kcb37

You will have to argue that with the dealer, which is exactly what I would do because I agree with your point. They said they fixed it while under warranty, but once your warranty was over it came back. So they didn't really fix anything. That is like putting brake fluid in a tranny that is slipping so it will grab. It will work but not for very long, and in the long run causes more problems.

Steve

This has been a problem since 2002. The part is improperly designed and there was not enough grease applied in the original part. GM has several bulletins out on it. they have never issued a recall on it and it is not covered under warranty. It will cost you about $90 dollars for them to remove and put grease into it. Or $200 to replace when the grease fix stops working. Mine on my impala starting the problem within 10 miles of the unlimited warranty going out. I've paid the $90 and now am wwaiting until it breaks before I do anything again. Send a letter and tell GM thanks for a ****ty engineering job and tell them you will buy a Honda next time and hope that their retirement program works well with the "penny wise -dollar" foolish savings.[

NCHEVYHEVN

Steering shafts are covered under warrenty.

GMJunkie

I had no problem with getting my steering knock fixed on my 05 crewcab. It only took about 30 min. at my local dealer and the shaft was repaired with a retro fit not just greased. 30,000 mile later still no knock. Go ahead and buy that honda and hook it up to a pullin sled and lets see what it is really made of. If you drive a honda, toyota, nissan, kia, or any other rice burner look in the mirror because your the problem with this country today.

KissMySS

has been a prob since 2000......poor design....9 bulletins later....restricted part now...lube kit all thats available i'm told...no recall cause it's not a safety issue,just an annoying noise...what i do know is,any stand-up dealer will aknowledge it's a common problem and should goodwill it to a respectable mileage,(usually 100k)...million dollar fix out there....anyone who can design a collapsable shaft with no noise wins !...p.s.,not just trucks....W bodys,J bodys and now i hear the Uplander is doing this....seen the same part on a 07 tahoe....to be continued......................................... ..........

KissMySS

jeeezissssssss...what was ever wrong with the old "rag-joint" shaft,it NEVER did this ?????

uncle bill

Hey, sounds like the grease job is a cheap fix, sure coundn't hurt.

unkajim

My '02 Duramax developed the steering knock at around 20+K miles. The dealer showed me the service bulletin that specified installing the grease kit as a temporary fix until the back-ordered replacement intermediate steering shaft could be available.
The dealer installed the grease kit and the knock was gone. Not too much later he called to tell me the replacement shaft had arrived. I scheduled the vehicle in and they installed the replacement shaft for me. All of this was under warranty, of course.
I thought the truck drove great before the new shaft installation but it felt even better with the new one.
All had been fine until just the last couple of weeks where I have noticed the knock is returning. It seems to be deteriorating more rapidly this time than last. It worries me that it might be that a bolt was not tightened well enough on the last repair, and I could go careening off the freeway at 70 mile an hour when it finally lets go although the symptons seem to be exactly the same as before.
It bothers me to read that Chevy is not considerig this a warranty or recall item. It bothers me that the updated replacement shaft is no better than the original. It will really bother me if I have to pay them to put grease in to "fix" this since, at 51K, I am now out of warranty.
That said, I agree 100% with GMJunkie regarding those who purchase vehicles from foreign owned companies. I won't even consider Chrysler products anymore since they sold their soul to, and are now controlled by a foreign company.

dswee081

Any one know what the retro fir kit GM Junkie is talking about. I asked the local dealership and they at least said they did not know. does anyone know if the 2007 Silverado has this same steering shaft/problem?

mypro

Ok, I just resolved this problem (for the time being) in my 2003 Chevy Tahoe Z71. You have to re-grease the intermediate steering shaft. I wanted to clarify some issues when doing this procedure. I spent 3 hours reading thru forums and decided to take on the job myself today. Took me about 1.5 hrs and went fairly smooth, but please note the following if you decide to do this job yourself.

1. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE STEERING WHEEL STRAIGHT AND STRAP THE STEERING WHEEL WITH A RATCHET STRAP OR ROPE REAL TIGHT TO THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR HANDLE BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING. DO NOT MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL DURING THE PROCEDURE UNTIL YOU HAVE EVERYTHING TORQUED AND IN PLACE. IF YOU MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL ONCE YOU HAVE REMOVED THE SHAFT, YOUR GOING TO INCUR ANOTHER $300+ REPAIR.

2. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REMOVE THE ADJUSTABLE PEDAL ASSEMBLY (IF YOU HAVE THEM) TO GET THE SHAFT OUT. IT IS A TIGHT FIT AND YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK AT IT, BUT IT WILL COME OUT. REMOVE THE END OF THE LEG HEATER ASSEMBLY UNDER THE DASH AS IT JUST POPS OFF AND THIS WILL BUY YOU SOME SPACE.

3. 15mm OR 17mm WRENCHES WILL GET THE JOB DONE, A 3/8 DRIVE RATCHETT WILL ALSO HELP. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE DEEP SOCKETS OR AN AIR RATCHET IF YOU HAVE ADJ. PEDALS, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH SPACE.

4. I USED HIGH TEMP WHEEL BEARING GREASE AS RECOMMENDED BY A SERVICE TECH IN ONE OF THE FORUMS I READ. THE HIGH TEMP WILL KEEP THE GREASE FROM BREAKING DOWN AS THE SHAFT SITS 5 INCHES FROM THE EXHAUST MAINFOLD. I PERSONALLY DID NOT WANT TO RE-GREASE THIS SHAFT EVERY 2 YEARS. I PUSHED AS MUCH GREASE INTO THE CLIP SIDE OF THE SHAFT AND PUT THE CLIP BACK IN. I OPENED AND CLOSED THE SHAFT MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET THE GREASE TO WORK ITSELF UP INTO THE SHAFT ASSEMBLY. I MADE SURE I HAVE ABOUT A 1/2 OF GREASE ON THE SHAFT NECK BEFORE I PUT IT BACK IN THE VEHICLE.

5. GOOD LUCK GETTING A TORQUE WRENCH ONTO THE BOLTS! THATS ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT!

6. TAKE YOUR TIME, BE CAREFUL AND PUT EVERYTHING BACK JUST HOW YOU TOOK IT OUT, JUST WITH EXTRA GREASE! SOME OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO ALL MAKES, MODELS AND YEARS. THESE TIPS ARE MEANT TO BE HELPFUL, NOT PROFESSIONAL GUARANTEED ADVICE. USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Good Luck

Dan