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Odd Steering on 2012 Cruze - Anyone else with this problem?

43K views 115 replies 47 participants last post by  douglasdahn964 
#1 ·
I've had my 2012 Cruze since March of this year and basically love it; however, I'm having a problem with the steering which seems to be getting worse. When on the interstate, cruising around 70 mph, the steering intermittently and with no pattern becomes loose and a bit jerky. The car acutally jerks a little one way or the other and when this happens, the steering is not nearly as responsive - it has slack in it which is not present any other time. This problem is getting worse, but when I took it to the service department, I was told there's nothing wrong since the computer 'said everything was fine'.

Has anyone else experienced this issue?
 
#2 ·
Try a different dealership. Steering problems may be mechanical in nature and not recorded by the computer system.
 
#3 ·
mchurch,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you are experiencing with your Cruze. When you took your Cruze into your dealer did the service department take it for a drive to try to duplicate your concerns? I would like to look into this further for you. Can you please send me a PM with your name and VIN? I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service
 
#4 · (Edited)
I have a 2012 Cruze which I bought last October and I am now having the same problem. At speeds of 55mph and above. But the last couple days it has gotten worse and at lower speeds. Steering gets a loose spot and the car will drift to either side and when I correct it, the steering tightens back to normal then does it again. There is no play in the steering wheel but rather it feels as if there is something going on with the Rack or Steering Assist. Had a lot of problems with Steering Columns in the previous Chevy which I traded in on the Cruze and by the way the steering is acting on the Cruze I know it's definately not the column. Any word on the cause? GM needs to take a look at this issue because this is dangerous when in heavy traffic. I've met several Cruze owners that has several complaints about steering issues of the same nature.
 
#7 ·
Blue2012Cruze,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you are experiencing with your Cruze. Have you had your dealer look into this for you? If you have not I would suggest that you have the dealer look into this for you. Please keep me posted on the progress with this issue. If you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service
 
#5 ·
Have any of you who have experienced this filed a NHTSA report?
 
#8 ·
Steering issues

I have same problem with my 2012 Chevy Cruze. It has 25k miles on it and the first 22K mile it drove smooth. Now the steering is sticking when driving over 55 miles and hour. It also seem loose at other times. I took it into the dealer and they state nothing is wrong with it. It did not do this for 22k miles and now it does. Something has to be wrong with it!!! I drive it everyday and I know that something is different with the steering. It mostly sticks on the interstate when correcting to stay in your lane.
 
#10 ·
I have same problem with my 2012 Chevy Cruze. It has 25k miles on it and the first 22K mile it drove smooth. Now the steering is sticking when driving over 55 miles and hour. It also seem loose at other times. I took it into the dealer and they state nothing is wrong with it. It did not do this for 22k miles and now it does. Something has to be wrong with it!!! I drive it everyday and I know that something is different with the steering. It mostly sticks on the interstate when correcting to stay in your lane.
Contact Stacy (poster above you - Chevy Customer Service) and have her set up a visit with your dealer.

Mine has been terrible, and she set up an appointment for me with another and will oversee the progress on my case.
 
#9 ·
I also have this issue. More noticeable at highway speeds like you all have pointed out. Mine is most noticeable while driving straight and slowly begin to turn the wheel, the car doesn't turn, then it quickly pulls in the direction of the wheel. You can also turn the wheel left-right multiple times back and forth about 10 degree max both directions and the steering doesn't respond. So far, this hasnt caused any problems as the corrections are somewhat minor, but it still seems very weird.
 
#11 ·
I had a similar problem way back in the day with an '88 Isuzu Impulse - it was the steering rack mounts. The bushings were worn and the rack would physically move back and forth before engaging. Now that car had a lot more miles, but loose brackets could be a problem. Just throwing that out there. This, from what I've read here, isn't exactly the same. I suspect a problem with the electric power assist. That probably entails a steering rack replacement, most likely under warranty (if you can).

BTW, I'm not having this problem at 26800 miles.
 
#15 ·
same here

Has anyone found out what is wrong with the steering? I bought a 2012 cruze in October and I am experiencing the same problem. While driving straight on the expressway the steering wheel "catches" when adjusting for drift. I plan on going into the dealership in a couple of weeks but I'd like to have some ideas of what is wrong. Trying to "duplicate" is going to be tough because the dealership is in Petoskey and there isn't an expressway near there. Thanks.
 
#17 ·
Has anyone found out what is wrong with the steering? I bought a 2012 cruze in October and I am experiencing the same problem. While driving straight on the expressway the steering wheel "catches" when adjusting for drift. I plan on going into the dealership in a couple of weeks but I'd like to have some ideas of what is wrong. Trying to "duplicate" is going to be tough because the dealership is in Petoskey and there isn't an expressway near there. Thanks.

br807,
I would like to apologize for the issues that you are experiencing with your Cruze. I would like you to keep me posted on the progress with your dealer. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service
 
#16 ·
As said above, it's a defective rack. GM will be issuing a technical service bulletin about it early next year.

They should replace your steering rack and update the software as well.

Mine exhibited this at speeds above 60 when going dead straight for 5-10 seconds. Ask to drive it with a service advisor and see if you can duplicate it.


