Shake or Vibration Issues

[Enforcer]

I have a 2014 Silverado 1500 LT Z71 with vibration/pulsation issues. It has been to the dealership, I have contacted GM and opened a case file, and still have no resolution. I hate driving this truck, it is so freaking annoying and aggravating. Has anyone resolved their issues? The last time it was in the dealership, they had it for 9 days, and then they tell me to keep a detailed record of exactly when the vibration/pulsation happens. I stayed calm, agreed to do this, and now I have to bring it back in so another technician can test drive it and "recreate" the issue. They are treating me like I am making this issue up, like I really want to be wasting my time in a dealership!! I paid a lot of money for this truck and it is terrible. It has been the worst purchase I have made, and I just want to know if there is any resolutions? I also am having a clunking in the transmission at low speeds, it sounds like the trans is going to drop on the ground. What a piece of garbage this truck is. I appreciate any feedback and help.

Welcome to the forum bobbyg175,

 

Find out the lemon laws in your state, file a BBB report also.

 

They had mine from Nov.2014 until Feb.2015 I do feel your pain ! they never got to my transmission

or direct injector issues, but basically threw so many parts at it they even had a hard time remembering

what they had exactly done so keep all of your paper work in order, lastly the dealer has to play by GM

rules or risk his franchise...So be nice, it made a world of difference when the buy back time came as my

dealer went to bat for me, I was never given the opportunity to speak face to face with anyone from GM.

 

Good Luck !

[abominable z71]

It's in the steering wheel at low speeds, then it travels through pedals and seats as speeds increase. It's been in the dealership 3 times and still at no resolution and dealership is trying to make me feel like it doesn't exist. Everyone that has been in my truck or driven it feels it. The last time a technician in the service department went for a ride with me and admitted that there's a problem and then they kept it for 9 days and there was no resolution. They told me to drive it for a week, keep a detailed record of when my issues happen, and then bring it back. They have not told me what they even did to the truck if anything, they simply say that they can't find anything wrong. They did the tires, rotated, checked pressure, and alignment. Another dealership I brought it to did the same thing and said there is nothing wrong, as if this is all in my head. Very frustrating when you go for a ride with the technician and you see and feel the vibration and then they still say there is nothing there. One said it was from dropping to V4 mode. I said ok, lets keep it in V8.... and it still happens. There is no difference in which mode the vibration happens in, V4 or V8. You can feel it from low speeds through higher speeds, but driving in the normal range of 45-70 mph it is extremely bad.

2wd or 4x4? Steel or aluminum front suspension?

[mikegmi2]

So I just got word that my 2nd Silverado also has a bad rear axle assembly. Going to be in the shop for a week.

 

Any of you that haven't checked for this...drive on the highway, then exit on the smoothest exit ramp you can find. As you decelerate to 50mph you will start feeling a rumble or vibration in the truck, especially in the steering wheel. This is your ring/pinion gears grinding due to excessive backlash. If this isn't fixed, your rear differential could be ready to fail about the time your warranty is expiring!

 

This can only be felt during deceleration, when there is no torque being applied to the differential gears.

[LongrangeLauber]

So I just got word that my 2nd Silverado also has a bad rear axle assembly. Going to be in the shop for a week.

 

Any of you that haven't checked for this...drive on the highway, then exit on the smoothest exit ramp you can find. As you decelerate to 50mph you will start feeling a rumble or vibration in the truck, especially in the steering wheel. This is your ring/pinion gears grinding due to excessive backlash. If this isn't fixed, your rear differential could be ready to fail about the time your warranty is expiring!

 

This can only be felt during deceleration, when there is no torque being applied to the differential gears.

