I took my truck in for service a while back and they said that the steering shaft needed replacement. After looking at some old posts, I think they were correct. The steering has some play/wiggle in it and when going over a bump you hear a "crash" or "bang" instead of the solid "thump" that you normally feel when everything is tight. I know the ball joints are good because they were just replaced.

My question is whether leaving this go another month or so is going to cause any additional damage to other components or if it is just an annoyance more than anything to have the rough ride? Is it a life and death thing?

Thanks!