Sent from my iPhone using AutoGuide.com App
 
#18 ·
I am planning to bring this issue up with dealer in the near future, as soon as they get the coolant smell taken care of. How are you explaining it to the dealer? The "catch" in the steering is impossible to recreate on demand.
 
#19 ·
I have that same situation with my 2012 Eco. I experience that same sympton during 5 to 10 seconds of straight driving then adjusting for drift. I'm going to be stopping by my dealership this morning to address this issue as well.

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#20 ·
I have the same issue. Fortunately I have time under warranty to wait for the TSB. It's not a big issue, even in the snow we just had.
 
#21 ·
Car details in my signature.

My car was doing this 'minor locking' at approximately 12,000KM (~7500 MILES) to 14,000KM (~9000miles), before the first 'maintenance service' or 'tire rotation'. I performed an early oil change so my dealer recommended me to do the maintenance a bit later than usual.

Anyway, what I want to explain first is what *actually* happened:

Let's say you're driving straight on a highway.
100-120km/hr (60-70MPH).
You're on CC (cruise).
Heat is on, set at defrost - at about level 1 (heat gauge is at max).
You notice that your car needs to be aligned within the boundaries of your lane.
You swerve the steering a bit to the left (or right) ~roughly 5 degrees, and the car won't necessarily respond to this movement within 2.5 degrees worth of rotation, but the remaining 2.5 degrees responds perfectly. It's as if the steering gets 'locked up' during the initial 2.5 degrees

Is this what you guys have been going noticing?

It's such a small and sensitive issue (AND so hard to spot) that only daily-drivers would even care to notice. Fact is, these small things are what can turn into big accidents. For me, it's a MAJOR safety issue - and I just had to get it addressed.

So, I went to my dealership. The advisor did seem a bit worried at first but like others he also repeated the same line: "if there are no codes, no problems usually". He recommended me to come in on another day for a test drive and he'd have one of the service mechanics go for a test drive. They performed the regular maintenance, which included tire rotation - and well, guess what? The issue is gone. Could it have been the tires?! Tread? I mean it hasn't happened in the past week so far, but I've been testing it on a daily basis. I even asked the advisor to check for a TSB - but nothing was there.

jblackburn, can you please update us with a TSB when it comes out in Jan (hopefully)?
 
#24 ·
I don't think any codes are ever going to show with this issue. That's the problem with most dealerships today - too dependent on the computers.
 
#27 ·
Trying a tire rotation is worth it. I have seen tires make the car's steering go slightly strange. This doesn't seem to be one of those times, however.
 
#28 ·
I don't know how to contact you. I am new to this site. Please advise. I will be going to my dealership the first week in January. I have called GM at 1-800-521-7300 to speak with the manufacturer and I was talking to someone in Buenos Ares. I could not understand him.
 
#30 ·
br807, if you click a user's name you will get an option to send them a Private Message. That's the best way to contact someone else on the forum.
 
#32 ·
UP TO THIS POINT HIGH PRAISE FOR THE CRUZE IN GENERAL BUT I RECENTLY NOTICED MY 2012 CHEVY CRUZE ECO HAS BEGUN TO HAVE SIMILAR STEERING ISSUES. THIS BEGAN AT AROUND 19000 MILES AND BEGAN SOMETIME AFTER THE OIL PAN RECALL WORK WAS DONE AT THE DEALER . (BUT APPROXIMATELY 6000 MILES AFTER THAT SO I CAN'T DEFINITELY ATTRIBUTE IT TO THAT). TIRE ROTATION WAS RECENTLY PERFORMED AT THE DEALER AS WELL. THE CAR HAS A SLIGHT PULL IN ONE DIRECTION AND WHEN THE STEERING IS CORRECTED THERE IS A PERCEPTIBLE "JERK" TO THE OTHER DIRECTION. SIMILAR TO A STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR SYMPTOM I HAD ON AN OLDER VEHICLE. FEELS LIKE THE POWER STEERING "SKIPS" OR HAS A DEAD SPOT. THE CAR IS WITH THE DEALER NOW. WE'LL SEE WHAT THEY SAY. i PLAN TO BRING A PRINTOUT OF THIS BLOG IF THEY STATE THERE IS NO PROBLEM
 
#33 ·
I am providing an update to my original post. . . I took the car to the dealer and he called back in a few hours and indicated he couldn't duplicate my problem. I basically told him to keep the car a bit longer and try harder. I also informed him that other Cruze owners are experiencing the very same problem on this site and at the NHTSA site (Search for a Complaint | Safercar.gov | NHTSA) . He asked if he could drive the car home that evening and I gave him permission. The next morning I got a call and he indicated that he had in fact duplicated the issue and was in contact with the GM National Service Center. He indicated that they afre aware of this issue and instructed the dealer to replace the steering rack but also indicated that while this corrects the issue on some cars it could be related to a steering column issue as well. Plan now is to pick the car up tomorrow and monitor to see if it corrected the problem. Stay tuned!
 
#38 ·
This is more likely due to something dragging on one of the wheels. Ice buildup behind the wheel can do this. My Lancer did this (and acted like it needed balancing) every time it snowed. I tracked it down to ice on the backside of the wheels.
 
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