3 new lemons in a row ( vibrations)

[Vibe15]

Hi everyone.

Been along time since I've posted about my 2015 vibrator. Well what a story I have for you! I'll make it short n sweet as possible.

 

First the dealership, couple of hiccups but overall really good to me.

 

Second the Gm customer service, very pleasant to talk to......that's all.

 

Third Gm district manager, treated me very well with buyback.

 

1/16 New 2015 1500 double ltz 6.2 20" vibrated bad from day one! Approx 6-7 months later after 4 sets of tires, alignments etc.. was offered buyback. Ordered a 2017 1500 crew ltz z71 6.2 18" loaded on first order date. ( z71 and 18" highly suggested for least amount of possible vibration problems by DM )

 

12/20/16 new truck FINALLY arrives. Stunning, rides amazing.

 

5/17 4K miles started to notice a little vibration. Could live with it.

 

6/17 vibration worse, rear end was making odd noise off and on. Rear end locked up several times at very low speeds and just dragged tires.

 

Will leave out all the bs. Rear end was blown. Btw I don't beat on my trucks.

 

GM POLICY.... new model year rebuild only! If 2016 and older new rear end.

 

RFB tires 2 no good. 2 new tires( found out were out of spec to, put on anyways)

 

Rebuilt rear end, 2 new tires truck vibrated worse, rear end made bad clunking noise and all around seemed worse. Didn't want to go through another buyback and was told GM probably won't do it.

 

Traded for 2017 Colorado v6 crew long bed. Surprisingly really like this little truck.

 

Ok you ready.... 207 miles on it, took it on highway, vibrated worse than my first truck. Also noticed whole truck had a slight lean to drivers side.

 

Took service manager for ride and couldn't believe how bad it was. Also measured truck and driver side was shorter. RFB tires, perfect, checked everything, perfect. No bulletins for it. Never had a Colorado vibrate. Nothing he could do about it. Said you got a lemon. He was gonna contact DM. ( I wrote a email to DM in detail of what My family and I have gone through the past year and a half, how much money we have lost, how much stress we have had and to please just give me a new Colorado ) He got in touch with New DM and explained he couldn't fix it, it's a lemon. Definitely should do a buyback. Well guess what DENIED!! IM FLOORED... unfixable truck is mine.

 

Almost traded for another New Silverado but couldn't do it. Lemon law would take to long and they would get me for mileage( which is not cheap ) and I have to drive it.

 

8/17 traded for a beautiful black 2017 v6 twin turbo crew cab loaded f150. Couldn't be happier. Really impressed with motor, better tow, better mileage, seats more comfortable, all around better.

 

Unfortunately For GM ( not that it matters to them ) I will never buy a GM product again and I will steer anyone who asks away from them.

 

BTW... I personally know several 15-17 Silverado owners who's trucks vibrate, most common said things from them is...

 

Dont have time to bring it in. Don't wanna go through bs. Take the wife's car for long drives. Brought it in got new tires still vibrates. Gonna trade for Ram/Ford.

 

So the number of REPORTED vibration issues means nothing.. lots of people don't have time, don't wanna deal with bs, traded or just don't care.

 

In the past year and a half I've asked approximately 50 15-17 Silverado owners if theirs vibrated. HALF said yes and all at highway speeds.

 

Personally I think they all vibrate on different levels. On the low end response well it's a truck, that's how it rides. It's expected. And don't forget service guys going with you for test ride saying, that's the tires their aggressive your gonna get that. Unfortunately I've heard it all.

 

My Silverado crew rode like a Cadillac until 4K miles. Take no excuses!!!!

 

Thanks for reading and good luck to all.

