Went to Chevy dealers and no one could help me with the issue and basically said it was something I had to live with.. A small town mechanic found the issue on a Chev Technician website!! Diagnosed the problem properly. The mechanic said if it bothered me that much he could replace it but it would cost a few hundred bucks ...but it wasn't a safety issue. I chose to live with the rattling.

I've been hearing and feeling noise in the steering especially when I turn or just wiggle the steering wheel .

I have same problem with my 2004 Avalanche as many on this post. However it has recently gotten much worse at approx. 34k miles. I took it in while under warranty and they repaired it. They re-greased the intermediate shaft I assume. I'm not sure which way to go with it yet, but it is definitely unacceptable.