My wife's '04 Tribute LX V6 with 61,000 miles on ithas developed this very minor and intermittent squeak coming directly from the steering wheel itself, where it meets the column. It only happens when you are turning the steering wheel while driving at lower speeds. It's kind of a whirring squeaking sound, and while not loud at all, ispretty annoying when it does happen. And again, it's not the PS pump as it's on the interior of the car......where the wheel itself meets the column/shaft area.

I tell her just to turn up the radio and don't worry about it, but she doesn't like that answer. [8D]

Any suggestions on how to fix? Can I just spray some WD-40 down in the crack to see if that gets rid of it? I'm pretty handy with cars and fixing things myself, so if I can fix it myself I'd love to know how. The Tribute is out of its warranty period now.

TIA for the help.

 

I just bought an '04 with 66,000 miles a couple of days ago and found out rather quickly it has the same annoying squeaky sound that you are describing. Would love to know how to fix it.

 

Well this must be a common problem. I too have an 04 Mazda Tribute. Mine started out the exact same way around 75k miles. I found out however the source of the squeaking is not from the steering column but from some part of the assembly near the wheels themselves.

The sqeaking started quietly and I thought it was comming from the column too. It didn't bother me too much, but now at 86k miles it has gotten much louder and I can hear it very well from outside the car when I roll my window down or when someone else is driving and I stand outside. Haven't taken it to the shop yet but probably will very soon. Has anyone found a solution? If so what was the cost?

Thanks!

 

I sold my Tribute last week, so I definitely solved the problem for me

 

Have the same prob. Goes away 20 mins after I start driving. Might be the bushings.

 

I had the same issue on my 2002 tribute. I jacked up the front end and removed both tires, then used a mechanic stethoscope to pinpoint the noise. The loudest squeaky noise came from the drives Outer Tie Rod End. I order 2 Tie Rod Ends and replaced them. The squeaky noise stopped. Make sure to get an alignment after replacing tie rod ends.