2011 2500hd - Violent Front End Shake

[ChevyTech77]

PIT5037B has been out sense October for this issue and it IS HD specific. This concern is not present in the 1500 series trucks.

[topdj]

no problem with mine but mine was build after JAN 7 2011 so they must have the factory fix

Edited February 14, 2011 by topdj

[DiscoRR]

I HAVE THE SOLUTION!!!

I have a 2011 GMC Sierra 2500HD crew cab long bed.

This same exact thing happened to me within the first 200 miles of driving the truck after I bought it. I took it to the dealership, they drove it and had the same thing happen to them. They checked the brakes, tires, suspension and couldn't find anything wrong with it. They called GM tech support that said they would do some research on it. They got back to the shop foreman and told him that he needed to install a new designed brake pedal along with a retainer clip. The way the shop foreman explained it to me was that the actual brake pedal is to long, and causes the brake master cylinder to still be engaged without your foot on the brake, which sends a signal to the computer and tells the ABS to kick in. The dealership replaced the pedal and the retainer clip, and the problem has never returned. I currently have 4,300 miles on the truck. If anyone wants, they can pm me and I will give you the information from my dealership that did the repair on my truck.

Hope this information helps.

Nick

 

 

Thanks nblumert! I had the exact same problem with a 2011 2500 Sierra CC Duramax... Brake shimmy that would only show up after 50 or more miles of driving. Turns out the brake pedal was putting a little pressure on a front caliper causing it to drag the pads, heating up the rotor which was causing the shimmy. I was 1000 miles from home when i searched and found your post. So i tried pulling up on the brake pedal, which solved the problem until i could get the truck to my dealer. Your post really helped us solve the problem!

 

And a big thanks to Royfoss in Toronto for such exceptional customer service. They went above and beyond to fix the problem!

[ChevyTech77]

I HAVE THE SOLUTION!!!

I have a 2011 GMC Sierra 2500HD crew cab long bed.

This same exact thing happened to me within the first 200 miles of driving the truck after I bought it. I took it to the dealership, they drove it and had the same thing happen to them. They checked the brakes, tires, suspension and couldn't find anything wrong with it. They called GM tech support that said they would do some research on it. They got back to the shop foreman and told him that he needed to install a new designed brake pedal along with a retainer clip. The way the shop foreman explained it to me was that the actual brake pedal is to long, and causes the brake master cylinder to still be engaged without your foot on the brake, which sends a signal to the computer and tells the ABS to kick in. The dealership replaced the pedal and the retainer clip, and the problem has never returned. I currently have 4,300 miles on the truck. If anyone wants, they can pm me and I will give you the information from my dealership that did the repair on my truck.

Hope this information helps.

Nick

 

 

Thanks nblumert! I had the exact same problem with a 2011 2500 Sierra CC Duramax... Brake shimmy that would only show up after 50 or more miles of driving. Turns out the brake pedal was putting a little pressure on a front caliper causing it to drag the pads, heating up the rotor which was causing the shimmy. I was 1000 miles from home when i searched and found your post. So i tried pulling up on the brake pedal, which solved the problem until i could get the truck to my dealer. Your post really helped us solve the problem!

 

And a big thanks to Royfoss in Toronto for such exceptional customer service. They went above and beyond to fix the problem!

 

 

The PI/Bulletin number to fix the issue is listed in my previous post.

[pm26]

A very interesting problem. I am glad they found the root cause.

[D2fly]

I have had problems with front end shake on my 2011 3500 HD Dually and a seeming loss of braking power when towing our toy hauler. The dealer service manager told me that he has a dually and "replaces brake rotors and pads all the time." That was last year so I opted to replace all for rotors and pads with Powerstop drilled/slotted units and ceramic/Kevlar pads. All was great after that for the few times we towed the fifth wheel, then this past week we took a trip for Washington to Montana, crossing a few mountain passes. That's when it started all over again, with the pulsation/shaking increasing as brakes were applied at intervals heading downhill. It's darn scary when one has a 40'15,600lb load behind and these brake issues crop up.

 

I also don't get a sense that the engine brake is all that effective on this truck under at-speed applications. I can greatly sense the engine brake effect when the truck's empty and moving at about 40mph downhill but not with a load. Engine RPM has to increase to a seemingly freewheeling state before the engine brake kicks in... I don't get it.

 

Going back to the dealer today for more analysis. I captured a video of the steering wheel shudder to show them. I hope they actually do something to FIX the brake issue. It would be great if it's the brake pedal assembly, but I am not holding my breath. I just hope my fancy-dancy slotted/drilled rotors aren't now trashed.

Edited April 27, 2017 by D2fly

[D2fly]

Video of shaking

[D2fly]

Video of shaking

[Chasecooke2]

I am also having a problem with death wobble. I have a 2016 Chevy 2500 HD, it has a 4 inch lift with 35 inch tires. The problem I have is when I go from 30-39mph and either hit a small or large bump my truck will get a absolutely CRAZY death wobble. I have replaced all steering components to the truck and seem to still have this problem. Do you think it is the break pedal still? I see most of the reply’s being everyone going at a high rate of speed but my truck will only do it in the 30’s after hitting a bump. 

[Foxhunt98]

I purchased a 2011 2500HD in August of 2019.  Is anyone still active to this thread that would be able to send me the details on the brake rep[lacement? 

Thanks,

 

Troy