I'm about to pick up my truck after they RF balanced the tires. Going out to the highway to test it. Will try this when I get to my exit

[mikegmi2]

It's in the steering wheel at low speeds, then it travels through pedals and seats as speeds increase. It's been in the dealership 3 times and still at no resolution and dealership is trying to make me feel like it doesn't exist. Everyone that has been in my truck or driven it feels it. The last time a technician in the service department went for a ride with me and admitted that there's a problem and then they kept it for 9 days and there was no resolution. They told me to drive it for a week, keep a detailed record of when my issues happen, and then bring it back. They have not told me what they even did to the truck if anything, they simply say that they can't find anything wrong. They did the tires, rotated, checked pressure, and alignment. Another dealership I brought it to did the same thing and said there is nothing wrong, as if this is all in my head. Very frustrating when you go for a ride with the technician and you see and feel the vibration and then they still say there is nothing there. One said it was from dropping to V4 mode. I said ok, lets keep it in V8.... and it still happens. There is no difference in which mode the vibration happens in, V4 or V8. You can feel it from low speeds through higher speeds, but driving in the normal range of 45-70 mph it is extremely bad.

 

It is likely a damaged prop shaft, or bad rear axle assembly. Im on my second truck, and both trucks had bad rear axles.

 

Go here, print these pages out, and show them to the dealership. Tell them you did research and talked with others with the same problems, and that you know the trucks were built with bad parts:

 

http://oemdtc.com/6392/information-on-vibration-analysis-and-diagnostic-2014-2015-chevrolet-silverado-gmc-sierra/3

 

It is sad, but you have to go in there and really let them know you know there are serious problems...otherwise they will fluff you off.

 

Also, start a BBB case. In Michigan, 4 repair attempts is all it takes and then you can force GM to buy the truck back or give you a new one as replacement.

[14silverado4.3]

So I just got word that my 2nd Silverado also has a bad rear axle assembly. Going to be in the shop for a week.

 

Any of you that haven't checked for this...drive on the highway, then exit on the smoothest exit ramp you can find. As you decelerate to 50mph you will start feeling a rumble or vibration in the truck, especially in the steering wheel. This is your ring/pinion gears grinding due to excessive backlash. If this isn't fixed, your rear differential could be ready to fail about the time your warranty is expiring!

 

This can only be felt during deceleration, when there is no torque being applied to the differential gears.

 

Mike, what other symptoms exist with a bad ring / pinion gears?

Is there any build dates or assembly plant we should be looking at? What year is your second vehicle? 2014 or 2015?

Mike, what other symptoms exist with a bad ring / pinion gears?

Is there any build dates or assembly plant we should be looking at? What year is your second vehicle? 2014 or 2015?

[mikegmi2]

I'm about to pick up my truck after they RF balanced the tires. Going out to the highway to test it. Will try this when I get to my exit

 

Good idea, everyone should be doing this. Be sure to just let the truck coast. The minute you apply any torque to those gears, they run smooth and will not make any noise. It is also not a ton of vibrating...it is subtle...which almost makes me wonder if this is one of those things where the OEM purposely puts a flaw in one of their products just so they can make more cash down the road in selling parts and service.

[mikegmi2]

Mike, what other symptoms exist with a bad ring / pinion gears?

Is there any build dates or assembly plant we should be looking at? What year is your second vehicle? 2014 or 2015?

 

First vehicle was 2014 Crew V8 4x4 All Star, and second is 2015 exact same except the 2015 has 20" wheels.

 

I have no idea about build dates. I wouldn't be surprised if they all have this problem.

 

My 2014 axle problem was 2x as bad as the 2015. I test drove over 10 trucks before settling on the 2015 I eventually picked as the settlement between myself and GM...and I was looking for problems and didn't notice it during the test drive. It can be a very subtle rumble/vibration (like my 2015)...or a very noticeable higher frequency/more intense vibration (like my 2014).

