GM expands Chevy Express / GMC Savana steering recall covering 12,715 vans

Here’s the short version: if you drive a late-model Chevy Express or GMC Savana work van, General Motors just widened a steering recall because some suspect parts slipped through the first inspection. The problem is in the steering gear itself, and it’s the kind of thing you don’t want to learn about on a loaded delivery run.

GM filed this expansion under NHTSA campaign number 26V718, covering 12,715 vans across the 2025 and 2026 model years. These are fleet-grade vehicles — the ones that haul tools, cargo, and crews all day — so a steering concern isn’t a minor annoyance. It’s the one system you can’t afford to have act up.

What’s actually wrong

Inside the steering gear assembly, there’s a nut that’s supposed to be torqued to spec. On these vans, GM found that nut may not have been tightened properly.

In plain terms: the steering gear is what translates your turning of the wheel into the front wheels actually moving. Everything in that assembly has to be held together at the right tension. When an internal fastener isn’t torqued correctly, it can loosen or shift over time. That affects how the steering behaves — and in the worst case, it raises your crash risk because the steering doesn’t respond the way it should.

This isn’t a brand-new discovery. GM already had a steering recall on these vans. The expansion exists because, during the original campaign, some potentially defective steering gear assemblies were excluded from the inspection. GM went back, caught the gap, and pulled more vehicles in. That’s the honest reason the number grew.

What the filing says

According to the filing and reporting from Autoblog, the expansion was reported on November 5, 2026. Here’s how the 12,715 affected vans break down:

• 5,434 — 2025 Chevrolet Express
• 3,259 — 2026 Chevrolet Express
• 3,568 — 2025 GMC Savana
• 454 — 2026 GMC Savana

The supplier contained the problem back in May. Vans built after June 1 got steering gear assemblies with properly tightened nuts, so the defective window is limited to units produced before that cutoff. If your van came off the line after that date, you’re outside this particular problem.

The remedy is a re-inspection. Owners return to an authorized Chevrolet or GMC dealer, and the dealer checks the steering gear assembly to confirm whether your van has a suspect part. That’s the whole point of the expansion — to make sure the vehicles missed the first time around actually get looked at.

What this means if you own one

1. Run your VIN. Don’t assume. The only way to know if your specific van is in the recall population is to check the VIN against campaign 26V718. A 2026 build date after June 1 likely clears you, but confirm it rather than guessing.

2. Take symptoms seriously. This defect affects steering. If you feel anything off — looseness in the wheel, a change in how the van tracks, extra play, or anything that doesn’t feel tight and predictable — stop driving it and get it checked. Steering is not a “I’ll deal with it next week” system.

3. Get the re-inspection done. Even if the van feels fine, the whole reason for this expansion is that a loose nut may not announce itself until it’s a problem. The dealer inspection is the step that confirms your assembly is safe. Schedule it.

4. It’s a free repair — know that going in. This is a safety recall. The inspection, and any correction to a suspect steering gear, is covered at the dealer at no cost to you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise or try to fold it into a paid service.

5. Document everything. Keep your paperwork from the dealer visit. Note the date, what they found, and what they did. If you’re running a fleet, log it per vehicle. That record matters if a steering concern ever comes up later.

If you want to keep tabs on your specific van, you can check the hubs for the 2026 Chevrolet Express, the 2025 GMC Savana, and the 2026 GMC Savana.

The honest take

An expansion recall can look worse than the original — the number climbed, and that spooks people. But read it for what it is: GM found that some suspect steering gears got skipped the first time and went back to catch them. That’s the system working, even if it’s a bit late.

The good news is the scope is bounded. The supplier fixed the issue in May, and post-June-1 builds are clean. The action item for you is simple and cheap: confirm your VIN, get the re-inspection, and don’t ignore a steering that feels off in the meantime. For a van that works for a living, that’s an afternoon at the dealer well spent.