Steering Rack And Pinion problems of the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse

2009 chevy Traverse with 68000 miles. Vehicle has had steering problems which I brought to dealer while under warranty. Was told that sound (squeel/rev) was normal. Now car not under warranty. Noise getting louder. Take to dealer. Says I need new power steering pump, and rack and pinion. I notice there is a special coverage 14329 which covers power steering issues (pump etc. ). Price quoted to fix everything was $2500. I asked for price relief given the history of the power steering problems, I had raised the issue while under warranty, and the special coverage. Dealer and gm refuse to offer any reimbursement. Not even for the pump which is covered under special coverage 14329. I am now out $2500. This steering system was a lemon from the get go. Steering is a major safety issue. This should have been recalled fro all vehicles in the 2009-11 range for Traverse/acadia/enclave. It is not only irresponsible, but gross negligence not to address this problem and pass the problem to the customer.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. While turning right at 5 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. The failure recurred numerous times while turning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering pump failed, which caused the rack and pinion to fail. The power steering pump was repaired under a customer satisfaction campaign, but the rack and pinion was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Had my steering pump replaced at the dealership on a recall told me to watch my steering the rack and pinion did not get replaced on February 19th 2016 picking up my boys front and start shaking check power steering fluid it's on the low side been told it's my rack and pinion. Also my tire monitoring system like you can I coming on and off has been check codes are not saving when off same thing when I had my transmission redone codes are not saving on the computer.

My power steering stopped working. The dealership replaced the pump, but said it stopped working becasue the rack and pinion steering was leaking. The rack and pinion steering replacement cost is $2100, which I need to pay. I do not understand why the rack and pinion steering is not part of this special coverage adjustment, when it is the cause of the part replaced as a result of the special coverage adjustment. I am also concerned that this is not a recall. When the power steering stops working, it is very dangerous. If there has not been an accident or death as a result of this problem, there soon wlill be, in the past year I havee spent $6,000 on repairs for this car, which has 82,000 miles. I have replaced the brake line for $1500, $2000 for replacement of 3 ignition coils and 3 spark plugs and a gasket. This is the second time I have had to replace a spark plug. Now, I have been asked to spend $2100 to replace the rack and pinion steering. Enough is enough, I am trading in this car before another very expensive problem develops. The labor cost for repairs is very expensive because the engine needs to be removed to reach the section that needs to be replaced. I was told that these problems happen as cars get older, but the number of problems the Traverse has versus the number of problems cars of similr mileagr has seems to be lopsided. This experience has soured me on ever purchasing a Chevrolet again.

I have been having issues for several months now regarding the steering. The problem is now occurring more often. At times the steering becomes stiff making it difficult to turn. Basically the power steering ceases to function mid-turn without any warning. The vehicle goes into manual steering and it is almost impossible to turn the wheel. I have had this occur when attempting to pull in or out of a parking space, turn in a parking garage, turn in a store parking lot, making a turn at a traffic light, etc. I have mentioned this issue to the dealer but said they could not find a problem with the steering. I had the rack and pinion replaced two years ago but it was not because of this problem. The dealership was making others repairs and noted that rack and pinion needed replacement. I have not received a recall notice regarding this issue. I noticed that there are numerous complaints regarding the same issue with the steering. Why is this problem not a recall? this is a serious issue that needs to be addressed before it causes a fatality. The steering problem concerns me and I am currently looking for another vehicle.

Steering is loud. Hard to turn. April 09, 2015 dealership stated my steering gears were leaking and needed rack and pinion replaced. Quoted $1785. It's difficult to steer, locks up and is quite unsafe. Chevy should repair this issue at no cost due to the safety concerns and the thousands and thousands of complaints.

My power steering pump failed and the rack and pinion system is leaking on my 2009 chevy Traverse. After some research this is a very common issue the gm is not addressing properly. They will replace the pump but the cost of replacing the rack and pinion will not be covered. There have been no recalls and this issue. This can occur while driving and could cause an accident and even death. Gm needs to address this situation before that happens.

