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General Motors is fitting the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD with rack-and-pinion steering and electric power assist, replacing the hydraulically assisted recirculating ball setups used for decades in heavy-duty pickups. GM executive Ken Morris says the change delivers more precise, consistent steering feel both loaded and unloaded.
General Motors is replacing the hydraulically assisted recirculating ball steering in its 2027 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD with rack-and-pinion steering paired with electric power assist, the company confirmed in an interview with The Drive. According to GM, the change makes it the first of the Detroit Three to adopt the technology in heavy-duty pickups, and company executives say it delivers more precise, consistent control, particularly when towing heavy trailers.
The updated trucks, which also receive a new 8.3-liter Duramax diesel, will use a direct gear-and-bar rack-and-pinion setup rather than the threaded worm gear and ball bearings of a traditional steering box. Rack-and-pinion steering has long been standard in passenger cars and sports cars — including GM’s own Corvette — but heavy-duty pickups have historically used recirculating ball designs, which manufacturers have favored for their resilience under heavy loads.
Ken Morris, GM’s senior vice president of product integration, safety, and motorsports, told The Drive the switch was driven by precision and consistency. “I think [rack and pinion] allows you, especially when you’re towing those 38,000-pound trailers, to have the precision of knowing exactly where you are,” Morris said. “It’s a different continuum from a Corvette ZR1 to a heavy-duty truck, but you want the same thing. You want to know exactly where you are.”
Morris said electric power steering (EPS) also keeps steering feel consistent regardless of load. “When it’s unladen, it really doesn’t change the steering characteristics. Whereas in the past, when you have a lot of tongue weight, or you have a load in the bed, it does change the way the steering feels,” he said, adding that GM wants “the driver to be in 100% control.” The 2027 HD trucks are also, according to GM, the only pickups in their class with independent front suspension rather than a solid front axle, a design choice the company attributes to the same priorities on ride and handling.
Why Electric Steering Changes the HD Truck Formula
Heavy-duty pickups have been one of the last vehicle categories still using recirculating ball steering, a design that trades precision for durability under extreme loads. GM’s position is that modern EPS hardware and software tuning can now deliver that durability while adding the direct feel of rack-and-pinion systems.
Morris said EPS gives engineers more flexibility in development. “You can manage that so much better with EPS. You can tune it [during development]. You can do it all on a laptop,” he said, contrasting it with grinding physical profiles into steering gears, which “takes lots of time and slows the iterative process.” Electric steering also enables easier integration with driver-assistance features and lane-keeping systems, though GM did not detail specific features in the report.
According to Morris, the intended result is a truck that drives comfortably when empty yet remains stable when loaded. “This truck, when you drive it unladen, it’s a super comfortable truck to drive that you wouldn’t guess is a heavy-duty if you were blindfolded,” Morris said. “Then you load it, and it’s absolutely capable. Rock solid.”
A Long Road From Recirculating Ball
Recirculating ball steering uses a worm gear and recirculating steel balls inside a steering box to translate steering wheel input into wheel movement. It has remained common in heavy-duty trucks because it can withstand high loads, but it provides less direct feedback than rack-and-pinion, which connects the steering column straight to a gear-and-rack assembly.
Morris acknowledged that early EPS systems in passenger vehicles received criticism. “When we first started EPS, you may or may not remember, but they weren’t very good. But they’ve gotten better and better and better,” he said. “So now, they’re so good that moving across the HD truck is doable.” GM has emphasized ride comfort in its trucks for years, and according to The Drive, the steering switch is consistent with that existing positioning. Ford’s Super Duty and Ram’s HD pickups continue to use more conventional steering setups, making GM the first of the Detroit Three to make this change in the segment.
“I think [rack and pinion] allows you, especially when you’re towing those 38,000-pound trailers, to have the precision of knowing exactly where you are.”
— Ken Morris, GM senior vice president of product integration, safety, and motorsports
Durability and Specs Still Unproven
Several details remain unconfirmed. GM has not published technical specifications for the new steering system, including how the rack-and-pinion hardware is reinforced to handle the tie-rod loads of a fully loaded dually pickup. Morris’s assurance that the components are sufficient is a company claim that has not been independently verified, and real-world longevity under heavy towing, plowing, and off-road use will only become clear after the trucks reach customers.
Full specifications for the 2027 Silverado HD and Sierra HD — including pricing, towing capacities, and complete powertrain details for the 8.3-liter Duramax — have not been released. Whether the EPS system enables new driver-assistance features, and which ones, is also not yet detailed.
Launch Timing and Rival Responses
GM is expected to release more details on the 2027 Silverado HD and Sierra HD, including towing ratings, trim lineup, and pricing, as the launch approaches. Independent testing of the new steering system under loaded conditions will follow once vehicles reach reviewers and customers. Ford and Ram may respond with their own electric-assist steering updates in future Super Duty and HD redesigns.
Key Questions
Which GM trucks are getting the new steering system?
The 2027 Chevrolet Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD will switch from hydraulically assisted recirculating ball steering to rack-and-pinion steering with electric power assist.
Why did heavy-duty trucks use recirculating ball steering for so long?
Recirculating ball designs are typically more resilient under heavy loads, which made them the standard for HD pickups. Rack-and-pinion offered better precision but was historically seen as less robust for extreme weights.
Is GM the first automaker to do this in an HD pickup?
According to The Drive, GM is the first of the Detroit Three to move its heavy-duty pickups to electric-assist rack-and-pinion steering, ahead of Ford and Ram.
Will the new steering change how the truck drives when empty versus loaded?
GM claims steering feel will remain consistent regardless of load. Morris said the truck feels comfortable unladen and “rock solid” when loaded, though independent verification is pending.
What else is new on the 2027 Silverado HD and Sierra HD?
The trucks also receive a new 8.3-liter Duramax diesel engine. Full specifications, towing capacities, and pricing have not yet been announced.
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