2000 Silverado Mysterious Front End Problem

[strausl7]

Hello all,

Any help would be very appreciated here. About 2 months ago, I purchased a very nice 2000 Silverado, 4WD, extended cab, short bed truck with the 5.3L motor. It is a "GM Certified" vehicle, which comes with a 3 month, 3,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. I have 4 weeks or 500 miles left on this warranty. There is currently 24,700 miles on the odometer. This truck was obviously babied and it shows no signs of any abuse.

Shortly after I got it home I began to notice a coarse vibration that could be felt through the steering wheel under certain conditions. It is most apparent, when going around a curve between 25 & 35 mph, though it will do it at other times. It feels almost as if there were a bad idler arm or center link. I can also faintly hear a rattling noise when I get the vibration. Something definitely feels loose, but I am not a mechanic & my knowledge of front ends is limited.

I brought it to the local dealer (not the one I purchased it from) to resolve the problem. The mechanic took it for a road test and could not duplicate the problem. All front end & steering components were checked and are in good condition. He did a computerized diagnostic to further check the steering system and came up with no error codes. I was told that whatever I am feeling must be something normal- perhaps the variable power steering. There is no doubt in my mind that something is not right here. At 24,000 miles I do not expect to have suspension problems, especially when the vehicle has been cared for as this one has.

I found out there is a technical service bulletin for this problem (00-02-35-004) but it is for vehicles whose VIN number is prior to mine. It describes a similar vibration and requires a major fix to strengthen the suspension. Translation: design error. Crazy huh?

Here are my quesions:

1) Any ideas what my problem might be?

2) Since I have it documented that I had the truck to the dealer for this problem within the warranty period, are they liable to fix it if the warranty expires and the problem is then found?

3) Have any of you had this problem?

I would be extremely grateful for any help- THANK YOU!

[lmnmarang]

The steering shafts on the new trucks have a problem with clunking when turning or going over bumps if this is the problem,nothing to be worried about take it back to the dealer tell them you here and feel a clunking noise in the floor board and steering wheel,there's a simple fix gm wants the dealers to remove the shaft lube them and stick them back in,the problem with that is in the heat of the summer the grease will run out and the clunking returns.request a new shaft!I know this sounds crazy they do feel like suspension problem but usually it's just the steering shaft

[strausl7]

Thanks for the info! I will have this possibility checked.

[00chevy]

hey man I'm not sure what the problem is but they did just recall a lot of GM trucks for a fracure in the power streering pump!! You might want to check that out.

[GMMerlin]

Originally Posted by 00chevy

hey man I'm not sure what the problem is but they did just recall a lot of GM trucks for a fracure in the power streering pump!! You might want to check that out.

Hey man how about stop bringing up year old threads!

Plus the upcoming campaign is for SOME 2000 model trucks with Hydroboost...lets get our facts straight