During the winter season, I periodically started hearing a clunking sound as I was making directional turns in my vehicle (a 2009 chevy Traverse). Therefore, during my previous oil change, I asked my mechanic to take it for a test drive, but he did not hear anything at that time. Yesterday, I was in for another oil change and again I asked my mechanic to test drive it, but this time he did hear the clunking sound and ultimately found that the rack & pinion steering unit needed to be replaced. Both professionally and on computer "on-line" web sites, there are numerous complaints of early failures of the rack & pinion steering, on the GMC acadia, Buick enclave and chevy Traverse, SUV type vehicles. I have owned several vehicles over the last 30 years and never had to replace the entire rack & pinion steering unit on a vehicle that was less than ten years old (only six, in this instance) and had such low mileage (recently passed 60,000 miles). Obviously, there is a flaw in the design or in the production of this steering mechanism. There are too many premature failures on these series of vehicles. Gm should own up to their mistakes, but as with their ignition switch problems, they would rather ignore the problem. I have owned several gm vehicles and have mostly been satisfied with their products. If I have to spend almost $2000 to fix their mistake, this will be the last new (or used) gm car I purchase. My previous SUV was a 2002 Toyota highlander. I purchased it "new" and kept it for over ten years and drove over 100,000 miles on it. Other than wear and tear items (brakes, tires, battery, etc. ), I did not experience any "abnormal" failures, in any of the vehicles major components.

I originally took vehicle to dealer to replace the timing chain. When I got the vehicle back the power steering was making a loud noise. The dealer said the power steering was fine. Approximately 6 months later I take the vehicle back to the dealer for recalls and leaking coolant. Power steering still loud. Tech found leak from rack and pinion. I am glad that my steering did not fail like other complaints. I was lucky that my vehicle had a coolant leak and the tech found the leaking rack and pinion while fixing the coolant leak. My wife drives this vehicle each day with my 3 kids and having the steering fail while in traffic could have been horrible. It is obvious this is an issue in the 2009 Traverse and is a safety issue.

The rack pinion on this vehicle is broken and had to be replaced. My mechanic told me that he has had to replace the rack pinion on several Chevrolet Traverse and GMC acadia. I have been reading forums online and this seems to be a common problem that gm refuses to admit. The rack pinion is vital to the vehicles steering and this is a serious safety issue that needs to be addressed.

At first when making left turns only if would make a funny noise, then going around a curve it felt like the Traverse was trying to die, warranty conveniently ran out in may 2014 I will have this vehicle 1 year end of October. Did not get extended warranty due to note was already high, took my Traverse to mechanic was told I needed a rack and pinion and a steering pump due to leaking, which would end up costing anywhere from different places $1600 to $2100. 00 you would think with gm going into debt so much they would make things right to keep from losing business!!! sooooo wish I would have done more investigating when I need a bigger vehicle for my 3 small children!!!.

When driving at low speeds, between 15 - 25 mph, the power steering goes out and becomes difficult to almost impossible to steer. We have had several near misses while entering traffic. This happens randomly and we never know when it will occur. We took the vehicle to the dealership, and they believe it to be the rack and pinion steering, but they were unable to rectify the problem.

The steering my 2009 chevy Traverse has become difficult to handle when slowing down, while making left or right turns. The steering wheel becomes very stiff, and causes my turns to be wider than expected. I have had situations where I have had "near misses", because the lack of response of the power steering. When the car is moving at speeds of the less the approximately 10mph, the steering becomes almost impossible to handle. When the car is idle, the steering wheel will not turn with considerable amount effort. I have taken the car for service, the rack and pinion were replaced/fixed. I am still experiencing the issue, and have concerns over potential accidents if this is improved.

The power steering failed on our 2009 Traverse at low speeds while parking the vehicle. This type of power steering failure has happened before. We had the rack and pinion replaced (6 months ago) and the power steering fluid upgraded with limited success. The Traverse feels like it has no power steering and it is difficult to turn. We have had the Traverse checked at the dealership numerous times and finally paid a lot of $$$ to have the rack and pinion replaced. It did not solve the problem. This is a serious safety issue. It would be impossible to avoid an accident by turning the vehicle. Your only options are to stop and "man handle" the Traverse into position. An elderly person or a smaller person would not be able to control the vehicle at all. I am taking the Traverse back to the dealership. This is an on-going issue for the past 3-4 years. There are a lot of similar complaints on the NHTSA website. Gm has re-designed the newer Traverse/encore/acadia steering systems, so they know a problem exists. One day someone will get killed from this steering problem and everyone will wonder why a recall wasn't issued. Some type of action needs to take place with this problem. I can afford (barely) to keep shelling out thousands for repairs, but what about those people who can's? they bought a $35-$45,000 vehicle from gm and it is not safe. Now they can't afford to sell/trade it and they might not be able to afford to fix it. Action needs to be taken to fix this problem.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while turning at low speeds, the vehicle became difficult to steer. The contact mentioned that the failure was experienced multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

The power steering failed on our 2009 Traverse at low speeds while pulling out of a median into traffic. This type of power steering failure has happened before. The Chevrolet dealer ship said we could have the rack and pinion replaced but could not say it would fix it and if you read the other complaint on here it didn't even fix the problem so I didn't have $1500 to throw away. This is a serious safety issue. It would be impossible to avoid an accident by turning the vehicle. Your only options are to stop and "man handle" the Traverse into position. An elderly person or a smaller person would not be able to control the vehicle at all. Gm has re-designed the newer Traverse/encore/acadia steering systems, so they know a problem exists. One day someone will get killed from this steering problem and everyone will wonder why a recall wasn't issued. Some type of action needs to take place with this problem.

