Front end rattle

'04 GMC 2500 HD Extended Cab.

8800 miles. I also have the samething going on. It just feels like somethings loose. I`ve had it back to the dealer,and to my mechanic,and neither could find anything.

Bill

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I took my truck in to the dealer today. After explaining what the symptoms were, the service writer immediately replied that the problem was the "intermediate steering shaft". I did some research on the internet and found that GM has had this problem since at least 2000. I asked the dealer to fix this defect. They told me that GM indeed knows about this but it would be up to me to fix the problem, to the tune of about $350.00. This brought my immediate NO response. If GM has known about this defect since 2000 and it could be considered a safety defect, why am I paying for repair and not GM? I went to the customer service manager and plead my case. The dealer is fixing this intermediate steering shaft under the warranty. They all but admitted that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Go back to your dealer and complain.

Jim

I`m glad to here about this. How and where,did you find this info? I would like to print out some info on this before I go back to the dealer. Thanks Jim

Bill

The web site I found information on is:

is the specific page I found where a writer had actually described to a "T" the same symptoms that I had. Good luck with getting your truck fixed. Do like I did, demand satisfaction. This is a problem that GM has known about since at least

2000. The dealer readily admitted that they had problem with this shaft. They also said "it will get worse."

Jim

Once I get this fixed or not,do you mind if I send you a personal e-mail to let you know what happened?

Thanks, Bill

What exactly is the intermediate steering shaft? What problems will it cause? Do I need to get it fixed NOW?

Bill

Sure, let me know how you made out.

Jim

I'm not really sure. All I know is what the service writer told me at McCarthy GMC. She said it will get worse. It is not however considered a safety issue, so that must mean that what ever it is will not fall off. Is that a comfort?

Do as I did. Scream about how GM has known about this for at least five years and has done nothing. They expect you to pay for something they obviously screwed up. Don't take no for an answer. That's what I did, and GM paid 100% of the bill.

Jim

The intermediate shaft is really two shafts, one sliding inside the other. This problem is absolutely not a safety issue, simply an annoying problem. I think that GM just did a really lousy job of designing the unit...or whoever manufactures it for them uses sub-standard parts, or GM specified sub-standard parts. Probably a bit of all of the above.

The procedure now in our dealership is to lube the steering shaft once, when it comes back for the same problem, it gets a new shaft.

Not a bad idea.

Ian

"Bill69" wrote: > What exactly is the intermediate steering shaft? What problems > will > it cause? Do I need to get it fixed NOW? > > Bill

the intermediate steering shaft is the shaft that connects your steering colum to your steering gear box. if the intermediate shaft fails, so does your steering. i would get it fixed ASAP.

Thanks for clearing up what an intermediate steering shaft is. By the way, they told me at the dealer that a grease kit is available at a cost of $150 dollars. I told them that I should not have to pay for something that should have been on the truck to begin with.

Jim Bryant

What a ridiculous price for what the kit actually is! I've never actually checked to see what the price is as we do this operation all the time under warranty. I don't think we've ever charged a customer yet. Either that, or the customer will not pay to fix the rattle once it's off warranty. We do see that quite a bit. An item that "just has to be fixed" during the warranty period...all of a sudden becomes quite unimportant when the customer has to pay the bill.

Anyway, rest assured that your steering won't all of a sudden become disconnected!

Ian

Is this a recurring problem? I have a 03 GMC 3500 which had the shaft replaced about a year ago under warranty. I've just noticed the start of a similar rattle. Paul