[abominable z71]

Mine is high frequency 41 hz at 72 mph exactly 3x the wheel speed, checked it in 4th 5th and 6th gear always stays the same, eliminates motor, tc and transmission. Measured the run out on the front hubs .003" radial .001" lateral, front rotors .003" radial .00075" lateral, front cv axles .040" radial at the axle center on the passenger side .065" on the drivers side, problem is I can't find a spec for the cv axle run out anywhere. Typical max run out on a cardan style prop shaft is .020" front cv's may be higher. Has anyone ever disassembled a front cv out of a GM truck? Curious as to whether they use a 3 ball style rzeppa joint or a tripod joint. Both joints are good candidates to create a vibration at 3x the wheel speed especially if the shaft connected to it has excessive run out. I have already eliminated all of the other rotating parts on the front end but still can't convince myself to buy new cv axles. I'm going to try the hose clamp method on them and see if it affects the vibration, check the rear hubs, rotors and transfer case slip yoke for run out, if nothing is out of spec there, then lastly check ring and pinion for pattern, backlash, run out and tooth profile. Have to do everything myself as GM has deemed my vibration within spec per the PICO scope. After that I'm completely out of ideas. Drive the truck into a lake I suppose. Would probably vibrate as it sunk to the bottom.

[STAYBG]

Well gm rep says 80% of the vibration is in my tires so im gonna let them throw new michelins on it. Not gonna turn them down even though i know its not the problem. I had the ass end loaded with about 14 sheets of 1/2 drywall and was on the highway and guess what happened..... The vibration got better.. Like i origionally told the dealer the vibration is coming from the driveline not the tires or the body mounts or the new "world class frame" #whatajoke#.... So the pinion angle changed and so did the vibration.. Ill let them know this a week after my new tires.. ?

[LongrangeLauber]

Well gm rep says 80% of the vibration is in my tires so im gonna let them throw new michelins on it. Not gonna turn them down even though i know its not the problem. I had the ass end loaded with about 14 sheets of 1/2 drywall and was on the highway and guess what happened..... The vibration got better.. Like i origionally told the dealer the vibration is coming from the driveline not the tires or the body mounts or the new "world class frame" #whatajoke#.... So the pinion angle changed and so did the vibration.. Ill let them know this a week after my new tires..

How did your driveline angle change? The springs compress and are mounted to the axle housing. Unless you mean the front of the truck lifted up due to the weight in the bed

[captainbrent]

Mine is high frequency 41 hz at 72 mph exactly 3x the wheel speed, checked it in 4th 5th and 6th gear always stays the same, eliminates motor, tc and transmission. Measured the run out on the front hubs .003" radial .001" lateral, front rotors .003" radial .00075" lateral, front cv axles .040" radial at the axle center on the passenger side .065" on the drivers side, problem is I can't find a spec for the cv axle run out anywhere. Typical max run out on a cardan style prop shaft is .020" front cv's may be higher. Has anyone ever disassembled a front cv out of a GM truck? Curious as to whether they use a 3 ball style rzeppa joint or a tripod joint. Both joints are good candidates to create a vibration at 3x the wheel speed especially if the shaft connected to it has excessive run out. I have already eliminated all of the other rotating parts on the front end but still can't convince myself to buy new cv axles. I'm going to try the hose clamp method on them and see if it affects the vibration, check the rear hubs, rotors and transfer case slip yoke for run out, if nothing is out of spec there, then lastly check ring and pinion for pattern, backlash, run out and tooth profile. Have to do everything myself as GM has deemed my vibration within spec per the PICO scope. After that I'm completely out of ideas. Drive the truck into a lake I suppose. Would probably vibrate as it sunk to the bottom.

I have had my passenger side cv axle replaced after my old school alignment shop strobe balanced my tires(spin up fronts on truck at high speed) and replicated my high frequency vibe(rumble strip). We thought it had to be the cv shaft, unfortunately it wasn't the shaft and I still have vibe. This most recent time to alignment shop we spent some time trying to diagnose. After spinning up, we put a stethoscope on the differential housing extension on passenger side and found it to be very noisy, making us suspect the needle bearings for the axle shaft. Smooth until high speed and then the whole truck was buzzing while lifted on jacks. Now the hard part of convincing my dealer to pursue, as they insist there is no issue. This is extremely frustrating. I travel for my work with this truck and I am at 34,000 miles(problems started at 163miles) and finding time to pursue is difficult. I think that a lot of the problems being discussed on the forums is actually multiple items, some being tires, some being driveline. Or like in my case both. Fortunately I replaced the Oem tires with quality Nittos and now up to 64 mph it is smooth as silk. Then the rumble strip vibe comes in, but tires are still smooth. If I can't get any resolution, I guess I will have to address myself, it will probably cost me less than the downtime f...ing with GM.

