Steering wheel clicking

Mtxkidd · July 12, 2016

I have a 15 Sierra with 6700 miles and just noticed the steering wheel clicking when turning while going 5mph or less...not very loud can only hear it if radio and AC off..has anybody else had this problem and been able to get it fixed..??..I've seen some threads but most ppl go to dealer get racks etc replaced and it still does it...I can live with the sound as it's barely noticeable...just wondering if it will end up dangerous or not..how many ppl have had this issue for a long time with no real bad effects ? ...thanx for any help you can offer

Jus Cruisin · July 12, 2016

Google clockspring noise. That could be the noise you hearing.

ridethedesert · July 13, 2016

I just had this happen to me last week. 2014 Sierra with 32,000 miles. I didn't even notice it until backing up my trailer and turning the wheels slowly with the air and radio off. It was louder when the steering wheel was center and I would turn it to the left and then to the right. I could hear click click click. Almost felt like it was in the suspension. However at that point I never felt it while driving. Then I was driving the next day and was getting a binding/resistance feeling when turning left but not when turning right. Almost similar to how it feels in 4 wheel high but less powerful. Then I was going through a canyon and turning it hard left and I got the binding sensation and then it just let go. It let go enough to make my stomach drop like, oh crap, please don't be a broken tie rod or something. Now the steering feels completely loose on left turns but not on right turns. I had to seriously turn the wheel to get the truck to turn left.

I drove it straight to the dealer today and they called me this evening and said they are confidant it's something inside the steering column and have ordered the part. I didn't have time to get more involved into what part it was but I'll find out on Thursday when I get the truck back and let you know if it's fixed.

At first I thought maybe it was because the truck was leveled and many people on the forum were talking about ball joint and other issues. But the dealer I went to said that's not the case, it's in the steering column and not the suspension. We shall see.

I've found others who had steering and ball joint issues.

Doobs41378 · July 13, 2016

Mine is going in for this today. I will report back on what they say.

f8l vnm · July 13, 2016

I had it on my 14. Dealer replaced everything they could but clicking would still come back. Ended up lemon law the truck. Indie have a level which I'm not sure if that's what caused it.

Doobs41378 · July 13, 2016

Well that isn't reassuring.....

Doobs41378 · July 14, 2016

They just replaced the steering rack assembly, recentered steering wheel angle sensor and realigned. We shall see if this fixes it.

ridethedesert · July 15, 2016

They've had mine since Tuesday, but the part didn't come in until Thursday. I'm not sure exactly what they are replacing but they're spending two days on it. I'm supposed to get it back today. I'll report back.

f8l vnm · July 15, 2016

Good luck mate. I can say in my case they tried fixing it 6 times , 6 different occasions. Still clicked. Just realized your local. Is your ride at silver star ?

Edited July 15, 2016 by f8l vnm

ridethedesert · July 16, 2016

Good luck mate. I can say in my case they tried fixing it 6 times , 6 different occasions. Still clicked. Just realized your local. Is your ride at silver star ?

I went to silverstar on tuesday and they had 35 cars in the service drive. They said they couldn't get to it for 2 weeks, so I drove over to simi valley gmc. What did they replace when they tried to fix it?

ridethedesert · July 16, 2016

So I just got the truck back and the clicking is gone and my steering is good as new. In my particular situation, the problem was PIT5312B which you can't find anything for on the internet right now. However I found something by searching for the past couple days, I'll share the link below.

Basically the lower column bearing housing assembly comes out of position leaving a 3mm gap which causes clicking in the steering wheel and was making everything feel loose, especially on the left side for me. Interesting to note is that it says vehicles with a tilt and telescoping steering column. Well I only have tilt, so obviously this means not just telescoping steering wheels but tilt as well. The way I initially read it was only tilt and telescoping vehicles would have this issue, not just tilt. However, we now know it's tilt by itself as well. If that makes sense.

Anyways, here's the link with pictures... I'm pretty sure this is what was done to mine. I haven't heard anyone else say they had this issue. Everyone keeps saying racks replaced, steering gear/box replaced etc etc. Perhaps others could chime in and let me know if anyone else had this done or if I'm the first.

http://sandyblogs.com/techlink/?p=5126

On a side note, they did recall#15822B and replaced my seat belt tensioner cable and they just cut the stock rubber out of the seat belt opening; with an exacto knife is what it looks like. I'll have to clean it up as he or she didn't make it as clean as I would like. You would think with a $50,000 truck, GM could supply us with a new rubber trim to fit the seat belt opening. I might just order another one and cut it myself. I'll post a picture.

Brianibew · July 16, 2016

No doubt, that looks terrible.

Ag76 · July 16, 2016

That's unacceptable....not sure what I'm going to do about taking mine in.

Thomcat · July 17, 2016

I have a 15 Sierra with 6700 miles and just noticed the steering wheel clicking when turning while going 5mph or less...not very loud can only hear it if radio and AC off..has anybody else had this problem and been able to get it fixed..??..I've seen some threads but most ppl go to dealer get racks etc replaced and it still does it...I can live with the sound as it's barely noticeable...just wondering if it will end up dangerous or not..how many ppl have had this issue for a long time with no real bad effects ? ...thanx for any help you can offer

The clockspring shouldn't make a clicking noise if undamaged and installed properly.

Just check to make sure all the steering wheel buttons and horn still function.

Edited July 17, 2016 by Thomcat

UrbanRage · July 19, 2016

I also have the popping/clicking noise in the steering column. The dealer was able to locate the problem and it was within the steering rack. A new one has been ordered and should be arriving in about 10 days.