2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 steering problems

Filed Sep 15, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · MI

While driving I lost the power steering on the vehicle. I took my truck to a chevy dealership and scheduled an appointment for the following day. I research the problem and found that there was a Customer Satisfaction Program bulletin (N252515590) issued covering this specific issue for my trucks model year but it did not cover my specific VIN. I contacted Chevrolet Customer Assistance and they told me to file a complaint with the federal safety agency.

Filed Sep 8, 2026 · Electrical, Lights · MD

Body to frame ground cables corroded in half two different times within about 6 months. First time engine wouldn’t start had to have it towed to dealer for repair, over 30 codes were shown when this happened. Next incident some of my lights were working intermittently and my steering was rendered inoperable for 20 to 30 seconds at a time making it impossible to steer the vehicle, several codes were found when this happened, I drove the truck to a Chevrolet dealer for repair. Both repairs were deemed to be corroded ground cables. Chevrolet has a “customer appreciation program” covering 2019-2024 Silverado trucks but for some reason my VIN number doesn’t land in the program even though it has the same issues that are covered for the other silverados.

Filed Aug 28, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · MI

On July 22, 2026 took truck to dealership for oil change and reported getting random (trailer brake, power steering) service alarms. Was told it might be a ground strap issue and was sent on my way. After investigating, there is a GM service bulletin (#23-NA-201) on the issue but does not cover my truck. After a week of vacation, began driving truck again and alarms became more frequent, including loss of power steering and jerking of steering wheel while driving. Arranged with dealership to replace the ground strap (at my expense). By the time they could schedule, the alarms were constant and the truck had completely lost power steering. One of the power steering failures nearly resulted in an accident while turning.

Filed Mar 20, 2026 · Acceleration, Brakes · IL

Intermittent issue where info says brake failure/steering assist not working/limited speed to 43 mph. Very dangerous if you’re on the interstate. Becomes hard to steer, brakes don’t work, brakes start burning up. Have to carry tools with me to reset ecm. Very common problem with Silverado with 5.3 gas engine. Chevy needs to fix this issue before someone gets killed. I would give them my truck back if I could.

Filed Feb 19, 2026 · Steering · AL

In several situations, I have lost partial or complete power steering ability. Once, while driving, I recieved a SERVICE ESC message and steering became quite difficult. Another time, power steering was completely gone, making steering impossible, although every other aspect of the vehicle operated normally. In both instances, there was no clear issue and after some time with the vehicle parked and off, it would return to normal. Possible loss of power steering unexpectedly is a serious concern at this point.

Filed Dec 14, 2025 · Steering · NY

Intermittent and sudden loss of power steering. The only message displayed briefly then went out was “service trailer brake controller”. Brought vehicle to Dealership. The grounding strap behind the front right wheel that goes to the frame (Earth Strap) was rotted. This seams to be a very common problem with this model truck and is dangerous.

Filed Dec 9, 2025 · Steering · MI

On Sunday Nov. 16th, my steering wheel felt like it was "slipping", akin to how it feels when your serpentine belt tensioner is failing. I checked it out while wife turned the wheel, didn't see any problem, and we went on our way. Later in the day as we were leaving a parking lot, the problem occurred again but worse. And we got a warning about trailer brake controller needs repair. After reviewing similar problems on Reddit, I found it was still safe to drive, so we drove home without further incident. Monday I decided to take it to O'Reilly auto parts and have a code scan done. Except, as soon as I turned out of the driveway, my wheel completely froze up solid. I could NOT move the wheel (q2)! Since the wheel was still turned, I backed it into the driveway and we took our car to buy our own code scanner. It showed more than just one fault code for the brakes, there were 5. I called Fox Chevrolet to schedule al appointment for the next day. Fortunately, the failure occurred as the Advisor attempted to turn the wheel (q3). Long story short: problem was a rusted/rotted out ground wire (q1)! Behind the front driver side tire, encased in a boot. Tech told the Advisor he'd never seen that one before. $40 part, and $400 to install it (q4). I was happy it wasn't a power steering rack failure (electric) but the more I thought about it, felt I needed to report this. You needed a dealer scanner to catch this and trace it to a ground fault. Probably better for you to contact dealer Advisor and Tech to get a better breakdown on this (q1). Dealer was great, they could have sold me an $1800 steering rack and I'd have never known. Could this failure have happened to someone driving on the street and this pop up all of a sudden (q2)? I believe so. Glad I didn't find out firsthand. The problem went away overnight twice, and then all of a sudden your wheel is LOCKED. I'm curious as to if others are or have faced this, thus my submittal. Thanks for your time.

Filed Dec 8, 2025 · Steering · NY

Sudden intermittent loss of power steering, issue confirmed by Chevy Dealership. No warning lights were displayed.

Filed Oct 31, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · NY

While driving on a residential side street my 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (81,996 miles) suddenly lost power steering and braking with no waring. Several messages appeared in the dash and the check engine light illuminated. I was able get the vehicle safely to the shoulder and put in park without power steering or brakes. At this point the engine stalled and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the nearest Chevy dealer on 10/29/2025. The technician verified the loss of power steering, brakes, and several other codes and diagnosed the issue as corroded engine grounding straps per GM bulletin #23-NA-201. The grounding straps were replaced and the codes cleared. The technician test drove the vehicle and verified normal operation after the repair. I was responsible for paying the full cost of these repairs as my vehicle was out of warranty. I feel incredibly fortunate that this happened on a residential side street with no traffic. Had this failure happened on the expressway while pulling my 4,000 lb trailer, this could have been a fatal accident if I suddenly lost power steering, brakes and had the engine stall like it did. I see multiple complaints for this issue on the federal safety agency website and the GM TSB for this issue dates back to 2023. I am shocked that this is not a nationwide recall yet. It is a significant safety threat to the driver and others. I also know this is not an isolated incident, as my service advisor at the dealer suggested it was probably the grounding straps before the technician even inspected my vehicle. It was pretty clear from our conversation that I was not the first vehicle they had repaired with this issue.

Filed Oct 27, 2025 · Brakes, Steering · 104,000 miles · KS

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving 71 MPH with cruise control engaged, the vehicle experienced braking and power steering failure. The Traction Control, Brake, Parking, Antilock Braking System, Electronic Fuel Control, and Check Engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the Brake Assist failure, Steering failure, and Trailer Brake failure messages were displayed. The contact shifted into neutral and coasted over to the side of the road. After turning off the vehicle for approximately an hour, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove 40 MPH back to the residence. The contact stated that after the failure, the vehicle had to be shifted into neutral, and then the parking brake was activated to come to a stop. The contact stated that a diagnostic test confirmed the steering and brake failures. The contact used a diagnostic tool to retrieve DTC: C0580. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer, but the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact discovered information related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V116000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.