Oh by the way, I bought my wife a 2015 Jeep Wrangler(smooth as silk, and good q.c.)to replace her 2008 Tahoe instead of new Tahoe. So GM you need to wake up to this, I am not the only one you are losing sales to over this issue!

2015i GMC 3500hd cc4x4 Duramax

Edited September 12, 2015 by captainbrent

[abominable z71]

I have had my passenger side cv axle replaced after my old school alignment shop strobe balanced my tires(spin up fronts on truck at high speed) and replicated my high frequency vibe(rumble strip). We thought it had to be the cv shaft, unfortunately it wasn't the shaft and I still have vibe. This most recent time to alignment shop we spent some time trying to diagnose. After spinning up, we put a stethoscope on the differential housing extension on passenger side and found it to be very noisy, making us suspect the needle bearings for the axle shaft. Smooth until high speed and then the whole truck was buzzing while lifted on jacks. Now the hard part of convincing my dealer to pursue, as they insist there is no issue. This is extremely frustrating. I travel for my work with this truck and I am at 34,000 miles(problems started at 163miles) and finding time to pursue is difficult. I think that a lot of the problems being discussed on the forums is actually multiple items, some being tires, some being driveline. Or like in my case both. Fortunately I replaced the Oem tires with quality Nittos and now up to 64 mph it is smooth as silk. Then the rumble strip vibe comes in, but tires are still smooth. If I can't get any resolution, I guess I will have to address myself, it will probably cost me less than the downtime f...ing with GM.

Oh by the way, I bought my wife a 2015 Jeep Wrangler(smooth as silk, and good q.c.)to replace her 2008 Tahoe instead of new Tahoe. So GM you need to wake up to this, I am not the only one you are losing sales to over this issue!

2015i GMC 3500hd cc4x4 Duramax

I'm thinking my vibe comes from the front end. I thought about getting some old worn out half shafts and disassembling them and just using the outer stub shaft to hold the front hub together and completely disconnect the front wheels from the front diff and eliminate the joints as the potential cause.

[STAYBG]

How did your driveline angle change? The springs compress and are mounted to the axle housing. Unless you mean the front of the truck lifted up due to the weight in the bed

no i mean the pinion angle. It constantly is changing under a load or deceleration. Thats y they have u-joints.

[abominable z71]

no i mean the pinion angle. It constantly is changing under a load or deceleration. Thats y they have u-joints.

typically pinion angle causes issues at lower speeds but with these trucks there is no telling what might happen. In a perfect world the working angles between the front and rear joint should cancel one another out or be as close to zero as possible. If the front slip yoke tips down 5 degrees your pinion yoke at the rear end should tip up 5 degrees so that the u joint speeds cancel one another out. With a heavy load as the springs flatten out the rear shackle swings backward to allow the spring to lengthen. Because the rear shackle is on a fixed pivot and the front spring eye is stationary the height between the 2 eyes changes causing the pumpkin to rotate changing the working angle between the front and rear u joints. This could be mitigating the vibration if it's rotating the pinion into a better working angle relationship. The other possibility is the additional weight has changed the natural frequency of the truck enough to eliminate the resonate frequency. Natural frequency is the square root of k/m where k is the stiffness matrix for the vehicle (impossible to calculate by hand as it requires FEA on a seriously powerful computer) and m is the mass. The additional weight of the plywood changes the ratio and ultimately changes the natural frequency for the truck. If you look at the tacoma narrows bridge failure in the 1940s this a perfect example of resonance. The wind coming through the narrows matched the natural frequency of the bridge and catastrophic failure ensued. I've noticed that having 4 200lb people in my truck 600lbs more than normal that the vibration is significantly reduced as well.