Towards the end of 2013 my wife and I started noticing the steering being really difficult and locking up on some occasions pulling into parking spaces and parallel parking. We experienced some near misses where the steering locked and felt like we were going to collide with the vehicle in the next parking space. We took our car to the dealership in June 2014 to have the air bag recall done and a state inspection. We also told the dealer that the coolant level was consistently staying low and the steering almost locks up at times. The dealer said the steering gear (or rack and pinion) was bad. The dealer would not pass the inspection. State inspections are performed to ensure safe vehicle conditions. If a gm dealer is not willing to perform a state inspection they are admitting this is a safety issue. The dealer performed the air bag fix, and replaced the water pump (from the coolant level complaint, prior TSB). They said the steering gear fix would have to be scheduled the following week. After two days the check engine light came on (c1100 and p00008). We scheduled the appointment to have the steering gear replaced because we were unsure if the steering would lock up on a normal turn while driving. The dealer said the c1100 was a loose cable at the control board and the p00008 was a bad timing chain (replaced under a prior TSB). The steering gear was replaced and the cost was $1,552. After reading similar complaints from other owners of chevy Traverse vehicles this is a systemic issue due to a poor design steering gear. Gm should make the right decision and stand behind their quality in a proactive way and issue a recall to have these steering gears replaced before someone gets injured.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the power steering failed without warning. The power steering reset independently within moments. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the power steering pump, power steering shaft and rack and pinion were replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

While backing into a parking stall, I could hear loud banging coming from the steering component (both left and right side while turing steering wheel) brought vehicle in to GMC dealer in merced, CA and service advisor stated it was the rack and pinion steering that needed to be replaced. Stated the repair was $1400. 00. I brought the vehicle in for recall on water pump found out the engine was leaking oil on the left side (that will be covered under power train warranty) water pump covered by recall that will be covered. Did some research and found hundreds and hundreds of complaint of the same component failure. When is the government going to make GMC llc real on this issue!!!!! ps this is not the first time we have had a problem with this vehicle. Vehicle accelerated out of control at approx 50,000 miles and complained to nitsa and GMC llc on that issue also. Going to use the 1400 buck to buy another vehicle. Just hope the next person getting this vehicle doesn't get injured.

On my way to an appt traveling about 45 mph. Heard a loud whining sound, so I decreased my acceleration. Noise went away. There were no sensors/lights signaling that anything was wrong nor did the car perform any different than before the noise occurred. I noticed that something wasn't right when I tried make a turn that lead to my destination. It was much harder to turn my wheel. I continued to my appt but when I tried to park, I really had issues because my steering wheel would barely turn in any direction. After my appt, took my car to pep boys for them to check the power steering fluid levels. The employee showed me that the levels were fine & that I should contact my dealership. I drove home but I had a very hard time especially when I was traveling at speeds lower than 25 mph. I didn't attempt to drive the car until Monday morning when I took it to the dealer I bought it from. I told them what it was doing & asked that they look at it. They called me at work and said that I needed a new power steering pump and a rack & pinion steering gear plus an alignment. All total I would be shelling out $1100 for an issue that I shouldn't have with a 3-yr-old car with only 41k miles on it!! I called general motors to file a formal complaint because none of this was under the powertrain warranty on the car. I also wanted to file a complaint because I noticed that this is a common issue after I researched it on the internet. They took my complaint but told me there was nothing they could do since there was no recall on the car for this issue. I am making this complaint here because someone is going to die if this issue doesn't get fixed through a recall. And it's a shame that hard-working people have to make a costly repair such as this on a car that's not even 5 years old & with minimal mileage. Please make gm recall this!!!!!.

I was told at the anual inspection that the rack and pinion was slightly leaking and will need to be replaced in the future. It also nocks when ever I turn at slow speed.

While parking the car, the steering wheel would not turn. It was as if the power steering quit working. I have also noticed the vehicle is becoming harder to turn while in motion. After doing some research on the 2009 Traverse, I found this to be a common problem with the steering. This is a huge safety issue. I would not be reporting this except that it is a common problem. I feel that the power steering and the rack and pinion should be recalled ASAP for this safety concern. We don't need anyone's steering to go completely out and not be able to control the vehicle with has also happened according to my research causing accidents.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph, the power steering stop working and a result, he crash into another vehicle. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the technician diagnosed that the power steering and rack and pinion might be defective. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic replaced the power steering fluid however, after the repair the failure continued. The mechanic stated that the rack and pinion would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000. The VIN was not available.

