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.
2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500: loss of power steering
21 of the 797 complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 21
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 55,000
- recalls
- 0
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
I own a 2016 Chevy Silverado 1500 with around 61,000 miles on it. I work from home at the moment so I do not put a lot of miles on the vehicle. I drove the vehicle last on July 5 2025 and it sat in our driveway until July 10 2025. I got into the truck and the dash read “service power steering drive with care” and the power steering would not work and it was very difficult to turn the wheel. I tried starting the truck again and the message still displayed and the loss of power steering became intermittent. The power steering would work briefly and then the steering would lock up become stiff again. I let the truck sit over night and came out the next day in the afternoon to see what it was doing. I started the truck and the message did not display I tried to drive it up and down the road to see if it would come back. I drove for about 5 minutes and parked it back in my driveway and the issue came right back. I’m afraid to drive it completely on any main roads for the fact it might come back while I’m driving and cause me to crash or worse.
Power steering suddenly quit at highway speed. Found a loose negative battery Pole. Tighten it. Then two weeks later it did the same thing at highway speed. No steering at all. Very dangerous at 70 mph on curved roads. Took it to chev dealer truck repair shop. Said the negative cable was bad and an electric motor in the steering housing had an electric short. Able to fix it at $2729!
it is available and the brakes and steering is very stiff my safety no brakes no it hasnt been serviced at a dealership no inspections by dealership they appeared all at once on 10/11/24 no warning lamps
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle made a beeping sound and then intermittently experienced a loss of power steering assist. The Power Steering message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V586000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
Due to multiple electrical issues causes my stabilitrac, lane assist and power steering assist to cut out. After reading multiple forums and speaking to other owners many of these trucks have the same issue and Chevy isn’t addressing at all.
Driving down our road and the truck instantly lost power steering. Got home turned off the truck. Turned it backon and it worked. Each time I turn the vehicle off and turn it on the power steering works for a very brief time and then stops.
Power steering failed for the second time. First time dealer "flashed" ecu and solved the problem. Second time the ecu has been determined to be burned out. Not just burned out but not easily replaceable as it is welded to the rack and pinion steering! According to the VIN on the truck it shouldn't even need the recall. If not, then please tell me what would cause such a catastrophic failure in a vehicle with 26,000 miles on it. Does it take someones' death to be worthy of a recall?
Loss of power steering as described in the notice. This is second time it has occured . First time it happened (2 years ago) truck was with my mechanic for 6 weeks as he tried to "mechanically" fix the problem. Finally, dealership told him they needed to "flash" the computer system in the truck. Mechanic took the truck to dealer whereupon the "flash" procedure was performed, the power steering returned and the truck was given back to me as "fixed"! I have already been involved in 1 life threatening vehicle crash (2017 dodge durango) I'm not doing that again. Helpppppppp! Look it up.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, requiring extra effort while turning the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact shifted into park(P), removed the key from the ignition, and then reinserted the key and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure had been intermittent but recently became constant. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V586000 (Steering). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,900.
Loss of power steering. For no reason and no pattern the power steering goes out. A warning message comes up in the driver info screen saying warning loss of power steering. When it happens it does not come back on until you shut the truck off, open and close the driver door to completely shut the truck off. It takes different lengths of time for it to begin working again. It goes away for a week to a couple of months. It happens under all driving conditions including highway, city, and country driving. Very dangerous because you can barely steer the vehicle. GM needs to stand up and take care of this problem. Others have reported this also.
My service power steering alert came up on my dic and lost power steering. When I got home I shut vehicle off and waited 10 minutes and started vehicle up and message was gone and I had power steering. Drove to work next day and was ok. Just before I arrived home, I got the same message and no power steering again. Same scenario as before, let vehicle sit and restart and everything working. I drove for 4 days and on the 5th day it did it again. I had taken it to a gm dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong. At the time I took it to them, it was not working. They said that the module 'may' be bad or possibly the steering rack is bad. All codes were communication errors. When I got vehicle home, I checked for any loose wires under dash and the power steering came back. I told them that I know prior year trucks had this issue. I told them this and they said that I need to replace the power steering rack at my cost of 2600.00 that the vehicle has 100,000 miles on it and things go bad. I told them that it was highway miles and that shouldn't matter.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Steering
- This informational bulletin instructs the tech when fuel/fluid is needed to be tested and where it can be...
- This service bulletin provides a procedure inspecting for excess grease or Sealant on the Exterior of the...
- This service bulletin provides a vibration analysis worksheet the technician can use in conjunction with...
- Steering
- Steering
- This informational bulletin explains there is another steering hose that can be used for cold weather...
- This technical bulletin provides a procedure to flush and bleed power steering system to correct a power...
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
21 of 797 owner complaints about the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (3%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2014.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
There are 0 recalls and 21 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Jerking 47Loss of power 42Check engine light 35Shudder 34Transmission failure 34Harsh shifting 29Brake failure 25Hesitation 22Stalling 22ABS 21Slipping 20Spongy pedal 19Steering lock-up 15Engine failure 12Headlights 12Grinding brakes 9Fire or smoke 9Fuel pump 8Screen failure 7Overheating 7No deployment 6Knocking 6Won't shift 6Sudden acceleration 6Ball joint 5Fuel leak 5Misfire 5
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