2002 gmc sierra denali rear axle noies
I have a 2002 Sierra Denali, and when it was only two years old, I began having the same issue that it sounds like you guys are describing. Luckily, I had opted for the extended warranty, because it turns out that the lube "specialists" at Wally-World had topped off my rear differential with standard rear-end oil. I turns out that the Denali's differential has a special "clutch pack", as they called it, that requires a secial, senthetic (aka: very expensive) lubricant. The **** WalMart added contaminated the diffy's oil, and caused the clutch pack to fail.... basically it started locking the rear axles, and not allowing one side to rotate at a different speed than the other, as is required in turning.
Well, it took the dealer nearly a month to acquire the neccesary parts for the repair, and as for the cost? Only a minimal deductible, and the dealer assured me that the $1800 extended warranty had paid for itself.... nearly twice!!!
WORDS OF ADVICE: If you own a Denali with AWS, Always instruct the lube guys not to touch your rear differntial! And have your certified GM mechanic check it at recommended intervals.