GMC Yukon XL 2000–2006
Common on this vehicle:NoiseLeakVibration or shudderCorrosion or rustMisfire or rough idleShifting faultSmoke or fireWarning light
Possible causes
Causes with no correction stated (2)
Causes the records name for which no check or repair is stated, in a technical document or in a record. Press one for the records that name it.
- Steering
- Steering Shaft: failed (1)
The documents say what to doOnly records name itThe size of a node, the width of a link and the numbers are records matching this search, not likelihoods.
FaultCrate・GMC Yukon XL 2000–2006・Steering, 2002
Candidate cause (the documents say what to do)
Steering intermediate shaft clunk
A clunking noise under the hood that can be felt in the steering wheel and/or steering column.
Intermediate steering shaft clunk noise or stick-slip.
What to do
- When properly lubricated, there should be 13 mm (1/2 inch) of grease showing on the shaft splines.
- Replace the upper intermediate steering shaft assembly.
- There are significant differences between the car and truck procedures: the lubricant is applied to a different part of the steering system and uses a different lubrication kit, 26098419.
- On the affected trucks, remove the intermediate steering shaft from the vehicle and remove the spacer clip.
- Apply the contents of the syringe supplied with the kit into the open end of the fully-extended intermediate shaft.
- Insert the plug into the opening and tighten the wing nut.
What is needed
- Parts and materials
- Upper intermediate steering shaft assembly
- Lubrication kit 26098419 (for trucks; different from the car kit)
Part numbers printed in the document
26098419Lubricant, Intermediate Steering ShaftLook up at RockAuto (aftermarket candidates) ↗Search the web ↗
Discontinued (no successor stated)as stated by GMPartsGiant (checked 2026-10-06) ↗
The numbers are as the document prints them. The name and the replacing number are what the pages of GMPartsGiant, a reseller of genuine parts and not GM, state. Aftermarket equivalents are not checked here (the links only search by number). Confirm the fit for the vehicle (VIN) before ordering.
- Labor time
- Not stated
- Special tools
- Not stated
- Scan tool
- Not stated
Only what the technical documents state. "Not stated" does not mean not needed.
In the records
- Intermediate Steering Shaft: replaced 2(says it did not fix it: 1)
- Running Board: adjusted 1(result not stated: 1)
- Transmission Gasket: replaced 1(result not stated: 1)
Outside the documents and the records
All three pages read are question-and-answer threads on 2CarPros, and none reports that the check or replacement advised went on to cure the fault. Only one is about a Yukon (2003); the other two are about a Chevrolet Tahoe (2005) and a Silverado (2004).
- In a 2CarPros question about a 2005 Tahoe Z71 (96,000 miles (= 154,497 km)), the owner writes that the noise from the front end at low speed on rough roads remained after the intermediate shaft was replaced with the updated one and the lower steering shaft bearing was replaced as well. 2CarPros
- In the 2CarPros question about a 2005 Tahoe Z71, the mechanic answering advises taking the running boards off, if fitted, to see whether the noise stops, and writes that on trucks without them he has seen many body mount problems. 2CarPros
- In a 2CarPros question about a 2003 Yukon SLT (4WD, 107,503 miles (= 173,009 km)) whose owner reports a knock in the steering wheel when turning on the move, the answerer suggests a two-person check: one person flicks the wheel briskly a short way (roughly an eighth of a turn) in each direction while the other checks the two-piece steering shaft in the engine bay for play, and the whole assembly is changed if play shows up. He also names tie rod ends, ball joints and control arm bushings as other places a knock can come from. 2CarPros
- In a 2CarPros question about a 2004 Silverado (4WD, 94,448 miles (= 151,999 km)), the owner reports, besides the noise over bumps, that the wheel is sometimes hard to turn at low speed or when parked; he had been told the shaft needs greasing, and the mechanic answering advises replacing the intermediate shaft. 2CarPros
The sentences above were written by FaultCrate from what shops' public pages and Q&A sites state as fact (none of the pages' wording is shown; a second reader checked each against its pages). A record of another vehicle says which vehicle. A Q&A thread is a question and advice, and may not say how the repair ended. The links below are places to look; the contents of pages not read were not checked.
