Steering wheel "notchy" at highway-speed driving?

[Bohdan]

Mine seems to be about the same however as we travel at 60mph the slight notch can be felt when you try to move the wheel to the left but moving the wheel to the right all is well no notch bind. In time GM may have a better part as a warrenty replacement till then no point having another new old stock unit installed and then having the same problem again.

[obermd]

I'm starting to notice the notch at speeds as low as 30 MPH. Does anyone know if the steering gear is plastic?

[bbdhomer]

I have contacted them and was told they have never heard of the problem before and that there was nothing that they could do.
I was told I simply have to wait until the problem becomes worse so the dealer can replicate it with ease.

I also experienced this problem but a recent tire rotation did the trick and it hasn't happened since (so far). I was about to give GM Canada a call about this, but since my "notch" went away - I might wait a while.

or do you guys think i should call them either way for documentation? not sure..

[jblackburn]

I'm starting to notice the notch at speeds as low as 30 MPH. Does anyone know if the steering gear is plastic?

I asked to take a look at the old parts. They were grudging about it, but obliged. The steering gears with inputs to the sensors are indeed plastic, which may or may not be part of the problem.

I think the sensors are going into a "sleep mode" of some sort. What I did notice when this was happening was that while the steering wheel seemed "stuck" for a little bit, very small inputs were acknowledged by the steering shaft directly connected to the rack itself. It was just like driving a car without power steering for a brief second.

[obermd]

Plastic worm gears in a car. They really should be brass or some other durable metal.

[jblackburn]

Plastic worm gears in a car. They really should be brass or some other durable metal.

They don't build much of anything like they used to!

Heck, they make freaking timing gears and water pumps out of plastic now on some cars. Not sure if the Ecotec is one of those or not.

[jstoner22]

I also experienced this problem but a recent tire rotation did the trick and it hasn't happened since (so far). I was about to give GM Canada a call about this, but since my "notch" went away - I might wait a while.

or do you guys think i should call them either way for documentation? not sure..

Hopefully your tire rotation fixed the issue.

I have experienced it with both my summer and winter tires on, so I don't think that is the issue for me.

Regardless, you should call to have it documented.

[Chevy Customer Service]

I have contacted them and was told they have never heard of the problem before and that there was nothing that they could do.
I was told I simply have to wait until the problem becomes worse so the dealer can replicate it with ease.

jstoner22,
Thank you for updating me on this. Can you please send me a PM with your name, address, phone number, VIN, current mileage and the name of your dealership? I can pass information along for you to get you some assistance with this. I look forward to your response.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service

[socalcruze]

Update: I brought mine in today to have the steering issue looked at. They gave me a loaner for the day, no issues there. The service adviser initially called and said that while the tech could feel the issue, there was some kind of bulletin from GM describing that this was "normal". Well, I told him it wasn't normal, and it wasn't there for the first 5,000+ miles I had the car. He was nice about it, and he suggested elevating it to the service manager, which I agreed would be needed (apparently). A few hours later I got another call saying that the service manager opened a case with GM about the issue and they would send the replacement parts (not sure exactly which, I think he said both the power steering pack and the rack and pinion assembly), and that would take about a week. Of course, the car is still safe to drive, so I'll take it back in the interim.

The question will be whether the same thing crops up again or if something changed from the supplier that will fix the problem. I suspect GM still doesn't really know what is causing this issue.

Kudos to Guaranty Chevrolet in Santa Ana for handling this issue well.

[Chevy Customer Service]

Update: I brought mine in today to have the steering issue looked at. They gave me a loaner for the day, no issues there. The service adviser initially called and said that while the tech could feel the issue, there was some kind of bulletin from GM describing that this was "normal". Well, I told him it wasn't normal, and it wasn't there for the first 5,000+ miles I had the car. He was nice about it, and he suggested elevating it to the service manager, which I agreed would be needed (apparently). A few hours later I got another call saying that the service manager opened a case with GM about the issue and they would send the replacement parts (not sure exactly which, I think he said both the power steering pack and the rack and pinion assembly), and that would take about a week. Of course, the car is still safe to drive, so I'll take it back in the interim.

The question will be whether the same thing crops up again or if something changed from the supplier that will fix the problem. I suspect GM still doesn't really know what is causing this issue.

Kudos to Guaranty Chevrolet in Santa Ana for handling this issue well.

socalcruze,
Thank you for you for the update. I am happy that your dealership is getting this issue addressed for you. Please continue to keep me posted and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service