power steering went out

aschulze112 · April 11, 2014

I bought my truck less than a month ago and put a 4 in suspension lift and 32 in Toyo AT II tires on... I've taken it off road once about 2 weeks ago... haven't had an issue until today... leaving the gas station my power steering randomly went out on me... I tried turning her off and back on in HOPES (really long shot there) that the computer would reboot itself... it didnt.

Almost same thing happened to a buddy's boss' car 2 dayd after he drove it off the lot... anyone else having similar issues?

pm26 · April 11, 2014

It's not meant to be taken off road.

LongrangeLauber · April 11, 2014

Depends on what "off road" means. If it is crawling through a field and not hammering it through a mud hole then I would assume it has nothing to do with it. If it is Baja racing with wheels off the ground and going through mud holes hammer down, then I would say that has a lot to do with it lol

Clean it up underneath and see if you see anything out of place. If its muddy, clean the truck up really good and take it back to the dealer for warranty work

aschulze112 · April 11, 2014

PM26... how is a 4x4 not "meant" to be taken off road????

Rdnckhntr94... it was a couple of buddies and myself rolling through the hills in mud... she got a good bath the next day...I have not seen fluid (Outside Of The The Water Used To Clean it) Under her...

00Silverado4x4 · April 11, 2014

If I recall, the new 14s are electric power steering right? Maybe when you went off road you got some wiring loosened up or some crud in the connections somewhere? If it's still belt driven I would look the belt over real good make sure there's no crud on the belt and causing the belt to slip from time to time.

LongrangeLauber · April 11, 2014

As long as you weren't hauling ass through mud holes then I don't think that its related to your issue.

And I believe pm26 meant what I said. They are made to be taken off road up to a certain point, but off roading will cause premature wear on a lot of parts. Now, it is a brand new truck so I see the issue at hand. But aren't these new trucks completely EPS? They don't have any fluid, or do they?

pm26 · April 11, 2014

PM26... how is a 4x4 not "meant" to be taken off road????

I meant serious off roading or mud bogging. GM apparently has not figured out how to protect sensitive electric steering components from abuse, as they have not been used on off road type vehicles before.

aschulze112 · April 11, 2014

Thanks yall! As it turns out this is an ongoing issue with the 14 GM trucks... There is an issue with the computer and they have to go in and update the software... I was told last week the PS went out on another car as he was driving his truck off the lot

aschulze112 · April 11, 2014

If I recall, the new 14s are electric power steering right? Maybe when you went off road you got some wiring loosened up or some crud in the connections somewhere? If it's still belt driven I would look the belt over real good make sure there's no crud on the belt and causing the belt to slip from time to time.

They do still have fluid, from what I've been told, it is just an enclosed system that you don't have access to... and the belts were the second thing I checked after trying to spot fluid.

Crooks · April 12, 2014

Wait you lifted your truck then put stock size tires on?

TxTruckMan · April 12, 2014

PM26... how is a 4x4 not "meant" to be taken off road????

Rdnckhntr94... it was a couple of buddies and myself rolling through the hills in mud... she got a good bath the next day...I have not seen fluid (Outside Of The The Water Used To Clean it) Under her...

Ignore him. He's a troll that goes around trying to start crap. He doesn't know what he's talking about.

pm26 · April 12, 2014

Here is a short description of the GM EPS system:

Electric Power Steering System

The belt-driven electric power steering system features an integrated electromechanical power steering unit, containing the power steering control module, its sensors, the power steering motor, a belt drive and a ball nut mechanism.

The power steering control module is part of the power steering assist motor assembly and is replaceable as a complete unit independent of the steering gear assembly. The torque sensor is integrated with the steering gear pinion and is serviced as part of the steering gear.

The power steering control module has a software feature referred to as Smooth Road Shake Compensation that reduces steering wheel vibration caused by an imbalance from the front tire/wheel assemblies. The vibration transmitted to the steering wheel is referred to as Smooth Road Shake and is a phenomenon that occurs only at highway speeds and on smooth roads. The power steering control module employs active controls to sense and reduce the periodic torque component applied to the steering wheel caused by the wheel imbalance force. This software feature will compensate for a specific range of imbalance.

In addition to smooth road shake, road crown is compensated for by the steering wheel angle sensor signal, which calculates the intended driving direction. The Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) receives serial data message inputs from the steering wheel angle sensor.

The steering wheel angle sensor does not require centering often. However, if the steering wheel angle sensor is not correctly centered it may create a lead/pull condition. If this condition is encountered, always perform the Steering Angle Sensor Centering procedure in SI before performing a wheel alignment.

It is possible that the steering control module is not sealed adequately to prevent entrance of moisture into the system and subsequent failure.