The pages read, and other places to look (11)
Repair videos
- How to Replace Upper Steering Shaft 2000-2006 Chevrolet TahoeYouTube, Chevrolet Tahoe 2000-2006, not read
- Chevy/GMC Truck Steering Shaft and Steering Bearing Replacement (GMT-800) - DetailedYouTube, Chevy/GMC Truck (GMT-800), not read
- Intermediate Steering Shaft // Chevy GMC Suburban Tahoe Yukon Sierra SilveradoYouTube, Suburban / Tahoe / Yukon / Sierra / Silverado, not read
- 1999-2006 Chevy/GMC Trucks & SUV's Steering Shaft/Column Bearing Replacement How-ToYouTube, Chevy/GMC Trucks & SUVs 1999-2006, not read
- How to Replace Intermediate Steering Shaft 99-06 Chevy SilveradoYouTube, Chevy Silverado 99-06, not read
- Steering Shaft Clunk Noise Chevrolet Gmc Truck intermediate shaft / Flipping A Silverado Episode 4YouTube, Chevrolet / GMC Truck (Silverado), not read
Forums and Q&A
- 2003 Gmc Yukon Steering2CarPros, 2003 GMC Yukon SLT 4WD, 2011
- 2005 Chevy Tahoe CLUNK NOISE2CarPros, 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 4WD, 2009
- 2004 Chevy Silverado Clunking Sound in Steering Column2CarPros, 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 4WD, 2008
- steering system bit of a clunktahoeyukonforum.com, no vehicle stated, not read
- intermediate steering shaft helptahoeyukonforum.com, no vehicle stated, not read
See the evidence (1 technical documents, 5 records)
Passages of the technical documents
A clunking noise under the hood that can be felt in the steering wheel and/or steering column.
CLUNKING NOISE UNDER HOOD AND CAN BE FELT IN STEERING WHEEL AND/OR STEERING COLUMN
NHTSA manufacturer-communications index (NHTSA's one-line summary of a GM bulletin; not the bulletin text) 2008-04-01
Replace the upper intermediate steering shaft assembly.
(REPLACE UPPER INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT [I-SHAFT] ASSEMBLY)
NHTSA manufacturer-communications index (NHTSA's one-line summary of a GM bulletin; not the bulletin text) 2008-04-01
Intermediate steering shaft clunk noise or stick-slip.
INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT CLUNK NOISE OR STICK-SLIP (FOLLOW STRATEGY BASED DIAGNOSTICS).
NHTSA manufacturer-communications index (NHTSA's one-line summary of a GM bulletin; not the bulletin text) 2006-02-01
The condition is covered in bulletin 00-02-35-003A and applies to 1999-2002 C/K pickup and utility models with recirculating ball steering.
The condition covered here is found in bulletin 00-02-35-003A, and applies to 1999- 2002 C/K pickup and utility models with recirculating ball steering.
General Motors 2002-04-01
Records
- Steering rattle in new vehicle Owner complaint 2013-08-25
- Upper Intermediate Steering Shaft Clunking Noise Manufacturer communication 2008-07-14
- Intermediate steering shaft play and hesitation when turning; clunking sound Owner complaint 2005-12-14
- Steering knocking sound and difficult steering wheel turning Owner complaint 2005-06-20
- Steering noise and transmission clunking, window regulator failure, transmission fluid leak Owner complaint 2005-03-07
A cause or a result a complaint states is the owner’s view or what a dealer told them, not an established fact.
Put together by FaultCrate from public records and technical documents. The cause and the repair are for the workshop to decide with the vehicle in front of it. Counts are records, not failure rates.

