As I was driving 75 mph down the highway my collision alert flashed all my lights turned off, including my headlights and all interior lights as it was dark time and they flashed back on a couple of times until they finally stayed on. I pulled over and as I came to zero, speed, the vehicle completely shut down. It did start back up, but this is not the first time I get a light on my dash that says stability track and then everything resets and I don’t have any lights on at all after that this has been happening off and on I also have three coworkers that have the same make, and year that experienced the same problems ! My situation on the highway was very dangerous. It was pitched dark outside and I lost vision due to my lights going off at 75 mph and my steering wheel also locking up. The next time the vehicle does it I will take a video for proof. I have heard that this problem is very common in these vehicles and believe something should be done because that is a dangerous situation if I was going around a corner and my steering wheel locked up, I could easily flip my car. I have small children that’s why I have the big space but we need safety for our family.
Chevrolet Suburban steering lock-up problems
27 of the 8,048 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Suburban describe steering wheel locks up, most of them for the 2015 model year.
- owner complaints
- 27
- worst model year
- 2015
- typical mileage
- 89,139
By model year
- 20241
- 20181
- 20164
- 20158
- 20122
- 20072
- 20051
- 20041
- 20022
- 20011
- 19993
- 19971
Often reported together
Engine failure 8Power steering loss 4Loss of power 4Warning lights 1Pulling 1Oil consumption 1Jerking 1Headlights 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel locked at an angle, and the message "Power Steering Not Active" was displayed, causing the vehicle to strike a curb. The steering column, control arm, radiator, fender, and wheel were significantly damaged due to the incident. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and an investigation was completed. The failure mileage was 58,277.
When driving the vehicle and when turning the steering wheel in reverse or pulling forward while turning the steering wheel. The dashboard will display a stability warning and the vehicle turns off and the steering wheel locks. It has happened two times in the last year and twice in 2023
Vehicle lost power steering turning a tight left into a parking space at a low speed on 5/18/2024. A second later, the engine and all electrical in the vehicle went dead. The steering locked and nothing electrical in the vehicle was functional. Based on the online information and comments found, this is a significant problem with the 2015 Suburban. The GMC recall number is 14743. The recall was for replacement of the power steering assist motor kit. When I look up my vehicle on the recall listing there are no recalls for my vehicle. There is an obvious problem which is effecting these vehicles and dealers shouldn't question the safety implications of steering and engine failure while the vehicle is moving.
The power steering locks up at random times while I am driving my vehicle. It seems to be temporary loss of power steering because it eventually starts working again. It feels almost impossible to turn the car when this happens. I searched online and found there had been a recall on the EPS (Electric Power Steering) for this exact issue. I called the local dealership, they told me after searching my vin that the recall had already taken place in 2019. The repair or recall that was done did not fix the problem.
I have three occasions where I have been turning and my steering wheel locks up and is very hard to turn. I almost crashed twice. I have three young children in the car. I could not get out of the way fast enough but luckily avoided a crash.
So my 2015 when I’m slow drive 5mph give it take the steering wheel locks up parking assist lights come on my ac turns off and my screen shuts down
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist. The contact stated that the failure was only experienced whenever the vehicle was slowed to approximately 5 MPH. During the failure, the steering wheel locked up. The contact stated that after shifting into REVERSE the vehicle would return to normal operation. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 250,000.
At low speeds while steering, the steering wheel locks up for 1 or 2 seconds causing the vehicle to drive in an unintended direction. This is sometimes accompanied by the electrical system rebooting, and sometimes, there is no warnings at all. It has happened to us 4 times in the last six months. The dealer has had the car twice and is unable to reproduce or diagnose. In addition, sometimes the car has rebooted while driving 60 mph on highways. When this happens, it has engaged cruise control at least three times. I don't view this as unsafe as the steering description given above.
This has happened at least 10 different times within a month. First time I was parked and when I went to put the vehicle in drive, I tried to turn steering wheel and it seemed to lock up and all the lights started to flicker. After about a second it allowed me to use steering wheel. This seems to happen at a very slow speed. When I drive through at restaraunts, the steering wheel locks up. The radio will quit playing. If I turn off the vehicle and restart it the radio will work once again. When the vehicle does this, none of the turning signals work.
Related recalls
Steering: steering control module
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles. A software issue may cause a loss of power steering assist at startup or while driving.
- Risk
- Increased steering effort, particularly at lower speeds, increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- The power steering module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 13, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020; Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006; or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is N212333900.
Recall number 21V455000 · Recall details
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Sierra 1500 and Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade vehicles. Electric power steering (EPS) assist may be lost momentarily, followed by a sudden return of EPS assist.
- Risk
- If EPS assist is lost and then suddenly returns, the driver may have difficulty steering the vehicle, especially at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the EPS module software, free of charge. The recall began October 12, 2018. Owners may contact Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 and GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 18289.
Recall number 18V586000 · Recall details
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra, and Yukon XL vehicles, equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Due to a problem with the EPS module, the affected vehicles may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist during vehicle operation.
- Risk
- An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering assist motor kit, free of charge. The recall began on November 17, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), or 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14743.
Recall number 14V719000 · Recall details
Steering: gear box: shaft pitman
- What is wrong
- General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2012 chevrolet express and suburban vehicles, and gmc savana and yukon xl heavy duty vehicles. The steering gear pitman shaft may not have been adequately hardened and could fracture.
- Risk
- If this condition occurs, a loss of steering could result, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Gm will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the steering gear and, if necessary, replace the steering gear pitman shaft. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on april 4, 2012.
Recall number 12V112000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Suburban steering lock-up
Which Chevrolet Suburban years have steering wheel locks up problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2015 (8 complaints), 2016 (4 complaints) and 1999 (3 complaints).
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