One problem related to steering gear box shaft pitman has been reported for the 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My olds Intrigue had a clunking noise from the front steering and a shimmy when it was turned to the right. Gm resolved it by greasing the intermediate shaft and said it was a "stiction" problem. If that is the case then they only delayed the fix and some time in the future I will have to spend $150 to get it "fixed" again. They either need a seal to retain the grease in this area or a means of servicing this part as opposed to asking the consumer to pay for their poor design practice. Has NHTSA looked into the amount of wear in this joint on the vehicles with a "lack of lubricant" which can actually impact the steering operation of the vehicle?.