Vehicle lost power. Pulled into parking lot steering wheel locked. Tried to restart truck nothing happened. Took to dealer they said motor needed to be replaced and it would take 4 to 6 weeks.
GMC Sierra 1500 steering lock-up problems
52 of the 9,082 owner complaints about the GMC Sierra 1500 describe steering wheel locks up, most of them for the 2014 model year.
- owner complaints
- 52
- worst model year
- 2014
- typical mileage
- 42,000
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Engine failure 19Loss of power 8Stalling 5Power steering loss 4Warning lights 3Jerking 3Check engine light 3No deployment 2
Trouble codes mentioned
U0131 1
What owners say
power steering locked up while driving. multiple dash lights turned on, on its own after the issue, 4wd, emergency brake, abs, and other ones im not sure what they are. took it to the dealership for a recall and told them the issue that happened.
power steering locked up while driving. has been inspected and repaired by manufacturer. recall.
16 year old was driving down the interstate, Truck stopped accelerating out of no where and lost speed while in the middle lane. Steering wheel locked up, Car showed Oil pressure issue. Was told to shift to Neutral and restart. Barely made it to the shoulder. App showed only a battery issue and no other alerts. Thankful we did not get hit as cars were flying by on either side on the interstate. Could have been a serious accident. The dealership confirmed that the engine needed to be replaced. Truck had full 50,000 Mile service recently. Also, had passed the GM recall and were told the engine wasn't effected 9/20/25. No warning lights or issues prior. Completely out of the blue.
Loss of steering, erratic steering control. Steering locks up
Driving in town going 20mph and the truck shut down not allowing for braking or gas and the steering locked up. Placed the vehicle in neutral, shut the truck off and turned it back. Was able to continue driving. Attempted to have the dealership we bought it from run a diagnostic and the battery was replaced but it continues to shut down at random times. Took the truck to a local auto shop after this happened again, another diagnostic was run, I am waiting the report to confirm what was done.
The contact owns a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and coming to a stop, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to make a turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
the steering assist fails, Power and steering is reduced at driving speeds. Steering wheel locks and vehicle looses voltage and stalls while driving at low speeds and have been close to collision. Vehicle was inspected by Group One Gmc in el Paso Texas. They did not fix recall because it "did not pertain to my vin" . There is a recall for the steering assist on all gmc 2015 1500, but not for my gmc 2015 1500 for some reason. Whether it was manufactured in the us or the moon its still a gmc 2015 1500 with faulty steering assist system from the manufacturer with an open recall. Thanks for your help
Truck randomly shuts off and steering wheel locks up going down the road
My 2019 GMC Sierra Denali shut off suddenly while I was stopped in traffic. The engine died, the steering wheel locked, and the dashboard displayed warning messages including “ESC,” “power,” and another I didn’t catch. The truck would not restart despite attempts. The check engine light is now on. This happened without warning, and I had no prior mechanical issues. The vehicle is well maintained, garage-kept, and recently received a full service including oil change, brake work, and 75K-mile recommended service. I fear this is related to a known issue affecting other GMC engines under investigation for sudden power loss.
Related recalls
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 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 vehicles. The vehicles may have a temporary loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist, especially during low-speed turning maneuvers.
- Risk
- If EPS assist is lost and then returns, the driver might lose temporary control of the steering wheel, 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 on August 10, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑432‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 17276.
Recall number 17V414000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Sierra 1500 steering lock-up
Which GMC Sierra 1500 years have steering wheel locks up problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2014 (15 complaints), 2017 (8 complaints) and 2021 (7 complaints).
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