GM is once again back in the limelight for not recalling vehicles. However, this time it has firm evidence to back up its reasoning and it also has NHTSA in its corner, unlike last time.
So, what’s the rub? Owners of the 2013-2014 Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Malibu have claimed that their steering can stick in one position after driving for a long period of time, according to The New York Times. So far, over 50 owners have filed complains to NHTSA.
Last July, GM sent dealers a service bulletin telling them how to fix the problem– but only on the condition of a customer complaint. The General also alerted customers with a letter last November, saying that the wheel could potentially “stick in the straight-ahead position”.
As it turns out, the problem can be fixed through a simple software update and is covered for 10 years or 150,000 miles from when the vehicle was new.
In an email to The Times, GM spokesperson Alan Adler said a recall was unnecessary.
“Based on a very low rate of occurrence — ranging from less than one half to less than two incidents per thousand vehicles — and the fact that the condition is remedied when the wheel is turned, G.M. determined this was not a safety issue,” he said.
Catherine Howden, a spokesperson for NHTSA, also cemented GM’s claims saying: “based on the bulletin and complaint narratives, the symptoms described would be a brief, perceptible change in steering feel that has little to no effect on the driver’s ability to safely steer the vehicle.”
“When terms like ‘notchy,’ ‘stick,’ ‘slip’ or ‘feel’ are used, it does not indicate a meaningful increase in steering effort,” she added.
Jeff Boyer, GM’s new Global Safety Chief, told reports last year that, “Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers in the vehicles they drive.” Meanwhile, CEO Mary Barra has publicly declared that she wants GM to be “the safest (car company) in the industry.”
At a time of year when luxury car ATP usually rises.
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Please "new" GM stop acting like the "old" GM. If all it takes is a software update to correct the issue why not be pro-active and jump on this? Most people will hear "GM" Steering" and "no recall" and think they are looking at the ignition switch issue all over again. Why not use this kind of situation as an opportunity to show customers that the "new" GM is going to stand behind their products like never before? GM could trumpet that this is a minor non-issue, and that they are not being forced into a recall, but to assuage and feeling of worry by owners hey are going to correct this issue at no cost to the owner.
As an owner I'd feel better about having such an issue corrected rather than being aware of its possibility and wondering if it was going to happen to me. Not that I want to bring up the feature of hydro-locked Series II 3800 V6 engines with their designed to fail EGR plumbing and lousy intake manifold gaskets. How that never rated a recall I'll never know.
As a previous Chevy cobalt owner I can tell you before the ignition there were issues with it not turning also regretting buying another Chevy scared it will be another death trap
Software update doesn't fix the problem according to many owners. But then we are only talking about steering that sticks. Hardly a safety issue, kind of like an ignition that turns off on its own.
From this article, it seems like a rare issue. If it's bigger, then people need to not only report it to the NHTSA, but GM as well. If action should be necessary, then people are being quiet about it, and not reporting it. The NHTSA is also repeating itself just like last time. The NHTSA said the ignition related issue was not an issue, not once, but twice, and look at what happened. It's not just GM, a government safety regulator is once again stating the vehicles are fine. They can alert as many people as possible, and some will still not go. Look at the effort GM has put in to get ignitions fixed, and some still refuse to go, and it's even been all over the news. Another thing, if I was driving, and my steering stuck, I would go get it checked out, not wait for someone to notify me to take it in.
General Manager who is also called authority of the particular companies those who are recalled for safety verification of the vehicles says that there will be no issue for the drivers to maintain safety steering in the vehicle. According to them, safety of the customers is more important than others while they are riding their vehicles.
We had our first complaint of this on a Malibu this week. Customer says it would stick in straight forward position and that it took slightly more pressure on the steering to get the wheel to turn. It started 1 hour into a 18 hour round trip to Calgary and after the first 1/2 hour of dealing with it, he said it really wasn't bothering him as it doesn't stay locked in a straight forward position and it took very little additional effort to turn the wheel. It was more of an annoyance than anything.
If this was any kind of an issue in numbers, the safety commissions would be all over GM to force a recall especially after the last year. When an agency who has used GM as a whipping boy says no recall is required, no recall should be required. People hear "steering locks up" and freak that they can't control the car when in reality it takes just a slight increase in effort and the wheel moves fine. The actions GM is taking is just fine.
By the way, other manufacturers have had issues with electronic steering and haven't had recalls either; they have had service bulletins like this one to repair the issue upon customer complaint.
Thanks for the truth. You posted while I was and posted what the media will not tell.
The bottom line is the cars will steer and stuck is a poor way to describe the issue.
