This preliminary informational (PI) bulletin provides information to dealership personnel that may be helpful when addressing underbody component corrosion with customers.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2013 Chevrolet Camaro steering problems
severe Owners of the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro have filed 23 NHTSA complaints about the steering, typically surfacing around 30,000 miles at roughly $700 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See steering across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
23
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$700
| Model year | steering complaints |
|---|---|
| 2010 Camaro | 13 |
| 2011 Camaro | 14 |
| 2012 Camaro | 8 |
| 2013 Camaro (this page) | 23 |
| 2014 Camaro | 32 |
| 2015 Camaro | 17 |
| 2016 Camaro | 22 |
| 2017 Camaro | 56 |
6crashes
3injuries
When does it fail?
Of the 23 steering complaints filed for the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 0-25,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Among the 10 model years of Chevrolet Camaro in our records for steering problems, this one ranks #3 by owner-complaint volume.
No new NHTSA steering complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 8 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering steering on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
This service bulletin provides a procedure inspecting for excess grease or Sealant on the Exterior of the steering gear due to seeing grease or sealant on certain locations on the gear.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This informational bulletin explains Unscheduled Supplemental Services and the importance of GM Simplified Maintenance Schedules.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This service bulletin provides information on Characteristics of Wide Low Aspect Ratio Tires, Vehicle Pulls Left or Right, Wanders, Follows Depressions in Road Surface, Tramlining.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This service bulletin provides a vibration analysis worksheet the technician can use in conjunction with the appropriate Vibration Analysis-Road testing procedure when diagnosing vibration concerns.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2013 Camaro steering system exhibits multiple critical failure modes that GM and its dealers have not resolved. The most common issue is sudden loss of electric power steering assist during normal driving, from parking lot speeds to highway cruising. The steering wheel becomes heavy and hard to turn without warning. Drivers report the "Service Power Steering" light appearing and the assist vanishing at speeds as low as 10 mph and as high as 50 mph. One owner lost power steering while changing lanes at 35 mph and crashed into a fire hydrant. Another experienced the failure twice—once at 45-50 mph and again during a low-speed turn—preceded by the vehicle shaking.
A separate pattern involves the steering wheel locking or seizing during turns. One driver heard a snapping sound as the control arm broke while the steering wheel locked at the end of a left turn. Another lost complete steering control at 25 mph, the car shut off, and the steering rack collapsed.
Less common but severe: a tilt steering column lever fell out and struck a driver's leg during a turn, and in one crash, the entire steering column dislodged, pinning the driver to the seat.
Dealers have replaced racks and pinions repeatedly, sometimes three times on a single vehicle, without fixing the problem. GM has issued service bulletins but declines warranty claims, telling owners the issues are either acceptable or out of warranty despite mileages under 20,000 miles.
Same Chevrolet Camaro steering reports on nearby years: 2010 · 2011 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016
Failure modes owners describe
Intermittent electric power steering loss
The electric power steering system loses assist without warning during normal driving. The steering wheel becomes heavy and difficult to turn. The 'Service Power Steering' warning light illuminates. The condition often clears after the vehicle is shut down and restarted, making diagnosis difficult at dealerships.
When: Low-speed maneuvering (10-12 mph), turning (20-37 mph), and highway speeds (35-50 mph). Occurs at mileage as low as 8,700 miles to 76,500 miles.
Symptoms owners cite: Power steering assist loss with hard steering wheel; Service Power Steering warning light illuminates; Vehicle becomes difficult to control and steer; Condition intermittent and unpredictable; Vehicle shaking just before failure; Temporary recovery after shutdown and restart
Codes mentioned: Service Power Steering message
Repairs/costs cited: Dealers have replaced the electric power steering (EPS) assembly, battery, and wiring; owners report parts failures repeated multiple times without resolution. One owner cited a $2,600 replacement cost for the EPS assembly; another quoted $2,791.00 for repair. Some dealers unable or unwilling to diagnose the issue.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: GM Service Bulletin PIC5643D and PIC5643E issued for V8-equipped 2013 Camaros. GM declined warranty claims. Some owners received notification of NHTSA Campaign 14V346000 but parts were unavailable. GM told owners the steering issue is 'acceptable' and 'not a warranty item.' Dealer networks have not provided effective repairs despite multiple attempts.
Uncommanded steering drift at highway speed
The vehicle makes sudden uncommanded left or right turns without driver input, sometimes accompanied by traction control light flashing. Turns are hard and abrupt (approximately 90 degrees), even on straight, level, dry roads. Multiple drivers have experienced the same issue in the same vehicle.
When: Above 50 mph on interstate and highway driving.
