After having the same popping noise on my recently purchased 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE I took it into the dealership who told me it was the struts due to a 3" leveling kit that was put on it. They recommended a bunch of repairs totaling over $3800. Not feeling satisfied in the answer I took it to another mechanic who told me I needed new tie rods/ball joints to get rid of the problem and it would cost $1700. Still not being satisfied I took it to yet another mechanic who told me It wasn't any of that. It was the Rack and Pinion that needed to be replaced and it would cost $2200 + an alignment. I didn't like any of those answers so I began researching myself and found this issue was the Rack and Pinion Dampner rings. The fix costed $40.
https://youtu.be/NFdokVsNgag
Moral of the story... Mechanics suck now days and are only looking to make a quick buck. You have to do it yourself.
SB-10072150-0335.pdf
