NHTSA Complaint #11308796 — 2016 GMC SIERRA 1500

ON 02/12/2020, I WAS TURNING TURNING TO PARK IN A PARKING SPOT AT WORK WHEN THE RADIO AND OTHER ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SHUT DOWN, AND THE STEERING WHEEL JERKED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I TEMPORARILY LOSS CONTROL OF MY OWN STEERING WHEEL. THIS OCCURRED 3 TIMES WHILE TRYING TO PARK. IN ADDITION, A MESSAGE ABOUT STABILITRACK APPEARED. IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT GM HAS RECALLED OVER 1,700,000 VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME POWER STEERING ISSUE STATING THAT OWNERS WILL LOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. SEE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V586. GM'S OWN NUMBER FOR THIS RECALL IS 18289. HOWEVER, GM HAS ONLY INCLUDED CERTAIN VEHICLES IN THIS RECALL, MAINLY 2014 AND 2015. MY 2016 GMC SIERRA 1500 IS CURRENTLY NOT INCLUDED IN GM'S RECALL EVEN THOUGH THE SAME POWER STEERING PROBLEM IS OCCURRING. ACCORDING TO A NOTICE PUBLISHED WITH THE NHTSC, THE TRUCKS MAY EXPERIENCE A TEMPORARY LOSS OF ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS) ASSIST FOLLOWED BY A SUDDEN RETURN OF EPS ASSIST. THE ISSUE, GM SAYS, OCCURS TYPICALLY DURING LOW-SPEED TURNING MANEUVERS. IF EPS ASSIST IS LOST AND SUDDENLY RETURNED, THE DRIVER COULD LOSE TEMPORARY CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. GM SAYS IT FIRST BECAME AWARE OF THE ISSUE IN FEB. 2017 AFTER RECEIVING CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO LOSS OF EPS. TESTS CONDUCTED BETWEEN APRIL AND MAY FOUND THAT SOME OF THE VEHICLES CONTAINED ELECTRICAL ISSUES THAT COULD CAUSE LOSS OF EPS. THE CARMAKER WAS TO CONTACT AFFECTED OWNERS & DEALERS WILL PERFORM A REFLASH OF THE EPS MODULE SOFTWARE. GM STATED THAT NEWER VEHICLES CONTAINED RECALIBRATED SOFTWARE AND WILL NOT HAVE THIS ISSUE. GM IS INCORRECT IN IT ASSESSMENT SINCE I HAVE JUST EXPERIENCED THE SAME POWER STEERING ISSUE IN MY 2016 SIERRA, & NOW THE DEALER DOES NOT WANT TO REPAIR THE ISSUE SINCE THERE IS NO GM RECALL ON 2016S. THERE IS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM WITH POWER STEERING ON 2016S.