Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| 040234001 | 10/01/2004 | 10012736 | Vehicle pulls on breaking acceleration and wanders. *eh | 03/11/2005 | |
| 030236002 | 08/01/2003 | 10012577 | Revised steering wheel position sensor or steering shaft lower bearing replacement procedure and steering wheel position sensor centering procedure. *eh | 03/07/2005 | |
| 000235003 | 02/01/2007 | 000235003M | 10012089 | Clunking noise under hood and can be felt in steering wheel. *eh updated *eh updated. *kb | 02/11/2005 |
| 000235003E | 08/01/2004 | 000235003F | 10011223 | Clunking noise under hood and can be felt in steering wheel. this bulletin replaces previous bulletin 00-02-35-003e. *tt | 01/11/2005 |
| 3243 | 3118J | 10010873 | Pop/clunk/click noise on right or left turns. *eh | 12/15/2004 | |
| 01634A | 01/01/2004 | 10007276 | Supplement to 00-02-35-003d - clunking noise under hood and can be felt in the steering wheel. *tt | 06/09/2004 | |
| 01634 | 01/01/2004 | 10007231 | Intermediate steering shaft service kit. service vme. *tt | 06/04/2004 | |
| 030235006 | 12/01/2004 | 10005165 | Revised steering wheel replacement procedure. *tt | 02/10/2004 | |
| 000235003C | 04/01/2004 | 000235003D | 10004716 | Clunking noise under hood and can be felt in the steering wheel. *tt | 01/02/2004 |
| 000235003B | 01/01/2003 | 000235003A | 10000950 | Clunking noise under hood and can be felt in the steering wheel. *tt | 04/04/2003 |
| 010232007 | 09/01/2001 | 623883 | Some customer may comment on a whining-type noise that is audible inthe vehicle's passenger compartment. *tt | 10/31/2001 | |
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||||
| 000235003N | 04/01/2008 | 10025148 | Clunking noise under hood and can be felt in steering wheel and/or steering column (replace upper intermediate steering shaft [i-shaft] assembly). *pe | 07/14/2008 | |
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||||
| 010235003 | 04/01/2001 | 619366 | The deletion of the steering column / wheel locking feature on vehicles with automatic transmissions. *tt | 05/24/2001 | |
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||||
| 3386 | 3386C | 10013533 | Lack of steering assist or shudder during parking lot type maneuvers. *tt | 04/21/2005 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES - ARM - IDLER AND ATTACHMENT | |||||
| 3499 | 3499A | 10014899 | Steering idler arm inspection procedure. *tt | 05/11/2005 | |
| STEERING - LINKAGES - TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 030234001A | 10/01/2003 | 030234001 | 10004766 | Inner tie rod released for service. *tt | 01/06/2004 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 06/01/2006 | 80 | 1 | |
| Loose steering and loose clunking coming from steering column. coming out of turn i hear a noise not normal after turning and the steering feels loose/floaty. i have had the noise for a couple of years but never thought anything of it. had the front end checked out and the steering looked at about a year ago and it all checked out ok. i still had the clunking and looseness. i recently had a steering fluid flush and check and all turned out well but the noise is still there. it feels as if the steering shaft is floating and snaps back into place after the turn. *tr | |||
| 10/11/2001 | 75000 | 1 | |
| Steering feels loose when turning and hitting slight bumps at normal speeds. soft clunking sounds comes from steering column area under dashboard when turning steering wheel and moving. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2005 | 63000 | 1 | 07/01/2005 |
| Steering shaft - clunking noise and can feel vibrations in the steering wheel. have to keep paying for mechanics to pack with grease rather then fix the problem. have been told that is will eventually go completely out and will have to be totally replaced. i have a 2001 tahoe and a 2003 gmc sierra. problem on both vehicles. i feel this should be recalled and manufacturer should replace and fix the problem. *tr | |||
| 11/24/2004 | 9 | 06/14/2003 | |
| Abs module, transmission, parking brake, throttle body, windows, rear a/c, steering suspension. since we purchased the vehicle we have had to spend over $4000.00 on repairs that should be recalled due to safety. *jb | |||
| 04/17/2003 | 53000 | 1 | 06/15/2001 |
| On 04-17-03 i went out to drive my 2001 chevrolet tahoe. as i began to drive down the street the vehicle shut off and the battery indicator light came on. i lost power steering and brakes. as the vehicle rolled, i was able to get it over to the right side of the road out of traffic . i attempted to start it a couple of times before noticing that gas was coming out from underneath the drivers area and was pouring onto the ground. i had the vehicle towed to a local mechanic who advised that the gas line became disconnected. i had just left my son in surgery and was to come back to pick him and my wife up. this incident could have become very bad and killed myself and possibly my family had they been in the vehicle. this needs to be investigated and action taken. in the past i along with my wife have reported vehicle problems to the dealer with them taking little to no action. please help also the steering appears to be becoming a problem. *jb | |||