I understand the efficiency savings of using electronic steering instead of hydraulics but this seems like one of those examples of when a product is more high-tech and more complicated, the more likely it is to malfunction. It's scary to think a mere computer software glitch can affect my safety by altering steering wheel behavior.
GM hand other companies had just as many issues with hydralic too. GM has a simalr issue back in the 80's where the power would cut out and you would have nothing but manual steering mid turn.
If it is man made it can fail. the electronic steering has done well and really is nothing new as it was has been around since the first Aurora. It was designed for the Fiero in the 80's but only a few samples that were sneaked out of GM are still around.
GrandAmGT, I hear you but Scott3 is correct. Plus electronic steering also helps you in an emergency situation because the computer can add or subtract assist in working with the stability system to avoid a situation faster than a hydraulic system could; giving you that extra split second which at 60 mph can be 10-20 feet.
True, electronic steering has been around a long time, the difference now is that it's partially computer-controlled apparently. There seems to be an added layer of complexity between the driver and the control wheels now. How long have computers been the "middle man" regarding steering?
to scott3. Thanks for your input. Regarding your example, when the hydraulics cut off, you can still steer the wheel, although it will be much more difficult? With modern electronic steering, if the computer totally fails, does the driver lose all steering control? It seems potentially possible since in the current case the wheel wasn't controlling the car at all for a split second. How difficult would it be to introduce malware that could alter dangerously affect steering?
No the steering still works just with higher effort.
The electric is just a an assist and the computer just controls the effort.
See with power steering it is variable assist electric or hydraulic. In the 60's there was full time power but there was no feel. It was like steering a boat.
Today they vary it In a hydraulic where on center there is less assist and the more you turn the more assist you get.
With Electric they control it more with speed. The faster you go the less assist to give you more feel at speed. Low speed in a parking lot with a lot of turn it will add more assist.
There is always a mechanical connection so even if it goes out the car still steers and unless you are making a tight turn it is not all that hard to pull over or make a lane change.
This is what many people failed to grasp on the ignition issue. Even with the key off the car is still fully steerable and did not lock up. The brakes also still had power assist enough to stop.
Cars in general are pretty fail safe that if a system fails you can normally pull over or stop as long as you are not speeding, drunk or texting on a cell phone.
No power steering will make a higher effort if you are sitting still but driving it is not anywhere as tough.
It has happened many times in racing where a NASCAR stock car will lose it's steering. Earnhardt SR lost his power at the start of a 500 lap race at Bristol but still drove with out it to win the race. He was tired but he had no issue running.
This deal here is rare and if you turn the wheel it is better to call it a stiff spot that may catch you off guard but the power will catch up to it once you turn. It is a hesitation in assist more than anything.
The steering is not Stuck to where you can not turn it.
The legal people like to work together to put things in the media that can help them in future cases and I suspect that part of this story is from them as no matter who published this the wording is the same and stuck is not the proper term for what is happening. But the term stuck can cast a sinister image on GM.
Social media and the web are breeding grounds where the truth can be distorted till it becomes the new truth.
If you can read the book what would Jesus Drive. It is not a religion book but a book on how the legal people and the public relations people duel it out. It is not a GM book but it tell similar happenings at Ford, Chrysler and Nissan. It tells how dirty the media and lawyers can be if a company did or did not make a mistake.
Let's get some clarification here first. The steering is not stuck and the car will still turn.
Now what is happening in rare cases the electric assist is not working at initial turn when on center. This makes for higher effort ontheinitial turn till comes back.
Normally this is just a TSB deal and you never hear about it. But here the lawyers are smelling blood so they attacking.
GM should just bring the cars in just for PR and put the new program in.
Note that this news story no matter who wrote it uses the same verbiage which is a sign of a hit hobby the legal groups.
Umm my steering stuck on a left turn... had to forcibly push it through to make the turn. pulled the car over to the side of the road and there was a sudden notch in the turn if that makes sense.. but I was frightened when I could not make my turn... in traffic.
I think I just recently experienced this. I was sitting with my left turn signal on waiting for traffic to clear in the other lane of a two lane road. When I went to turn on the side street my power steering cut out when I was roughly 45 degrees into the 90 degree turn. It stayed this way for at least a few seconds. Luckily it came back in time for me to get out of the road instead of running over a hydrant and into someone's yard so that I could get out of the road.
How do I find the bulletin from GM?? I would like to produce it to my chevy dealer and get the software program upgrade.
If you think you have this issue, I'd call a GM dealer, and tell them you think there may be a TSB to update the steering system. This site has the bulletin information https://www.automd.com/tsb/bulletin_b386035/.
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/