It's been hot here in AZ and I've gone offroad with the new part, which is where I felt the original problem to be at its worst. The new shaft fixes it, the problem hasn't reappeared in the least. So don't let your dealer give you the shaft . . . I mean, make sure you get properly shafted . . . I mean get the right part. [/align]

 

i am thankful for all your comments.
I didinquired about the redesigned pieceat Hummer, in Manhattan New York. At the time, Hummer told me that i would only get the new redesigned part (25900714) by ordering the original part. By this time i didn't trust them much becauseoriginally the service manager, whom i was told has no idea of mechanics and simply was promoted from the reception desk,told me that the problem was a normal noise on all H3s and that nothing could be done. It was then that i entered several hummer forums and found the fellow who diagnosed the car without even being next to it.i printed the information and thats when the mechanics at Manhattan Hummer found the problem. in any case, I have paperwork indicating that the vehicle was given theredesigned part, as thenumber matches exactly.
Onthis veryforum, on a thread i started,in which i cant post anything anymore,one personwrote that the problem with the redesigned piece is that the piece that actually produces the clunk was not redesigned and instead it's outer part was repaied, therefore the problem is likely to return. i dont know how true this is. Another member wrote, back then, that Hummer had made a temporary fix and called it a redesigned piece. This happen when a person posted the number 25900714as the part number for teh redesigned lower shaft. So Im confused. All I know is that I have documentation indicating that the carwas given the piece, matching this so called redesigned part number,and the problem is still there. Worst yet,in New York, where i live, the winter is coming and the noise will go away until next summer.[][>:][&:][&:][&:]

 

My wife's Suburban does it so bad (2004 LS) that I hate to even drive it. My H3 did it for about a month when I got it, but I have worked it hard in the West TX Permian Basin and haven't noticed it in a long time. I was crawling up some gnarly lease roads, loaded down with heavy gear in high temps. I will say that if it started again, I would be right there at the dealer, demanding a fix, this is a chronic GM defect and they need to quit making excuses and fix it!

My H3 environment:

 

We took our Tahoe ('05 Z71) in earlier this year for service after my wife and I both noticed a loose "clunking" similar to whatmy H3 was doing, but not exactly the same or quite as bad. I forget now what they replaced, but when we mentioned what we were experiencing,dealer service immediately said they were aware of a problem related to the steering on many GM vehicles, yet we had heard NOTHING about it.
If they are not required to inform and repair, as when it's an actual recall, they do nothing unless you complain. Then they go "Oh yeah, we know about that. It's an ongoing problem in all of these vehicles."
Anyway, take the Suburban in- our Tahoe has been fine.