I had a thump noise when i hit a bump, even a small one. The steering was loose. I went to the dealer and they said it was probably my intermediate shaft. They could look at it, but it would cost me $150 just to take a peak and another $225 for a replacement shaft. I took it to Goodyear and they made an honest attempt to find the problem - no charge. They couldn't find it. So, I went online and found that the intermediate shaft was probably the issue and that this is a know common problem. I ordered one from Summit. I'll be damned if I'm giving my money to the dealership. After a great deal of work i was able to remove the shaft. There are two pieces and there is a seal that provides a shock action. The seal was blown and the two sections were banging against each other - hence the thumping noise. I'll buy a Ford next time.