Owners of early-2000s Silverados, Tahoes, and Sierras know the sound: a dull, rhythmic thud when you roll over a bump, like the truck is clearing its throat. Most people ignore it. One mechanic decided to explain it. TikTok did what TikTok does, and now lots of GM owners are wondering whether it’s time to look under the steering column.
Creator Andrew Parker is the owner of Whistlers Auto Repair (@whislers.auto) in Oklahoma, and is at home in front of the camera and under the hood, showing viewers how to simply and quickly fix whatever’s ailing a Chevrolet steering column.
“The column gets dry. You literally have to re-lubricate it like you’re pumping a pump jack,” he said in the clip that’s been viewed more than 1,100 times, demonstrating the process up close. “Do this 15 times or so. No funny noises, and this will redistribute the grease that is inside that two-piece shaft.”
While the TikTok clip presents the explanation with plenty of humor, the underlying issue is a real, well-documented mechanical quirk affecting General Motors (GM) trucks built between 1999 and 2006. Many models used a two-piece intermediate steering shaft, a telescoping metal tube designed to collapse in a collision, which can lose lubrication over time. When that happens, drivers may feel or hear a dull clunk or thud through the steering column, especially when the suspension loads and unloads.
GM issued several technical service bulletins on the issue in the early 2000s, including TSB 01-02-32-001 and later TSB 05-02-32-004, which describe the steering-shaft clunk and instruct technicians to lubricate or replace the shaft to restore smooth operation. The phenomenon became common enough that aftermarket companies now sell redesigned shafts intended to prevent the noise from returning.
How the Demonstration Works
Parker’s demonstration walks viewers through disconnecting the shaft at the coupler just inside the cabin and sliding it outward, revealing where the metal surfaces dry out. The pumping motion he shows isn’t just for effect. Moving the shaft in and out forces the old grease to migrate across the sliding surfaces again. When lubrication disperses evenly, the thud often disappears.
The procedure is not technically complicated, but it does require precision. Twisting the shaft can disturb the steering wheel’s clock spring, and improperly reconnecting the coupler can lead to misalignment. That’s one reason many professional technicians either inject fresh grease through a service port or replace the entire intermediate shaft rather than rely on manual redistribution.
For vehicles with a mild clunk, Parker’s method can temporarily restore normal feel. His commenters alternated between gratitude and disbelief. One viewer joked, “You’re telling me I gotta get in there and jack off my truck to get rid of the noise?? I’d rather just sell it.” Another simply noted, “My ’05 Silverado does it, and so does my friend’s.”
The design of the intermediate shaft makes it vulnerable to grease migration. Over tens of thousands of miles, vibration, thermal expansion, and repeated steering motion cause lubricant to drift away from the contact surfaces. As the shaft dries out, its sliding action becomes less smooth, resulting in the hollow thud that so many GM owners instantly recognize.
Automakers across the industry have updated similar steering-shaft designs over the years, but the early-2000s GM trucks were especially prone to this behavior.
The issue is mostly a nuisance rather than a safety defect. According to GM’s bulletins and multiple independent case studies, the clunk does not typically indicate structural failure or imminent steering loss. It does, however, telegraph wear—and for trucks now approaching 20 to 25 years old, addressing it can make the steering feel noticeably tighter and more confident.
What Owners Should—and Shouldn’t—Do
Parker’s TikTok fix shows a method that many longtime GM technicians already know, but it’s not a universal solution. Not every intermediate shaft uses the same telescoping design, and attempting the same maneuver on a newer vehicle or a different brand could damage steering components. For readers hearing a thud for the first time or noticing a sudden worsening, professional inspection is the safer route.
Shops often charge a modest diagnostic fee to confirm whether the shaft is the culprit, and replacement shafts for these GM trucks are widely available. Updated OEM versions typically run between $100 and $200, while aftermarket alternatives vary by brand. Many owners replace the shaft outright rather than repeatedly re-lubricate it, since the noise often returns months or years later.
That said, the platform’s age plays a role. Trucks from this era are well into the mileage range where suspension bushings, sway-bar links, and steering joints can also produce similar noises. Ruling out those parts is part of the value of having a shop examine it.
For Parker, the fix was obvious enough that he was surprised more people didn’t know it. “I’ve done a lot of them,” he said. For owners of aging Silverados, Tahoes, and Sierras, his explanation lands somewhere between helpful and humbling. The thud may not be cause for alarm, but knowing why it happens and how simple it is to silence it offers a bit of clarity for trucks now well into their third decade on the road.
Motor1 reached out to Parker via email and direct message. We’ll update this if they respond.