The lower steering shaft is making a noise. Took to a repair center and show the shaft needs to be lubed it makes a creaking noise when driving over humps and also the slip yoke in the rear of the truck when coming to a stopped position the drive shaft moves and back and it feels as if you was being bumped from the rear of the vehicle. The two issues are found all over the web reporting these issues and gmc as not identified or resolved these issues especially on these models.
GMC Sierra steering noise problems
13 of the 3,904 owner complaints about the GMC Sierra describe clunking or noise when steering, most of them for the 2003 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 2003
- typical mileage
- 25,000
Is there a fix? There are 6 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20091
- 20081
- 20052
- 20037
- 20021
- 20001
Often reported together
Harsh shifting 5Knocking 4Won't start 1Power steering loss 1Loss of power 1Door locks 1Check engine light 1Grinding brakes 1
What owners say
Crank vehicle turn corner , message engine power reduced, check engine light appeared, turn around return 200 feet to home, check all fluids connections turn off ignition, unable to start engine, let sit, unable to start engine, drive wife to work other vehicle, recheck all fluids connections, refill coolant, crank engine, coolant discharge on overflow line on cold engine, kill engine would not start, go to autozone get extra coolant and new gas cap. Return coolant level ok. Install new gas cap, engine hard to crank like vapor lock or no fuel to engine. Crank engine, let run, kill engine. Unable to crank, return to work, return in 3 hours, reinstall old gas cap, check fluid levels, ok. Crank engine let run for 5 minutes, check engine light still on, wait one hour, crank engine back to normal check engine light off, engine run ok, drive short test drive. Unable to operate vehicle safely for 6-8 hour period, unsure if vapor lock, bad fuel, fuel filter, bad plugs, coil on plugs, loose plug wire, etc. Never had any engine problems in the past. Only instrument panel cluster failure, and steering click knock that was fixed by dealer. Research problem on internet, it appears this is a throttle position sensor failure that gmc has identified as a safety problem and made a special extended coverage for 2008 to current year vehicles or ten years or 120000 miles. Fromresearch on computer, it appears tens of thousands of comments regarding this loss of power and engine stop. I am older man and reacted with caution and was near my home. Had I been on a busy street or highway a crash or injury would most certainly occurred with this disabled vehicle the cause. I had never imagined this would happen to me nor had I heard of it from any media source or dealer memos. I am hesitant to drive any distance or on certain high traffic roads due to this problem recurring.
I stated my truck to warm it up when I got in and started to drive I had no power steering or power brakes. I revved the motor a little and I could hear the power steering pump make a noise and it started working. I took it to the dealer who said they could not find anything wrong.
Returned to dealer 4 times for: brakes going out (4 new sets installed) abnormal wear on tires (f) valves chattering at 10-65 MPH returned to dealer 3 times for: steering sector knocking front axle making warping noise transmission clunking when shifting up or down returned to dealer 2 times for: various electrical/light problems smoking in passing gear or hard take off all of the above problems are still on-going and have not been repaired.
The steering column makes a popping sound as if something is loose in it. The problem was supposedly fixed while the vehicle was under warranty. After warranty ran out the problem came back. I was then charged $60 to get the steering column greased. This worked temporarily as before.
On 08/10/04 rattle or clunk can be felt in steering. Gmc service department verified concern and lubed the steering shaft. On 09/09/04 clunk in steering column came back. Gmc service department replace intermediate steering shaft, reference to bulletin 00-02-35-003f. This is a safety concern when so many vehicles are involved.
2003 sierra steering mechanism makes a noise. *ts the consumer was told when the part in the steering was replaced under warranty, someone placed it on too tight and now the part was out of shape. The mechanic also stated that the part would have to be lubricated often because there were no grease fittings on it. *jb updated. 07/21/06.
Dt: the contact stated the rear passenger brake was out of control. The vehicle was taken to the dealership , and they determined there was a problem with the rear tires. There have been no repairs made to the vehicle. *ak updated 1/4/2006 - the steering intermediate shaft was knocking and had to be replaced.
