Steering Column problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche

There was a loose sounding noise in the steering column. Upon my investigation I found out that many gm's are having the same problem. Also because of the intermediate steering shaft being lose I could not tell that the right front wheel bearing was bad to the point the hub had to be replaced. This could have had catastrophic results (fatality). Upon talking to various employees I was told that gm has had a design problem and that they now have changed to a different shaft. My vehicle was repaired and even the repair order states "replace upper int shaft with new style reroad test ok" I think in public safety that the ntsb should look into how many of these have had a problem (gm) and the average mileage of not only my model vehicle but all gm's that have this type of steering. It is a serious safety issue.

There is popping and twisting motions in the steering column of my 04 Avalanche, it came from the factory like that as I was told. My steering wheel eventually twisted all the way around without turning the tires one day. . . Thank god no accident. Very serious issue was told all Avalanches in this year pop and twist like that. Had to replace steering column. Old part is at landfill.

2004 Chevrolet Avalanche intermediate steering shaft is bad. Makes a knocking noise like it's loose.

The contact owns a 2004 chevy Avalanche. When turning steering wheel hard in either direction . If the vehicle is in reverse one can still hear the knocking noise. The dealership has put something new in steering, but she was unsure of the part was, and two weeks later she is still had the problem. The dealership said that this was happening to a lot of these vehicles. The service department claimed that almost every six months the part would have to be changed. As of right now she was getting this fixed since vehicle was still under warranty. She could not afford to pay for repairs after her warranty was up. The contact began to have this problem three months after purchasing the vehicle. The part has been replaced once. .