| 04/27/2002 | |||
| While traveling on the highway there is a clunking noise coming from underneath the vehicle. also the pittman arms broke from underneath the vehicle without prior warning. the dealership is aware of the problem. ts | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 07/01/2005 | 63000 | 1 | 07/01/2005 |
| Steering shaft - clunking noise and can feel vibrations in the steering wheel. have to keep paying for mechanics to pack with grease rather then fix the problem. have been told that is will eventually go completely out and will have to be totally replaced. i have a 2001 tahoe and a 2003 gmc sierra. problem on both vehicles. i feel this should be recalled and manufacturer should replace and fix the problem. *tr | |||
| 04/28/2007 | 60532 | 1 | 05/19/2004 |
| Total loss of steering in my 2001 tahoe. this was preceded by a clunking noise that could be heard under the hood and felt through the steering wheel. fortunately, the loss of steering happened at a low speed and no accident resulted. in my owner's manual, it states that in the event of power assist loss on the steering, you can still drive the vehicle, it will just be more difficult to steer. this is not the case. the vehicle cannot be safely driven at any speed due to the amount of strength required to turn the wheel. this is a dangerous defect in the steering mechanism. *tr | |||
| 07/13/2003 | 48000 | 5 | 01/03/2001 |
| I have had my tahoe in the the dealer several times. where to begin. we have had middle seat latches catch and need to be replaced, the front dash and radio bubbled up and peeled...that was replaced. a component in the steering column was replaced when the car would just up and die everytime you turned left. that was replaced. the back window latch broke while on vacation. it too was replaced. all the seat/seatbelt recalls were repaired. then on 5/18/03 our power steering went out without any warning. they replaced it on 5/19/03 at the dealer. we took it back in on 5/30 with the complaint of it still not feeling right. it was hard to turn to the left. they found no problem. then on 7/13/03 while driving with a car full of boys, then the car died and started on fire. the 2 men, both whom have backgrounds as mechanics that help me said that it the universal joint on the power steering box was rubbing against the positive battery cable. once it rubbed thru the insulation the car caught fire. they had to disconnect the battery before they were able to tow the car because everytime the wheel moved a little it began sparking again. also, they had to end up towing it from the front because the steering column wouldn't lock up when the ignition was off, so, they couldn't tow it from the back.*ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN LOCKING - ANTI-THEFT DEVICE | |||
| 11/16/2004 | 54000 | 60 | |
| The steering wheel suddenly locked up while driving. this went unnoticed until the steering wheel was turned. this failure occurred at least twice daily. when this occurred driver had difficulty steering the vehicle. the steering wheel has to be turned with force, in the opposite direction , locked into unlock. *ak | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION) | |||
| 03/01/2003 | 27000 | 1 | 03/10/2001 |
| 2001 tahoe, excessive play in the steering. this has not caused an accident, yet. the steering was beginning to get noticably loose around 25,000 miles. we now have 50,000 mi on the vehicle and the play is getting worse. the wheels will catch in any imperfections in the road and jerk the vehicle that direction requiring the driver to oversteer to correct. we have had the vehicle into the chevrolet dealership 4 times in the past 2 years to try to correct the problem. they say there is nothing loose. i suspect that it is in the steering box itself and chevrolet is unwilling to admit this problem. this is a very dangerous problem and must be fixed. any support would be greatly appreciated. thank you. steve acker | |||
| 10/15/2001 | 18000 | 1 | 09/25/2001 |
| Clunking under hood that can be felt in steering wheel. the steering gear is defective and needs to be replaced. *ak | |||
| STEERING - GEAR BOX - SHAFT SECTOR | |||
| 10/01/2005 | 4 | 08/28/2001 | |
| I have a recurring knocking in my chevy tahoe 2001 steering column that has to be serviced every 8-10 mos. i would like to know if this is something that has been investigated as a problem/concern of other consumers. the dealership states that the knocking is caused by some type of calcium build up around the steering column at a cost of $200-300 each time this problem is repaired. this has been occurring since i purchased the vehicle in 2001. i do not feel that this is something that i should be continually paying for annually. this is not a rare occurrence. is there something that can be done on gmac's end to repair this problem without any monetary loss of the consumer? *nm | |||