Dt: the consumer's vehicle had brake problems. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on sept. 3, 2004. All 4 brakes and rotors were replaced. The rotors broke on removal due to all the corrosion. New rotors were install but they have corroded again. *nm consumer heard clunking noise when turning steering wheel, dealership technician lubed the intermediate steering wheel and clunking was gone. After getting the rotors and brakes replaced about 2,026 miles later they have to be replaced again because of corroding.
Steering assembly knocks, clunks, rattles, can feel in the steering wheel and can hear audibly, especially at speeds under 30mph. Feels dangerous.
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe, GMC Sierra, and Yukon XL vehicles, equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Due to a problem with the EPS module, the affected vehicles may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist during vehicle operation.
- Risk
- An unexpected loss of power steering increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering assist motor kit, free of charge. The recall began on November 17, 2014. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), or 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14743.
Recall number 14V719000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Silverado vehicles manufactured May 23, 2013, through March 25, 2014, 2014 GMC Sierra vehicles manufactured May 25, 2013, through March 31, 2014, and 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles manufactured January 29, 2014, through March 27, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the tie rod threaded attachment may not be properly tightened to the steering gear rack.
- Risk
- An improperly tightened tie rod attachment may allow the tie rod to separate from the steering rack, resulting in a loss of steering, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- GM notified all owners, and dealers will inspect the inner tie rods to make sure that they are correctly tightened, replacing the steering gear, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 14, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), or 1‑800‑462‑8782 (GMC). GM's number for this recall is 14204. NOTE: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until they have been inspected and repaired. Owners should contact GM to have their vehicles towed to the dealership.
Recall number 14V246000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages
- What is wrong
- Gm is recalling certain model year 2011cadillac escalade, escalade esv; chevrolet silverado hd, silverado ld, suburban, tahoe; and gmc sierra hd, sierra ld, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles. The intermediate steering shaft attaching bolts may not have been tightened to the proper specification.
- Risk
- This could allow the joints to separate, and the driver could experience loss of steering increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Gm dealers will inspect and ensure that the intermediate steering shaft bolts are tightened to the proper specification. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about july 13, 2011. Owners may contact cadillac at 1‑800‑458‑8006, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 and gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463.
Recall number 11V339000 · Recall details
Steering: hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with a power steering hose that is not to specification. Under extreme steering maneuvers, such as turning the steering wheel fully to the left or right while braking, the hose may fracture and leak fluid.
- Risk
- If this were to occur, power steering assist would be lost and increased steering effort would be required. On vehicles equipped with hydro-boost power brakes, it could also result in loss of power brake assist and increased braking effort would be required. If the power steering fluid spray were to spray onto hot engine parts, an engine compartment fire could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the power steering hose(s) for two suspect date codes and replace them if required. The recall will begin on october 14, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, cadillac at 1‑866‑982‑2339, isuzu at 1‑800‑255‑6727, or hummer at 1‑800‑732‑5493.
Recall number 05V455000 · Recall details
Steering: gear box: shaft sector
- What is wrong
- On certain trucks, the bolt that attaches the intermediate steering shaft to the steering gear may not meet specification. The bolt may fracture resulting in the loss of steering.
- Risk
- If this happens while the vehicle is moving, a crash could occur without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the intermediate steering shaft bolt free of charge. The recall began on january 24, 2005. Owners may contact gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463 and chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438.
Recall number 05V018000 · Recall details
Steering: gear box (other than rack and pinion)
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: extended cab 4-wheel drive pickup trucks. Some of these vehicles have a lower than specified torque on all three of the steering gear to frame attachment bolts. The bolts can loosen over time allowing the steering gear to move. This loosening can result in some unresponsive steering feel and some noise to the driver.
- Risk
- If this condition is ignored, the steering gear to frame can wear and/or fatigue the attaching bolts to the point of breakage or the bolts backing out. If all the bolts break or back out, the steering gear would separate from the frame resulting in a loss of steering control.
- Remedy
- Dealers will retorque the steering gear to frame bolts to proper specifications.
Recall number 98V242000 · Recall details
Questions about the GMC Sierra steering noise
Which GMC Sierra years have clunking or noise when steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2003 (7 complaints), 2005 (2 complaints) and 2000 (1 complaints).
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