Help! Steering Shaft Replaced On A 07 Silverado?

[tcr1016]

I just bought my 07 Silverado 1500 with 52K miles lastweek, and was feeling a thump in the steering wheel when turning. I sent it to the dealer under warranty and they replaced the steering shaft. I have been told by 3 owners the grease drys up in the shaft and ruins the gears. The dealer said that is what happened.

 

My concern is, they replaced the shaft with the newest model they have. But will I have that problem in another 50K miles??? My warranty is only for 30K miles.

Or is the newest shaft better??? They dealer said yes, but we all know they need the money from our off warranty repairs!!!

[dogzapper]

"Search" is your friend.

 

There are probably 100 pages on this forum concerning the intermediate steering shaft on GMT-800 trucks. Lotsa answers.

 

Steve

[svaneld]

Quick answer. I replaced mine on my own in a 2005 Sierra. I had the same sound when I bought it. The new part is completly different than the old. You can find pics and see the difference. I have not heard of anyone with the new shaft having any problems. They used to re grease the old one for a temporary fix until the new one was ready. You should not have to worry about this one going out. If it does for some reason it is a fairly cheap fix. I bought one for $60 and replacing it consists of removing 2 bolts and putting the new one in. I would assume the 2007 is fairly similar when replacing this part. Hope this helps.

[MikeNH]

I changed the one in my 03 with the new shaft about 20k miles before trading it and the steering was better than when I bought the truck with 32k on it. I had tried all the supposed fixes/patches with new grease or disconnecting the engine side and compressing/extending the shaft to spread out the grease (the TSB called this "exercising the shaft", insert your own joke here ) and none of these fixes lasted very long. I'd say you're probably all set. And there aren't any gears on the shaft, the clunk was actually some sort of binding on the splined section that collapses in a crash.

[jdewolfe]

I'm out of my Certified Pre-owned warranty but still have the 100,000 mile warranty on my truck. Will that cover getting this fixed/replaced? Just curious, thanks!

[txab]

I'm out of my Certified Pre-owned warranty but still have the 100,000 mile warranty on my truck. Will that cover getting this fixed/replaced? Just curious, thanks!

Doubtful, since it's not really a "powertrain" component. Dealer might cut you some slack though. Be prepared to do it yourself. Part is about $50 and is an easy install.