| 10/03/2006 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2001 chevy tahoe & a 2003 gmc sierra. both vehicles make a clunking noise with lots and lots of vibration in the front end when turning corners or moving slowly over bumpy areas. i was told that the steering shafts are bad. the gmc has already had the steering shaft replaced and the problem is back. the tahoe i purchased used and the previous owner told me about the problem and said he has taken it in for service and they pack the steering shaft with grease. my father in law has a chevy truck and is having the same problem. i don't understand with such a huge problem on a variety of years that this is not recalled. if you can check into this problem and if there is any solution other than continually re-greasing the steering shaft which is a very expensive and time consuming job. talking with others with the same problem, i have heard that the steering shaft will eventually wear out and i don't know if this could be dangerous as far as causing an accident if something happened while driving. i have two young children that i drive around constantly and i am somewhat worried about this problem. thank you for your time and consideration in this matter. *jb | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 06/12/2004 | 100000 | 6 | 09/07/2001 |
| Why does the manual state that one can pull up to 8700lbs. if the tahoe can barely handle 3500lbs? the springs have been replaced twice the manifold is cracked the fuel pump went out, the universal joint is going out, the transfer case is leaking and has only been used twice in 3 years, and has already been repaired once last year, the steering pump is going out, these are only the problems i can think of. *jb | |||
| 07/13/2003 | 48000 | 5 | 01/03/2001 |
| I have had my tahoe in the the dealer several times. where to begin. we have had middle seat latches catch and need to be replaced, the front dash and radio bubbled up and peeled...that was replaced. a component in the steering column was replaced when the car would just up and die everytime you turned left. that was replaced. the back window latch broke while on vacation. it too was replaced. all the seat/seatbelt recalls were repaired. then on 5/18/03 our power steering went out without any warning. they replaced it on 5/19/03 at the dealer. we took it back in on 5/30 with the complaint of it still not feeling right. it was hard to turn to the left. they found no problem. then on 7/13/03 while driving with a car full of boys, then the car died and started on fire. the 2 men, both whom have backgrounds as mechanics that help me said that it the universal joint on the power steering box was rubbing against the positive battery cable. once it rubbed thru the insulation the car caught fire. they had to disconnect the battery before they were able to tow the car because everytime the wheel moved a little it began sparking again. also, they had to end up towing it from the front because the steering column wouldn't lock up when the ignition was off, so, they couldn't tow it from the back.*ak | |||
| 09/20/2002 | |||
| Consumer states that power steering failed while driving affecting control of vehicle. dealer diagnosed that power steering pump failed. ts | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 04/28/2007 | 60532 | 1 | 05/19/2004 |
| Total loss of steering in my 2001 tahoe. this was preceded by a clunking noise that could be heard under the hood and felt through the steering wheel. fortunately, the loss of steering happened at a low speed and no accident resulted. in my owner's manual, it states that in the event of power assist loss on the steering, you can still drive the vehicle, it will just be more difficult to steer. this is not the case. the vehicle cannot be safely driven at any speed due to the amount of strength required to turn the wheel. this is a dangerous defect in the steering mechanism. *tr | |||
| 11/20/2003 | 54700 | 3 | 11/01/2002 |
| While driving at low speed, intermittently the power steering failed. when this happened it was very difficult to steer the vehicle. the dealer had heard of a few instances, but the manufacturer had not. *jb *sc *jb | |||
| 02/01/2002 | 20397 | 5 | 02/28/2001 |
| On many occasions while driving, the steering wheel has locked up, dealer has replaced the steering wheel rotation sensor on three occasions and the power steering pump assembly, consumer is concerned that problem is not resolved. *slc *tt | |||
| 10/06/2001 | 1 | 06/06/2001 | |
| While traveling at 45 mph and without any indication right front control arm had broke off tire as a result of an accident. *ak consumer added that the power steering went out without any indication while driving at 45 mph causing a right front crash with one vehicle from behind and side swipping three other vehicles before stopping. manufactuer was contacted. *tt | |||