UPDATE: Front-end Rattle...Any Suggestions? - Page 8

I bought my H3 knowing the problem could possibly affect mine.  other than being confused as to why GM is silent about this problem (which might just be because there's a bigger picture of which I'm unaware), I perfectly happy with my H3.  if I did it all over again, I'd still buy it.  and if I had the spare cash, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

I would wait, no doubt. This is so annoying while driving. Sometimes it gets really bad! There is no way I would buy a new one , knowing this issue, as bad as it is. Who really knows when the "fix" will come in? Just my 2cents.

My wife is trying to get an 07 Lexus ES350, but I told her to wait for the 08. The 07 has major tranny issues. Case and point, dont plunk down thousands of dollars knowing the inevidible.

I have an '06 with almost 41k miles on it. The problem has happened to me only 2 times or so, and even though it feels just a small bit loose when touching it, it has not happened again since. It's not ALL H3's, but as the head and valve problem, just a certain batch of them that unfortunately got the bad parts. I honestly decided not to even worry about getting it replaced since it's been fine since the initial time, BUT, I'm taking a trip to Wisconsin this weekend so we'll see if it happens again.

It's unforuntate but it isn't with all of them. I completely understand why everybody is aggrivated. Hell, I would be too. It's totally unacceptable. Maybe you guys should all call Hummer's customer service on a personal level and complain about it. I'm sure if they get enough complaints they will start taking it more seriously.

quote:

ORIGINAL: ZX10R

My wife is trying to get an 07 Lexus ES350, but I told her to wait for the 08. The 07 has major tranny issues. Case and point, dont plunk down thousands of dollars knowing the inevidible.

 
but it gave me an excuse to visit the cute dealer who sold it to me :P.  but...now that she's moved to a different dealership, I have to go elsewhere to bug her :P

Does anyone know if this poses a danger with continued driving. My wife will be taking a long trip next week and I am not sure I will be able to get to the dealer before then. 

Just had mine fixed yesterday at Sunrise Hummer in Memphis, TN and so far everything is great, no rattles or lose feeling under my foot. I was told by the service writer at Sunrise that the batch of shaft that they just got in were the redesigned shafts. It's 100+ here in Memphis today. Hopefully all of the Hummer dealerships will start getting the new shafts very soon.

Regards,
Mark

I wish there was a uniformed answer to this problem.  Mark great news for you.  I hope everything works out.  I was just told by a dealer that they will not have new shafts ready until late September.  What is going on here?
 
Whododat,  I do not think there is any real danger.  At least that is what I have been told and mine has been doing it for several weeks and I have had no other issues.

quote:

ORIGINAL: whododat

Does anyone know if this poses a danger with continued driving. My wife will be taking a long trip next week and I am not sure I will be able to get to the dealer before then. 

 
I have been told by several people that there should not be a concern in terms of any damage resulting from this issue, and likewise, there is no serious concern or danger posed by this issue while driving.  It seems as though the clunking is a direct result of parts "softening" up as the vehicle gets hot.  Obviously, the hotter the outside temp in conjunction with the reg vehicle heat, the worse the problem.  I don't know much about the lower steering shaft assembly in terms of the exact components, but I suppose this could be a result of a type of bushing or other material used that is affected by the heat.  Or maybe just a bad design that allows the metal components themselves to loosen up when hot.
 
Personally, when it's clunking really bad, it sounds and feels a bit scary to me.  Like the whole shaft is just going to drop out.  Me thinks the sooner the fix the better.  Just to be safe.  It wouldn't be unlike GM (or dealer service techs) to say it's not a danger, only to find out later that there is a secondary concern as a result of the problem. 
 
Don't know how far your wife is going, but I drove 5 hrs each way from Va Beach to central MD and back this past weekend, and while the clunking was making me crazy, everything went smooth and I did not feel like anything else in the ride was being compromised.
 
If she is going to be so nervous that she will be stressed, just have her drive another vehicle or rent one.  I know that seems like a pain, but at least she'd be more comfortable not worrying about something going wrong.  

Quickie update.
As some members have already indicated, the NEW redesigned part has been completed and they've started to ship to dealers.  A few dealers have already replaced a few, but most dealers are still waiting for the new lower shafts to start arriving.  As the problem is so widespread (i.e. all H3s), the part is already on backorder and most dealers should start seeing them sometime in the next couple of weeks.  For some, it could be longer.  This is also contingent on how quickly they're being produced. 

If you have this issue and are not on a list with your dealer service for the replacement, I'd call them asap, as the longer you wait, the futher down the list you'll be.

The new part # is 25900714 - Shaft - Lower Steering

GM Bulletin #07-02-45-006

I picked up my H3 last week. Within a few days I noticed the front end problem.  I called the dealer today and he said the parts needed should be in within a week.  They didn't take my name to call me when the part comes in. After reading all the treads I will be calling them to be put on a list.  I wish I read this tread before buying the H3. 