Symptoms owners cite: Uncommanded hard turn to the right or left; 90-degree steering input without driver action; Traction control light flashing; Vehicle pulling hard in one direction; Uneven tire wear on outer edges
Repairs/costs cited: Alignment checks performed and found to be good. Technicians at dealerships experienced the issue but could not identify cause of failure. No repair completed.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: GM advised dealers this steering behavior is 'acceptable' and attributed it to 'troughing' (hydroplaning). Dealers unable to locate defect.
Steering wheel locking and column seizure
The steering wheel suddenly locks or seizes during normal driving, becoming immobile or extremely difficult to turn. In one case, the entire steering column collapsed during low-speed turning. In another, the steering wheel locked while returning to center after a turn, accompanied by a snapping sound.
When: Low-speed turning (25 mph), highway speeds (30 mph), and parking lot maneuvering.
Symptoms owners cite: Steering wheel seized and immobile; Extreme difficulty turning the wheel; Wheel locks while returning to center after turn; Snapping sound from steering components; Complete loss of steering control; Vehicle unable to steer; loss of directional control
Codes mentioned: EPS warning indicator illuminated
Repairs/costs cited: Rack and pinion replaced multiple times (up to three replacements) without resolution. One owner's vehicle taken back and forth to dealers eight times without repair. Control arm snapped in half; tie rod bent. Entire steering column replacement required in at least one case.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: GM declined warranty claims despite acknowledged faulty steering parts. Dealers offered only replacement of same OEM parts, which failed repeatedly. No effective solution provided by manufacturer.
Steering column mechanical failure
The steering column tilt locking lever fell out of position during normal driving. In a separate, severe incident, the entire steering column came completely out during a rear-end collision, pinning the driver back to the seat and nearly piercing the roof.
When: During low-speed left turn (incident #7); during rear-end collision at estimated 60-65 mph (incident #9).
Symptoms owners cite: Tilt steering wheel locking lever falls out of position; Lever strikes driver's leg; Lever cannot be pushed back into place; Entire steering column dislodges from vehicle; Steering column pins driver to seat
Repairs/costs cited: Incident #7: Entire steering column replacement required. Incident #9: Driver sustained rupture of ulnar collateral ligament with avulsion to thumb; required surgery; permanent disability resulted.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealer service department acknowledged incident #7 was not a wear-and-tear issue but had no information on the problem. GM engineer investigated incident #9 and confirmed the design issue was severe enough that head impact would have been fatal.
Electrical cascade failures triggered by power steering system faults
When the power steering system fails at low speeds, multiple vehicle electrical systems reset simultaneously: power flickers, AC resets, radio resets, and the stability control system fails. Multiple warning messages display on the instrument cluster.
When: Low-speed maneuvering below 12 mph.
Symptoms owners cite: Power steering loss; Vehicle power flickers on and off; AC system resets; Radio resets; Stability control failure; Multiple warning messages: 'Service Power Steering,' 'Service Stability Control,' 'Open and Close Passenger Window'
Codes mentioned: Service Power Steering, Service Stability Control
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer recommended electric steering assembly replacement.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Problem noted as common among 2012-2015 Camaros in online forums but no recall issued.
Synthesized from 23 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 4 most recent
While driving on interstate, power steering quit working. Vehicle was very hard to steer and pulled into another lane. Luckily, no cars were near. We managed to get home and took to local Chevrolet dealer. They reset it and power steering worked for a while. Drove the car for appoximately 60 miles and it happened again on a 2 lane road in middle of turn. Almost wrecked. Vehicle only has 8700…
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet camaro. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the steering wheel drifted to the left and it became difficult to gain control of the steering wheel. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v346000 (electrical system); however, the part was unavailable to perform…
I'm considering purchasing this vehicle from a dealership in logan, oh. When I checked to see if there were reported problems with the model, I see that there are thousands of complaints concerning the ac/radio, climate control, turn signals and other associated electrical problems that are common to all of these related consumer complaints that as to date has not been addressed by either the gm…
I own a 2013 Chevrolet zl1 camaro with 76500 miles. In the process of making a right turn, the electric power steering assist failed, causing loss of steering control. The vehicle was towed to my local dealership. Chevrolet said this was not a warranty item and the repair would be an out of pocket expense. Chevrolet wanted $2,791.00 to repair this problem.
Had steering trouble with your 2013 Chevrolet Camaro?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the steering problem on the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro?
It's a meaningful issue. 23 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $700.
At what mileage does the steering typically fail?
Across the 18 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most steering failures cluster between 11,000 and 45,987 miles, with the median around 30,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 11,000; a quarter make it past 45,987. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $700 for steering repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to steering?
No active recalls currently cover steering issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2013/Chevrolet/Camaro.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.