I have a 2003 Saturn L200. I purchased the car new and over the last 4 years (while still under warranty) the steering column has been totally replaced 4 times. The problem starts with a grinding noise when you turn the steering wheel sharply to the left or right and gradually over time the noise happens whenever you make any turn of the steering wheel. The noise goes away when they replace the column, but usually begins again within 6-9 months. I was never able to find out what was going wrong that they had to replace the steering column and would like to find out because the car is now out of warranty and the problem has started again.
This problem should still be covered by the vehicle manufacturer. This is called an ongoing warranty issue. This means that if you bring a vehicle in while it’s under warranty for a certain problem, and that problem continues through the warranty period and still isn’t resolved after the warranty expires, the manufacturer still has to resolve this ongoing warranty issue.
I’d bring up that fact, and the fact this could be a safety concern to you.
Tester
There shouldnt be any safety problem. This has been a problem with GM steering columns from 2002 up its just a problem with the grease and they probably wont replace it for free anymore since GM declined replacement, but you can try anyway.
Check out what your state’s lemon law is at one of these sites. The law involved that likely protects your in this situation varies according to state.