Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I just replaced the battery in my 2004 chevy Silverado 1500 with only 97,000 miles on it, and i went to drive it down the road and the vehicle now loses power and cuts off making a left turn.. It did this twice and i parked it.. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE in my opinion.. PLEASE investigate the issue and report back to me please..
The loss of steering caused my 2004 Silverado 1500 to veer to the left side of the highway while going straight. The vehicle continued veering to the left, despite me trying to gain control of it. The vehicle left the highway and entered a sandy field. I applied brakes with all of my foot force, but the truck seemed not to slow up any. The vehicle was now headed towards a wooded area. The truck suddenly came to a sudden halt when it impacted with a big pine tree. The airbags exploded against my arms as I used them to shield my face. I suddenly noticed smoke coming from under the hood. I grabbed my purse and hurriedly vacated the vehicle. I called 911 after getting far enough from the smoking truck. I suffered back and neck pain. I had dizzy spells, because my head felt like a humongous basketball. I am fortunate that I did not loose my life. …
I started to notice my brakes and steering components are very unsafe, my steering wheel has to much play, something inside the steering makes a loud clunking noise when I hit a bump, the brakes don?t operate correctly, the truck shakes and makes the steering very difficult to control when applying the brakes due to the shaking and vibration. I was told it might be leaking hydraulic fluid. But to sum it all up today on 06-02-2020, I realized the truck is only getting worse and getting harder to steer and the brakes cause the steering to make it even harder to drive with all the shaking and pulling to the side and also I noticed the brake pedal will be really hard at times and then really light at times.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was impossible to steer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000....updated 05-10-16 the consumer stated the column link disengaged from the gear box and he lost total ability to steer the vehicle. The consumer had the vehicle towed and re-attached the column to the gear box correctly. Updated 05/16/16.
I am trying to avoid injuries before they happen by contacting you about a steering defect in a 2004 Chevy Silverado pickup with only 34 thousand miles that I purchased on sept. 25, 2008 and noticed that there was something loose in the steering . I did a search on the internet to see if there were other people having the same problem and found out that there were almost 100 people just on this one site ( www.carcomplaints.com ) having the same problems with trucks built from 2002 and 2006. This seems to be a very dangerous situation and GM refuses to do a recall to correct the problem and there is no way to permanently fix these trucks without doing a recall and changing the steering boxes. There are probably thousands or more of these trucks out there on the highways. I just paid $11,000. For my truck and probably won't even be able to get it state inspected when it comes due. …
I was exiting a highway traveling 35-40 miles per hour. The road had a slight turn to the right with a small puddle of water in the middle of the turn. When I hit the puddle my truck began to fishtail. I first thought I was hydroplaining but when I tried to do corrective steering nothing was working. The swerving got more and more violent and move the truck through 3 lanes of possible on coming traffic. When I reached the berm on the other side of the road there was a loud bang and my truck canto a sudden stop. I thought that I hit the guardrail and when I looked in my rear view mirror I saw May spare tire which was mounted under the bed of my truck laying on the ground behind me. I exited my truck and saw I never hit the guardrail and the loud bang was when the tire brook free and bent out my rear fender. …
Electrical problem: rear passenger doors & lift gate not locking, driver & passenger mirrors reposition to reverse mode when in driving mode. When in reverse mode mirrors reposition to driving mode. When driving I have set the doors to lock out of park position however, only the two front doors driver and passenger doors lock. The two rear passenger doors and lift gate remains unlock while in the driving mode. I have taken the vehicle for service and was told that the correction was made involving the vehicle being re-program at a cost of $150.00 and was required to leave the vehicle for the technician for about half the day. The repairs made turned out to be a temporary fix that only lasted two months before the same symptoms returned again. …
Took the truck to the Chevy dealership for pulsating brakes and a weird 'clunking' noise/feel in the steering when cornering. They replaced the rotor assembly, but never located the cause of the steering issue. This issue has continued to this day. Last week I met another Chevy Silverado owner who had experienced the same problem and had received a recall on this issue. I've never been notified nor have I seen the bulletin on this site (he recommended this site to obtain the data). His vehicle was the same make & model, but one year older (mine is a 2004). This 'clunking' noise/feel is consistent when turning corners in either direction. It effects the performance feel of the vehicle. And leaves us wondering if the steering box is about to fall apart at any moment. Please advise if recall has in fact been issued for this make & model year.
There has always been a knocking noise, that can be felt in the steering and brake pedal. The dealer replaced a shaft that connected to the steering sector. The fix corrected it for a while. The problem came back. I went back to the dealer and was told the part needed to be removed and greased every 15000 miles. I said ,why does it not have grease fittings? Over the last 10 years I have talked to numerous people who have the same problem. I sent GM an e-mail about this problem, never got an answer. I do get letters from GM wanting me trade for a new one. Why pay $40 to $50 thousand for a vehicle that the manufacturer wont stand behind? [redacted]
Tl contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. While driving 25-30 MPH, the rear passenger side tire blew out. When the contact retrieved the spare tire, it was rusted to the cable hoist and could not be removed. She was informed by a mechanic that the cables must be cut to remove the rusted spare tire. The manufacturer advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer from where it was purchased and have them diagnose the failure. The contact filed complaint number 71-620509185 with general motors. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 25,371 and failure mileage was 25,351. Updated 05/05/08. The intermediate shaft was replaced, due to a noise being heard in the front of the vehicle. Updated 05/05/08.
Steering complaints in other Silverado 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500?
NHTSA has 75 complaints about the steering of the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, 9% of the model year's 797 complaints. The component named most often is column (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 32% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.