Rattle/Steering Wheel Feedback

rbachman · #1 06-01-2004, 06:06 PM

I have a 2003 GMC Yukon with about 30,000 miles on it. Starting about 15,000 miles I noticed a loose rattle feeding back through the steering wheel. It almost feels like a little play in the steering linkage or a loose ball joint. I have a friend with a 2002 GMC Sierra PU who reports something similar. He took it to the dealer and they said...what else....it's normal for these vehicles. I'm not accepting that, though, as it appears to be getting slightly worse, especially on rough pavement when turning right. Has anybody experienced this? Do you have any ideas on what to look for? I want to get it resolved before the warranty period is up in 6,000 miles.

the blur · #2 06-01-2004, 11:54 PM

take it to the dealer.

GMCTech · #3 06-02-2004, 06:13 AM

The dealership has a greaseing kit for the intermediate steering shaft to fix this annoying rattle. If you are still under warranty it is covered, and if not the kit is about $15-20 and the labor is about 20 minutes (even though you'll get shafted for a full hour labor expense probably.)

Hope this helps.

rbachman · #4 06-02-2004, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMCTech

The dealership has a greaseing kit for the intermediate steering shaft to fix this annoying rattle. If you are still under warranty it is covered, and if not the kit is about $15-20 and the labor is about 20 minutes (even though you'll get shafted for a full hour labor expense probably.)

Hope this helps.

Thanks.....I'll give that a try.

MacArchie · #5 06-09-2004, 10:33 PM

Yep... We bought a 2001 and it has had that annoying rattle since the first day. I took it back to the dealer and they test drove it and said it was fine. I have noticed that when we are towing the camper with the weight-distributing hitch, the rattle goes away. (Extra weight placed on the front end). We now have 35,000 miles - no problems - still rattles. I periodically check all the linkages and everything still looks fine. I have learned that this is just a characteristic of this vehicle. Everything else works great.

rbachman · #6 06-11-2004, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GMCTech

The dealership has a greaseing kit for the intermediate steering shaft to fix this annoying rattle. If you are still under warranty it is covered, and if not the kit is about $15-20 and the labor is about 20 minutes (even though you'll get shafted for a full hour labor expense probably.)

Hope this helps.

I took the vehicle to the dealer and they immediately recognized the problem when described. In fact, they said it has been a problem since 1999. The fix was quick and covered by warranty. Now the front end, steering feels as good as ever. Thanks for the tip.

rbachman · #7 06-11-2004, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacArchie

Yep... We bought a 2001 and it has had that annoying rattle since the first day. I took it back to the dealer and they test drove it and said it was fine. I have noticed that when we are towing the camper with the weight-distributing hitch, the rattle goes away. (Extra weight placed on the front end). We now have 35,000 miles - no problems - still rattles. I periodically check all the linkages and everything still looks fine. I have learned that this is just a characteristic of this vehicle. Everything else works great.

See my other post....the fix was called a lube kit and it worked great.

MacArchie · #8 06-11-2004, 09:32 PM

Thanks for the info... I'll stop by the dealer soon. Is this lube kit something a DIY guy can do? The dealer is some distance away and it is hard to find a free day to spend waiting on them to work on a vehicle.

Thanks again.

bjmccreary · #9 08-23-2004, 10:40 PM

So glad I found this out. I just bought a 2001 Yukon 2 weeks ago and did not notice the noise when I was on the test drive. After a few days my wife and I began to notice the noise and have been trying to pin point where it is coming from. I will be going to the dealer sometime soon for the lube kit. The vehicle has 60,000 miles on it, but I did purchase an extended warranty ($100 deductible) which it looks like is covered. Thanks again these forums are great just to help us ol' plain folks out.

GMMerlin · #10 08-24-2004, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bjmccreary

So glad I found this out. I just bought a 2001 Yukon 2 weeks ago and did not notice the noise when I was on the test drive. After a few days my wife and I began to notice the noise and have been trying to pin point where it is coming from. I will be going to the dealer sometime soon for the lube kit. The vehicle has 60,000 miles on it, but I did purchase an extended warranty ($100 deductible) which it looks like is covered. Thanks again these forums are great just to help us ol' plain folks out.

There is a new GM TSB out for this complaint
Clunking Noise Under Hood and Can be Felt in Steering Wheel (Replace Upper Intermediate Steering Shaft Assembly) #00-02-35-003F - (Aug 4, 2004)

bjmccreary · #11 08-24-2004, 12:48 PM

Thanks for the info Merlin. I will be going to my dealer soon!!! Where can I go on the Internet and read about this GM TSB 00-02-35-003F?

sanecity · #12 02-05-2006, 12:14 PM

My 2004 Yukon XL (15k miles) has steering rattling when the vehicle weight distribution is changed from that of the usual level road, it appears as I come over the top of a hill or round a corner a certain way. I'll take it to the dealer as the other folks have done. -sanecity

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