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 2002 GMC Envoy owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 GMC Envoy. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, a tire was on the road and the contact swerved to the left to avoid the object however, the power steering assist failed and the brakes failed to respond. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and flipped approximately ten times and crashed into a guard rail. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was taken to a hospital where there were injuries reported. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 09/05/14 the consumer stated the ignition switch May be the cause of the failure. Updated 12/16/2014
On this model of trailblazers and envoys there is a serious issue with the power steering line cracking on the back side if the steering shaft, causing fluid to spray out and immediate loss of power steering. When this line broke my wife was driving at highway speeds with my 4 kids in the vehicle, and she was barely able to maneuver the vehicle out of traffic to a safe spot, almost causing an accident. I have spoken with many other owners of these SUV's and found this to be a very common problem.
I filed a complaint on October 19.nr: 10140380. I reported 2 rollover cases with 2 similar cars within 3 month in my family. I found out now that both cars had steering recalls which we have not been aware of. Does that mean anything to anybody or does the severe injuries of my wife and daughter mean nothing since they are not dead? I called your agency and was told that I have to wait. OK .I have the car in my home and wait.
I was in motion on a highway and the right front lower control arm seperated from the steering! It left me unable to steer or contral the vehicle. As per pictures I looked this up online after the almost lost my life breakdown , and found there has been known problem of this. And there is no recall? Not cool.
I am concern about safety defect that exist in my GMC Envoy 2002. I own this vehicle since March 2002 (1 year) and it stalled 5 times already when driving. It happend 3 times when I stopped my vihicle at red traffic light and 2 times when breaking to slow down, driving downhill before a curve. This 2 times have scared me so much that I am affraid to use this car again. I drive cars for 28 years and nothing like that has happend to me in my life. Engine stops working, all lights go out and there is no control over the car whatsoever. I am happy no one got hurt in those incidents. This car has only 16K miles on it and has been in service numerous times already, including power steering leak - 2 times repaired. I do not think driving this car is safe and for that reason I cannot use it anymore.
Over the years I owned this vehicle, I had it serviced numerous times for engine failure. The last and final time, the dealership (ewing automotive) could not find anything wrong. However, while traveling on the highway at 60 miles an hour with a full tank of gas, I lost all power steering control and the car stopped dead. This was extremely dangerous and LED me to take a minimal amount in a sale, just to get rid of this dangerous car. It is very disappointing to learn that GM was fully aware of this deadly issue.
Recall 01V126000; while driving 60-65 MPH consumer lost control of vehicle, hit concrete median, and vehicle bounced off median and hit right guardrail. Also, vehicle caught on fire, fire department put out fire. Vehicle was totalled. Front lower control arm was broken, consumer has parts for inspection, part of break was clean, the other part rusted through. Consumer called GMC about recall on this part, was told this vehicle was not affected. Due to VIN.
2002 Chevrolet trail blazer on July 18 at about 9:00 am my daughter entered route 3 going east coming from route 601. About 3 miles down the road at a speed of about 45 MPH she believed that a animal was running across the street were she tried to avoid a hit. She then reported that the car became unstable and was not controllable at all. She also reported that the car would not brake and she could do nothing she said the car drove like on "ice". The car rolled over and landed in the right side of the road in a ditch. We thought OK an accident. Insurance took care of it. Yesterday October 19 at the nearly same place. 2 miles down on route 3 going east with an 2002 GMC Envoy my wife was driving behind a slow moving car and she wanted to pass when she saw a car in the left lane coming fast and she decided to stay in her lane. …
When the car had 4500 miles, the engine stopped running when I was driving at 40 MPH -- there were no warning signs or other problems beforehand. The car would not restart immediately - nothing happened when I turned the key -- then, after 45 minutes it started but the engine was very noisy and power to accelerate was very poor. The dealer fixed the noisy engine by recalibrating the PCM but they said no fault codes were registered in the car's computer so they can't figure out why the car stalled. I advised them about NHTSA recall campaign # 02V121000 fuel:fuel filter line where the symptoms were very similar to mine. They said there was no GM recall and there was no problem with my fuel filter fitting. The stall occured on 5/14/02 and I have driven 600 miles since then without incident. …
Power steering rack failed at highway speeds, making it difficult to steer vehicle. Dealer has inspected vehicle and determined that steering rack would need to be replaced. There was a loud noise due to no fluid in the power steering reservoir. Rear differential leaks. Driver side front and rear doors rattle and flew over large bumps. Interior courtesy lights do not come on when passenger side door is open.
NHTSA investigations
Pincher/chafed wiring
Steering complaints in other Envoy years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2002 GMC Envoy?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the steering of the 2002 GMC Envoy, 4% of the model year's 487 complaints. The component named most often is hydraulic power assist system (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 GMC Envoy steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2002 GMC Envoy, though it has 13 recalls for other components. 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 2002 GMC Envoy steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 1 fire and 5 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.