While pulling into my neighborhood off of the main street my power steering failed without warning. I nearly collided with a car pulling out of my subdivision as I could barely turn my car, it took all of my strength to get it to turn. If my wife had been driving there is no doubt that she would've hit the car pulling out. I got the car to my mechanic and he found a faulty power steering pump and rack and pinion. Not what I expect for a vehicle with 52,000 miles on it. Over $1,000 and three days later I have my vehicle back. From what I've been reading on the internet this seems like a pretty common issue with these vehicles. I think a recall is in order before someone gets injured or killed. This is my first and possibly my last Chevrolet depending on how things go from here. I realize things go wrong on vehicles from time to time but this seems to be a pretty common problem with this particular vehicle. Please do the right thing and recall these vehicle's as this isn't an isolated issue. It's not like your customers have a thousand plus dollars lying around to fix something that is clearly faulty.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Traverse. The contact stated while driving under 30 mph making a left or right turn, the power steering stopped working making the steering wheel very difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician diagnosed that the rack and pinion was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the remedy failed to repair the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 98,000.

We have been living with intermittent power steering failure in our 2009 chevy Traverse for over two years. We brought it in to be looked at when it first became an issue. The vehicle had 60k miles on it at the time. The dealer charged us a fee to diagnose the problem, but wasn't able to find anything wrong. This problem has been getting worse every day since. We've had it looked at by a number of repair centers, including the chevy dealer again and it has been determined to be the power steering gear that has failed or also known as the power steering rack and pinion. We have an estimate of $1200 to replace the steering gear and pump that has also now failed as a result of the gear failure. We feel this is a safety issue that Chevrolet should be addressing a recall, especially since they had already identified this issue with published warranty service bulletin. Since they consider power steering an optional item, it's not covered under the powertrain warranty. Having your power steering fail without warning while on a highway cloverleaf exit ramp is a major safety hazard that needs to be addressed without cost to the consumer who spent thousands on a vehicle NHTSA has given a high safety rating.

Turning left against traffic steering wheel locked in place for a few seconds and then released quickly causing a very unsafe condition of turning hard with nothing and then almost u-turning with too much turning strength. There is no warning of steering stoppage. It was out of warranty and dealer suggested changing fluid as it was over 100k miles. Took to independent shop and was told I need a rack and pinion. R & p was replaced and problem still existed. Oem r & p replaced and problem still there. There is a steering solenoid that was replaced because it was full of dirty steering fluid. That did not repair it either. There is a pressure relief valve in the power steering pump that failed intermittently and the whole pump needed to be replaced. It appears the Traverse is having a lot of "steering issues". This Traverse has a lot of highway miles and the problem took a while to develop. I have been talking to Chevrolet about this and they do not want to acknowledge a "problem". I spent $1200 having this issue resolved. When the steering first reacted this way, I felt in danger with the oncoming traffic, and the steering went violent when it released causing another dangerous situation of turning too far into more traffic. As I look at steering problems with this model there are numerous complaints and if mileage piles up a dangerous condition will occur and possible wrecks.

Power steering makes odd, high-pitched squeaking noises, sometimes chatters and has completely failed on several occasions. This has been happening since we purchased the car in 2011 with only about 12,000 miles. I have asked the dealership about this every time the car was serviced and was told this is normal. I don't see how it's normal to be driving a car and suddenly have no steering. I am honestly scared every time I leave my driveway that this will cause an accident and injure someone. Now, the dealer finally admits there is something wrong - needs power steering pump and rack & pinion. But it now has 94,000 miles, so they won't repair it.

I have a 2009 travese lt. After owning the car 3 months we started experiecing a "bucking issue" when turning at slow speeds and coming off highways on curves. Very dangerous!, the steering wheel pulls in teh opposite direction you are steering in a rhymic pattern. Chevy replaced the entire rack & pinion system - still had the same issue. The car has been back many times and blead over 24 hour period. Still the same issue. Chevy insists there are no recalls or alerts on this problem but clearly from posts on the internet there are problems. The car is now 4 years old with 45,000 miles on it - mosty local driving. Still very concerned that with my wife and kids using the car mostly the bucking may pull the car in the oppisite direction when exiting an off ramp. I have been a loyal chevy owner since I was 16 but this issue has happen to so many people I can't understand why they cannot identify and fix the problem. I fear that it will take a major incident to bring this issue to light.