NHTSA Complaint #10118596 — 2002 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

OWNER - 02 CHEV SILVERADO PICKUP - VIN [XXX]. RECENTLY, I BEGIN TO DETECT A CLUNKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. AT TIMES, YOU COULD ACTUAL FEEL THIS THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL. I CHECKED SEVERAL ON LINE CONSUMER SITES AND DISCOVERED THIS IS A DOCUMENTED PROBLEM W/ SEVERAL TYPES OF GM VEHICLES. WHEN I CONTACTED SEVERAL GM DEALERSHIPS, I WAS INFORMED THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS COMPLAINT. WHEN I QUESTIONED THE DEALERSHIPS FURTHER, THEY INFORMED GM HAD ISSUED SERVICE BULLETINS ON THIS ISSUE AND HAD ALSO REVISED THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFTS DESIGN AND REPLACEMENT SHAFTS ARE ON BACK ORDER. WHEN I CONTACTED GM,THEY CONTEND, THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, BUT READILY ADMITTED THE ORIGINAL DESIGN HAS PROBLEM. GM ALSO CONTENDS IT IS NOT UNSAFE, NOR ARE THE SHAFTS UNDER RECALL CONSIDERATION. I QUESTION GMS VIEWS ON THIS ISSUE. ARE THESE STEERING SHAFTS BEING TESTED OR REVIEWED FOR POSSIBLE SAFETY DEFECTS? THE NOISE IN MY VEHICLE BECAME SO UNNERVING, I DECIDED TO HAVE THE SHAFT REPLACED, RATHER THEN CHANCE A FAILURE WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)