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Steering Column Slants To The Left

Raven

By Raven
in Ask A GM Technician

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Raven Enthusiast

Raven

Posted
Posted

I noticed that the steering wheel's right side (when looking at it while in the driver's seat) is closer to me than the left. Closer inspection revealed that the gap between the steering column and the instrument panel is much narrower on the left side than on the right and that the entire column is biased to the left side of the truck. This makes for a weird feel when you turn the truck, especially when crossing hands over in hard turns.

 

I pointed this out to my service adviser and he said they would look at it closer when I take it in for the first oil change.

 

Anyone else have this problem? Is there any sort of bulletin out on this issue? Lastly, is it a big deal to fix and get the steering wheel more properly in line with my body?

rckt442 Enthusiast

rckt442

Posted
Posted
I noticed that the steering wheel's right side (when looking at it while in the driver's seat) is closer to me than the left. Closer inspection revealed that the gap between the steering column and the instrument panel is much narrower on the left side than on the right and that the entire column is biased to the left side of the truck. This makes for a weird feel when you turn the truck, especially when crossing hands over in hard turns.

 

I pointed this out to my service adviser and he said they would look at it closer when I take it in for the first oil change.

 

Anyone else have this problem? Is there any sort of bulletin out on this issue? Lastly, is it a big deal to fix and get the steering wheel more properly in line with my body?

 

I had the same problem on my '03 Silverado. I also had a problem with the driver's side door being too close to the dash when shut. It caused the speaker grill on the bose speaker to rub the dash and created a pile of plastic dust on the carpet below it (cheese grater effect). I reported that problem and the dealer's solution was to order a brand new grill and then put a dent in it so that the dash wouldn't hit it any longer. After that, I decided to live with the steering wheel being slightly cocked to the left (and gap at the dash), since it didn't affect driving and I was too scared to see how they would "fix" it.

silverad03 Enthusiast

silverad03

Posted
Posted
I noticed that the steering wheel's right side (when looking at it while in the driver's seat) is closer to me than the left. Closer inspection revealed that the gap between the steering column and the instrument panel is much narrower on the left side than on the right and that the entire column is biased to the left side of the truck. This makes for a weird feel when you turn the truck, especially when crossing hands over in hard turns.

 

I pointed this out to my service adviser and he said they would look at it closer when I take it in for the first oil change.

 

Anyone else have this problem? Is there any sort of bulletin out on this issue? Lastly, is it a big deal to fix and get the steering wheel more properly in line with my body?

 

I had the same problem on my '03 Silverado. I also had a problem with the driver's side door being too close to the dash when shut. It caused the speaker grill on the bose speaker to rub the dash and created a pile of plastic dust on the carpet below it (cheese grater effect). I reported that problem and the dealer's solution was to order a brand new grill and then put a dent in it so that the dash wouldn't hit it any longer. After that, I decided to live with the steering wheel being slightly cocked to the left (and gap at the dash), since it didn't affect driving and I was too scared to see how they would "fix" it.

 

Wow, Todd. You've got a FIRST CLASS dealer there!!

 

GIT-ER-DUNN!! :crazy:

rckt442 Enthusiast

rckt442

Posted
Posted
I noticed that the steering wheel's right side (when looking at it while in the driver's seat) is closer to me than the left. Closer inspection revealed that the gap between the steering column and the instrument panel is much narrower on the left side than on the right and that the entire column is biased to the left side of the truck. This makes for a weird feel when you turn the truck, especially when crossing hands over in hard turns.

 

I pointed this out to my service adviser and he said they would look at it closer when I take it in for the first oil change.

 

Anyone else have this problem? Is there any sort of bulletin out on this issue? Lastly, is it a big deal to fix and get the steering wheel more properly in line with my body?

 

I had the same problem on my '03 Silverado. I also had a problem with the driver's side door being too close to the dash when shut. It caused the speaker grill on the bose speaker to rub the dash and created a pile of plastic dust on the carpet below it (cheese grater effect). I reported that problem and the dealer's solution was to order a brand new grill and then put a dent in it so that the dash wouldn't hit it any longer. After that, I decided to live with the steering wheel being slightly cocked to the left (and gap at the dash), since it didn't affect driving and I was too scared to see how they would "fix" it.

 

Wow, Todd. You've got a FIRST CLASS dealer there!!

 

GIT-ER-DUNN!! :crazy:

 

 

Pretty much all the dealer service depts in my area are like that. I won't give out any names, in case someone from there is lurking on this board (which could make life even more difficult for future warranty visits). The 1 and only time I took my '07 in, they attempted to fix the rear seat. It was loose and you could hear it rattle on every little bump in the road. Now, after the "fix", it rattles twice as much. When it gets bad enough to motivate me to fix it, I'll pull the seat and figure out how to fix it correctly. I think I've done more warranty work on my GM vehicles than GM over the past 15 years. What's even worse are the service advisers I've dealt with. They think they know everything about your truck and that you know nothing. I'm sure its not like that everywhere, but I seem to be a magnet for the crappy ones. I took a TSB in once to show them what was really wrong with my truck (after they tried twice to fix the rear window in my '03 extended cab by replacing it), and it really pissed them off. However, my truck got fixed right that time!

Raven Enthusiast

Raven

Posted
  • Author
Posted

What you guys have mentioned is one of my biggest fears - having the dealer 'fix' something only to make it OR SOMETHING ELSE worse in doing so.

 

It's still danged annoying but I can live with it if I have to. I just am wondering if this is more rampant than we know...

95Sierra2500 Senior Enthusiast

95Sierra2500

Posted
Posted

The problem is that alot of dealer service departments ('advisers' as well as techs) don't read all the TSB's that come out. I work for a supplier of GM parts, and we recently made a change to a major steering component to eliminate a warranty problem. Unfortunately, I know we're going to get all kinds of returns because the current 'fix' they have is to grease it. The change we made will actually cause a failure if they add grease to it. GM's solution? Issue a TSB. I only hope they read it.

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