Slight "pop" in front end on take-off

119074 Views 110 Replies 69 Participants Last post by JimR, May 18, 2022

BlueVette

Discussion Starter · Jan 8, 2008

I've only had my G6 GT (2007) for a few days and am loving it. However, I have noticed a slight "pop" (or thump) when accelerating from a stop or turning at low speeds (usually accelerating then too). It is hard to tell where it is coming from, but feels like from right behind the steering column. I was wondering if it could be a suspension issue (car has 29k miles on it). My wife's Buick Rendezvous was doing something similar at 35k miles and had to have both front outer tie-ends replaced. Is it normal for the G6 to have a little pop (and it is VERY minor, btw) or something I should have the dealership look at?

Thanks.

21 - 40 of 111 Posts

Poncho

· #21 · Mar 6, 2008

Thanks NIXY........DAMN !! only 135 TSB's for '05 G6. I saw the starter TSB in there. The dealer reprogrammed the PCM . Looks like there are a lot of issues with the PCM / powertrain. I also had a little "engine flair" after a few seconds when i first start the car up....i put it in gear, the engine's idle went up and the damn car leaped forward. Everyone watch out for this one also !

IdahoSpud

· #22 · Mar 13, 2008

Hi All, it's my first post here and I'm looking for some advice. My car also has the slight knock as I pull away when I have the steering turned. I jacked up the car and found a lot of play in the drivers side tie rod end. Took it back to the main dealers as the car is still under warranty (28K miles). Explained exactly what I found, they examined the car and said the entire rack needs replaced! I asked how they came to that conclusion and was shown a pontiac troubleshooting guide which stepped through checks such as hoses knocking against each other and other mostly non-steering stuff but eventually said "customer is experiencing noise from the rack and pinion, replace steering rack with p/n ..." When I asked if they would replace the tie rod end along with the rack the guy told me he wasn't sure. He also said those tie rods were supposed to have play in them! I pointed out that the other side didn't and he didn't have an answer. Any advice would be appreciated, should I let them tear my car apart? There are other Pontiac dealers in the area so maybe I should get a second opinion? thanks for any help and sorry for the long post...

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IdahoSpud

· #23 · Mar 20, 2008

So I decided to let the dealer replace the whole steering rack. They took a couple of hours longer than they had quoted. When I asked why they told me that when they got into the job they realised that the tie rod end was trashed and they had to send out for a new one... D'oh! Anyway it's a good result as there's no more knocks, the handling is much improved and it didn't cost me a cent.

HoodHicka

· #24 · Mar 31, 2008

I too have that some problem with the clicking noise. wasnt sure what it was from until i read this thread. From what i gather it generally is coming from the steering column or rack and the main issure is the intermediate shaft. i generally drive my car hard but i have had this problem since i bought the car. so im going to send my car in and have them replace it instead of lubricating the int. shaft.

just want to clearify, would my car still be under warranty. its an 07 g6 gtp, 3.6. bought it from a dealership used, it was a rental car prior to when i bought it. I still have warranty for the car too.

Reactions: 1

Nixy

· #25 · Apr 1, 2008

Warranty

Hey HoodHicka! I also bought my 06 G6 last June as an off rental with 32K. You should have warranty till 60K covering most except brakes which now at 58K , mine are pulsing. If you did not buy extended you can get it before 60K is up. Smart move to extend.
To all. They only replaced my steering shaft for the pop noise. Did they replace the steering rack to fix the rattle (sounds like a loose brake caliper)??

IdahoSpud

· #26 · Apr 1, 2008

Details of the service bulletin used on my car is:

Steering/Suspension - Knock/Clunk on Bumps/Turns Bulletin No.: 06-02-32-007B Date: May 21, 2007

TECHNICAL
Subject:

Clunk, Knock or Rattle Noise From Front of Vehicle While Driving or Turning Over Bumps at Low Speeds (Diagnose Noise - Lubricate Inner and Outer Steering Shaft, Reposition I-Shaft, Add Foam to Radiator Surge Tank Mounting Bracket and/or Replace Steering Gear, If Necessary)

HoodHicka

· #27 · Apr 1, 2008

Hey Nixy! It seems like a few people are expierencing the same problem. and before i hit 60k i will extend the warranty. Right now my car is about to hit 37k miles.

nixy, what kind of condition was your car in when you bought it? mine was in really good condition, a couple of nicks here and there but generally pretty good. i was very satisfied with the buy.

cdsipjp

· #28 · Apr 1, 2008

Got the same problem here.......will be to the dealer next week!

Lucius

· #29 · Apr 10, 2008

06 GTP. I've been having this problem for a while. It's recently started to become more common. I'm gonna take it into the dealer tomorrow on my day off.

cdsipjp

· #30 · Apr 11, 2008

Dealer replaced the intermediate shaft on my '07 GTP on Wednesday....problem solved.....for now......

bnaccs

· #31 · Apr 14, 2008

Permanent FiX?

Is GM going to come up with a permanent fix for this problem? Maybe the 09s will have the steering problem solved. It seems like they are justing putting band-aids on a big problem.

Lucius

· #32 · Apr 16, 2008

cdsipjp said:
Dealer replaced the intermediate shaft on my '07 GTP on Wednesday....problem solved.....for now......

Ditto for the '06.