I took my H3 in today and the service man indicated that the new lower shaft of the steering column did come out a couple of weeks ago.  He said that this is the third design of the shaft and that they are on backorder.  He did not believe that it would take that long to come in.  They are all obviously aware of the issues, and Bob Moore Hummer in OKC seems to be working with their people well.  Good luck to everyone else that are having problems with their dealers.

Any idea how complex is the procedure to replace the new shaft ? Is it a day long or week(s) long ? Do they have to remove lot of parts and re-assemble again ? Reason I'm asking if they need to remove everything lot of parts during re-assembly they might miss something & that might lead to other issues.
 
- Pardon my limited auto repair knowledge.

I believe it is a 4 to 5 hour procedure in the manual.  They said that they could get it in and out in a day once they had it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: soonerta

I believe it is a 4 to 5 hour procedure in the manual.  They said that they could get it in and out in a day once they had it.

 
This is similar to what I was told.  A few hrs minimum and most likely a bit longer.  It should be the standard drop off in the morn and p/u late afternoon routine.  And I don't believe they need to remove much, if anything, to get to the lower shaft.  Should be fairly straight-forward.

Good news here.  I am scheduled to get mine fixed with the new part tomorrow.  I have to travel about 75 miles to the dealer but, they said they could get it done in a few hours.  I will provided an update when I get back.  Wish me luck.
 
Also, in dealing with this problem, I would advise calling multiple dealers.  I was told just a few days ago by another dealer it would be late September until I could get my H3 fixed.

I have taken my Hummer 3 with the same Rattle/Vibration in the pedals and steering wheel  and because it does not act up for them they say they dont know what to fix,  Beacuse when they recieve it, its usually in the morning because we live about 45 minutes from the dealer. They cant diagnose it. Its been there since last Saturday, still no luck. This started as soon as I bought it, it only has 3000 miles on it now. And I'am getting so anger with them because there playing dumb. I know they know this problem already exist's in the Hummer 3. What really also makes me mad is when i purchased it they told me i could go to any Gm dealer, Thats not true. Only if its out of warranty will they work on it. Please help. I cant just call there and say replace it with this part, becuase it has to act up first in front of them. The first time i bought it there is was acting up, and i was told we have no one to test drive it now. What am i to do? I fill like it's a lemon.

I have no idea where you are at, but they will need to drive it for a period of time if it is cooler or in the afternoon when mine acted up.  The service managers know that it is heat related.  One of the people above even listed  a service advisory number.  As far as the warranty, any dealer that sells GM vehicles has to work on it, and they cannot tell you where to take it.  I simply told mine that it was an issue with the lower steering column in my opinion.  I never told them about the website here or about a problem accross the country.  They looked at it and advised me that they were ordering the part.  If your dealer is giving you a problem then turn a complaint to GM.  Good Luck.

tell them its the steering shaft.  just use the TSB # that greeny provided above.  they CANNOT ignore TSBs and can look them up to verfiy.  then punch them in the head.

Thanks for the info GreenShirt!

I called another dealer near me "Ramp Hummer" they said it can't be the steering shaft with only 300 miles. He said sounds like a control arm or something he said I have to bring it in for them to look at it. Then I called another dealer "North Bay" they said it can't be the steering shaft as the part was corrected last year  and all new 2007's should have the new part allready and they would have to look at the car also. It seems that most of the dealers don't know much about the H3 and give wrong or bad advice that requires you to make unnessary trips to them. The dealer that sold the car to me says the new steerling shaft parts should be there next week.  I guess the run around will start now.  It sucks that a one week old car has a problem.

You could also try calling the 800 number to the GM Hummer department.  It is in the back of the manual.  I had a problem with a dealer not giving me a real answer so I called GM and within an hour the owner of the dealership called me.  He still was of no real help but, at least they might stop giving you the run around.
As I said earlier, mine is getting the new part in the morning.  I feel like christmas had come early.  Hope it works

Great thread! Mine was lower ball joint but the steering is my next complaint if it get thumpy!

quote:

ORIGINAL: landsteam

I called another dealer near me Ramp Hummer they said it can't be the steering shaft with only 300 miles. He said sounds like a control arm or something he said I have to bring it in for them to look at it.  The dealer that sold the car to me says the new steerling shaft parts should be there next week.  I guess the run around will start now.  It sucks that a one week old car has a problem.

 
Well, whoever you talked to needs a control arm upside his head.
It doesn't matter how many miles the vehicle has on it- the issue is a steering shaft design fault right out of the box.  That's why a completely new lower steering shaft has been designed and is now being produced.
If the dealers read the GM bulletins that pertain to them, they would know these things.
IDIOTS!
Sorry to hear some of you are having such a headache with dealers on this.  Point them to the bulletin, tell them you need the fix, or if they would prefer, you will take it up with GM directly.

Well...I went to the HUMMER dealer in Tampa today and got on the waiting list.  I was told the new and improved steering shaft has to be ordered using the vehicles VIN, they just can't batch order a bunch of them.  So at least I'm making progress.