road. This warrants me to slowly try and get the car off the road to shut it down and restart it and then the steering goes back to normal. This has happened multiple different times on different days. This has not happened on the highway yet, but if this occurs while driving on the highway this poses a huge risk for an accident to occur. Chevy has had this similar recall on previous 2015s and it seems that 2016 owners are complaining about this issue but it is yet to be a recall.
While driving with my wife and granddaughter we were getting off the freeway making a left turn to head into Nashville and the steering wheel locked up and would not allow me to turn the wheels. The dash board flashed and had to force it over to the right side of the road. The steering wheel locked up while making teh turn almost caused me to fill the truck and crash into other vehicles making the same left turn we were. We called roadside assistants with onstar and had it towed to teh nearest chevrolet dealer. The dealer then waited 3 days before looking at the vehicle. They at first said they could not recreat the issue but then the next day said the steering gear was bad and should be replaced. When I advised them I had an extended warranty they would get back to me. Then the next day Thursday Aug 14 they then again said it could not be recreated and they did not want the warranty company to deny it. It currently still sits at Carl Black Chevrolet. Problem first appeared Sat aug 9th. I am set to pick it up tomorrow Aug 16th as of yet nothing has been done to correct the issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado. The contact stated that while attempting to make a right turn into the driveway at the residence, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to turn, causing the vehicle to strike a tree. The stabili-trac warning light was illuminated. Neither the dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 104,000.
My 2016 Colorado is having a power steering failure identical to the 2015 recall. Recall #16V054000 (issued February 2016) covered 2015 Colorados and Canyons with the same type of electric power steering (EPS) gear assembly prone to internal corrosion. Exact failure symptoms: Sudden stiff steering, steering wheel locks/stiffens “Service power steering” or “Stabilitrak” warnings DTC codes like U0073, U0101, C0545, etc. Defective part: Original gear assembly: GM part #23228020 Revised torque sensor cover kit (to prevent corrosion): GM part #84344239 The vehicle has been taken to the dealership in January when this failure first occured. The dealer claimed it was due to the corroded negative battery cable. I explained that this was a known issue and a recall had been issued for the same part on the 2015 model. They refused to investigate further. On 07/14/2025 the issue resumed and repeated after restarting the vehicle till it reset no more and remained without power steering. I dropped off the vehicle and one rep informed me that this issue was due to wear and tear and that my vehicle was not on the list of recalls. I spoke to a supervisor and he said they would look into it but it did not sound promising.
I believe there should be a recall for the KNOWN chafing issues for the engine wire harness. This happened to my truck this past year around September/November of 2024 and didn't get a fix until June 25. There are TSB's out for other models as well as mine regarding the wire chaffing. it shorts out intermittently and cause all kinds of warning lights to go off, (check stabilitrak, check 4x4, etc) the vehicle usually did a bunch of stop and go jerks when it would do this then go into limp mode. I even had it stall completely on me and the steering wheel locked up. I think they had to disconnect the battery or something to get the key out. I've been on several different forum pages trying to find the issue and I have seen it happen on relatively new vehicles as well. Lucky for them they are under warranty but dealers still giving them a hard time on this issue. I believe this poses a safety issue and there should be a recall on this. Besides that, no one should have a perfectly good vehicle and have to pay 4000-7000 dollars to replace a wire harness because of a manufacturer design defect which seems will eventually cause this issue though it had happened on newer models as well. the bulletin #specific to my vehicle is PIT5626D but there are other bulletins for other engines/models
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon vehicles. The power steering assist may be lost due to a poor electrical connection within the steering gear assembly.
- Risk
- A loss of power steering, particularly at lower speeds increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace steering gear torque sensor cover assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 6, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, and GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N202325410.
Recall number 21V213000 · Recall details
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 6, 2015, to March 17, 2015, and 2015 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 6, 2015, to March 19, 2015. A poor electrical connection within the steering gear connector may cause a loss of power steering assist.
- Risk
- A loss or reduction in power steering assist may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear torque sensor cover assembly, free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 15595.
Recall number 16V054000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Colorado steering lock-up
Which Chevrolet Colorado years have steering wheel locks up problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2016 (19 complaints), 2015 (17 complaints) and 2017 (5 complaints).
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