HoodHicka

· #33 · Apr 25, 2008

going to pick up my car from the dealership today. they looked at the steering column and didnt replace any parts but they did oil it.

hopefully this will permanantly fix the problem but i dont think it will. it might be fine for a while but it could start agian. if it starts happening agian then im going to ask the dealership to replace a couple parts.

Karzmatic

· #34 · May 8, 2008

I have a 07 G6, Purchased new, at 3k I had it serviced for pulsation while breaking, they told me it was where the car's rotors rust sitting on the lot, and they will turn them once under warranty b/c its a maintenience issue. They also replace my front right tire... Vibrations still exist--feels like I'm riding on warped wheels or something. I did replace at 11k the front right wheel, b/c my tire guy said I had a bent rim. Thinking that solved all my probs, its still giving me grief... I am very unhappy with my purchase.. especially having so many probs from it being brand new.. I've had it to the service center at least 3 times already.. and I guess I'll keep taking it back until they get tired of seeing me.. I know the lemon laws are 3 years/36k.. Anyone have any similiar problems or suggestions???

mrslcom

· #35 · May 9, 2008

Karzmatic said:
I have a 07 G6, Purchased new, at 3k I had it serviced for pulsation while breaking, they told me it was where the car's rotors rust sitting on the lot, and they will turn them once under warranty b/c its a maintenience issue. They also replace my front right tire... Vibrations still exist--feels like I'm riding on warped wheels or something. I did replace at 11k the front right wheel, b/c my tire guy said I had a bent rim. Thinking that solved all my probs, its still giving me grief... I am very unhappy with my purchase.. especially having so many probs from it being brand new.. I've had it to the service center at least 3 times already.. and I guess I'll keep taking it back until they get tired of seeing me.. I know the lemon laws are 3 years/36k.. Anyone have any similiar problems or suggestions???

I had the annoying popping steering problem on my '07 and they lube and re-positioned the I-shaft. That seemed to cure the problem so far. The car also vibrates at highway speed. I had the wheels re-balanced a couple of times but it didn't help. The dealer would not help anymore and said a little vibration won't hurt the car. What BS! My 10-year old car was smooth and solid at highway speed and beyond. I hate driving my G6 on the highway.

johnnymack

· #36 · Sep 5, 2008

I had the same problem. Took it into the dealership expecting the worst. It was the intermediate steering shaft. However they did not have to replace it. They repacked it with grease, or whatever they use, and that fixed that problem. It cost me just over $100. Not too bad for a GM dealership. If they tell you the whole thing needs to be replaced take it to another dealership and try again. Good luck!:beer:

BudmanTom

· #37 · Sep 11, 2008

I just started having the same problem.

You guys keep mentioning 60k miles are you referring the the powertrain warranty, is this considered the powertrain? I thought it was just engine and transmission.

My car just turned 63k miles but mine was a certified used so I should have 100k miles?

Thanks.

speedracer6

· #38 · Sep 18, 2008

I just got my car back from the dealer with the same pop and clunk going on in the front end. They told me that it was a lubrication problem. They replaced the whole rack last year and it started doing it again here a few months ago so this time they installed a lube kit from GM. This should fix the Problem. Hopefully. It is still under warranty so at least i dont have to pay for it.

davidmoore714

· #39 · Oct 26, 2008 (Edited)

I bought my G6 Friday (yep, just two days ago). It's an '06 SE sedan with just over 50,000 miles on it. Had one previous owner, not a lease or rental (according to Carfax). When I took it for the initial test drive, the dealer said "Don't mind the noise from the steering and suspension. It's just been sitting on the lot for a while. It will go away when the car warms up". I was immediately suspicious, and listened carefully for the noise. During the almost-30-minute test drive, I never heard or fealt a thing. We went back to the dealership, I bought the car and drove it home. Not 10 minutes away from the dealership, the pop started.

Like everyone else, I notice it when taking off (hard or soft) from a dead stop. I also notice a slight rattle when going over speedbumps or rough surfaces at slow speeds. I read through all the posts above but I still have some questions.

First of all, is this something that needs to be fixed ASAP? I mean... it's annoying as hell, but Ive only had the car for 2 days now. I would like to enjoy driving it for a while before I have to take time off from work to put it in the shop!

Second, several people have mentioned getting the rack and/or shaft lubed. Is that something I can do myself or does it have to be done at a GM dealership/service dept?

Third, if I have to have the tie rods, intermediate shaft, or the whole darn thing replaced... how much is it going to cost me?

I didn't buy it from a GM dealer so I guess the 60,000 mile factory warranty doesn't apply to me (or does it). I did buy a used car warranty that's supposed to cover this kind of thing. Supposedly there's a $100 deductible, so hopefully I can get this fixed without going even further in debt.

Last question... tell me truthfully... did I buy a Lemon?

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xgibbyx

· #40 · Oct 27, 2008

No, not a lemon, everything you are mentioning is, UNFORTUNATELY, very common to these G6's...I had my I-shaft replaced a few months ago and now the clunking popping is starting again too.

yes, you can buy a grease gun with the valve fitting and repack all your grease points yourself. will it fix the problem? Probably, but possibly only temporarily. GM needs to do a RECALL on this steering issue, rather than a service bulletin. But, you know corporate assmunches wont do that unless someone loses their life

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