jx3

I had my 06 in for the correction at 24K.

AdamT

I've had this issue on my '01 Silverado and they came out with a "High Impact Grease" kit that seems to work for 40k to 50k miles.

Adam

edb

just got my 07 HHR back from dealer. had a new intermediate steering shaft. I will see if there is still that clunking noise.

m_ridzon

I know this thread is old, but I figured I'd post my question here since it's on topic, rather than starting a new thread. My 2009 HHR SS with 100K miles has the infamous intermediate shaft rattle at low turning speeds. For sure, it's not the sway bar, since I just replaced those bushings and end links, which alleviated loud front end bump noises. I still have the steering rattle though. I crawled under the dash and disconnected the intermediate shaft from the EPS. With the help of a friend's ears, I was able to conclude that the noise is coming from the intermediate shaft's slip joint. I know this is an age old problem that GM is plagued with. And I know the common fix is to slap a new intermediate shaft in it. I'm concerned the noise will return again in short order though, thereby being a waste of money. Other than slapping a new GM intermediate shaft in the car, has anybody found a better long term solution?

Thanks!
M Ridzon

donbrew

I don't think it is big enough problem for an after-market company to care.

100K is "short order"?

You might try the remedy suggested in post #12.

Oldblue

Nope, replace the shaft, GM redesigned it awhile ago.

I'd inspect the steering rack input shaft also the rear LCA bushings

m_ridzon

I guess I should have been clearer. Yes, the vehicle has 100K. I bought it at 86K a few months ago and the noise already existed, which tells me the problem has been there for some time. Who knows how long?! Many years ago I worked in a GM garage and the shafts were problematic then. Anything we did to them (grease, replace, etc.), only got us about 10K miles noise-free. Poking around Google recently, it quickly became obvious that they continued to be a problem for many years after I left and moved on. Having not worked in the garage for a while, and fast forwarding to 2017, I wasn't sure if they had come up with a reasonable solution that lasted beyond 10K miles.

Have folks here successfully used the "redesigned" shaft, to give some assurance that GM finally fixed the issue? I just don't want to spend the money, to find it rattling again in 10-20K miles.

Thanks,
M Ridzon

Oldblue

I did changed it July 24th, 2015 no problem with it since. Approximately 45,000 miles ago

donbrew

Not to be argumentative, really.

If a noise bothers you that much on a high mileage vehicle .......

It is just a noise, no effect on tire wear or performance. I don't get the agonizing, just fix it.

I had 2, a 2008 and a 2011, both with more than 200,000 miles with no such problem.

Evidently, I was wrong about after market parts: New INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT FOR CHEVROLET HHR 2006-2011 4CYL 25834100 | eBay

Oldblue

Wow, click on description and you see anything but!
Good price!