[L86 All Terrain]

Seems to be at random. My 2015 6.2 is smooth as silk, with stock and the aftermarket tires, 27,000km. I just bought a beater 2014 5.3L WT for work and it has the shake at 65mph. Still trying to figure out what the main cause is. I didnt know the 1/4 tons had it too. My mom bought a 15 Canyon and it is awesome, she's got 35,000km on it now no issues. I've been open to switching brands, unfortuantly everyone else's product doesn't float my boat. Don't want a gas pig Dodge or Tundra, you couldn't pay me to select a 3.5L TTV6 as a power-plant and a 5.0L DOHC V8 is for a light sports car not a truck, nor would I want it entirely constructed of AL. Nissan lol, no thanks. Ford makes a incredible, quality vehicle, but unfortunately they also produce arguably the worst engines in the market IMO.

[aseibel]

sorry to hear about your troubles.

 

My 2015 CC has about 25,000 miles on it. A good chunk of that is on the freeway, cruise set at 70 going to grandma's house with 2 kids in the back seat. not once have we noticed any vibration. I think my truck rides as good or better than any car I have had previously.

[SouthernSilveradoGuy85]

Had my '14 for 2 years and always rode smooth at any speed, even took it up to 98 (governor shut off) and still smooth as can be. Not all of these vibrate, I think you just had very bad luck.

[Silver16]

Someday I hope they put a Cummins in a Ford. Now that would be a truck to have.

[Vibe15]

You guys are the lucky ones, again mine rode incredible till 4K. Once you have that you'll notice everything. And your right, what a streak of bad luck lol! Based on that and people I've spoke to it's hit or miss and somewhere in between. One of my friends is on his possible third buyback. One 15, two17's. Maybe it's just connecticut lol.

[SierraRover]

My 2014 is in the shop for the vibration right now. I took a video of a McDonald's cup just chattering away in the cup holder to illustrate.

 

It seems to resonate at about the 38-40 Hertz rate when it gets to about 40 mph and upwards. I found an app on the internet (completely dis-related from cars) that shows a light flickering at 40 Hertz -- and that's pretty close to frequency at which my truck vibrates. Felt through the steering wheel and the seat; visible on the console.

 

Lots of causes mentioned on the web -- tires, wheels, wheel flanges, drive shaft, etc. I believe the problem stems from the Y2XX K2XX platform, introduced in 2014, which apparently just resonates at that frequency, incited by any number of components that can vibrate locally.

 

Sorry to say this is my last GM product, although I've always been a GM man.

[Spurshot]

I've read these accounts for years now. I do believe their stories. I'm sympathetic to these new owners that spend their hard earned money and have some problem they can't get resolved.

 

My overall theory is the fleet tires GM uses are one of the problems. I also believe the long driveshaft, suspension and frame are contributors for some reports. And finally, some owners are simply over sensitized by reading all these accounts.

 

I had a 2008 Max Tow that would rattle my teeth on the highway. I could look on the rear view mirror and see the top of the tailgate jumping up and down. On some highways at certain speeds, the rear tires were loosing contact with the road I intended to change tires to off road and replace shocks anyway. Those changes didn't fix it. Putting a 200lb topper and 200lb drawer vault in the bed cured it. The combination of the stiff Max suspension, heavy rear axle and light rear of the truck, made for a vibration resonator.

 

I'm an engineer. My wife is a vibration and acoustic engineer. Trucks are machines. There's no black magic going on.

[Spurshot]

My 2014 is in the shop for the vibration right now. I took a video of a McDonald's cup just chattering away in the cup holder to illustrate.

 

It seems to resonate at about the 38-40 Hertz rate when it gets to about 40 mph and upwards. I found an app on the internet (completely dis-related from cars) that shows a light flickering at 40 Hertz -- and that's pretty close to frequency at which my truck vibrates. Felt through the steering wheel and the seat; visible on the console.

 

Lots of causes mentioned on the web -- tires, wheels, wheel flanges, drive shaft, etc. I believe the problem stems from the Y2XX frame, introduced in 2014, which just resonates at that frequency, incited by any number of components that can vibrate locally.

 

Sorry to say this is my last GM product, although I've always been a GM man.

 

It's clear you have a technical background and you identified the vibe frequency. You undoubtedly know 40 htz is too high for tires at the speeds you mentioned. I'd suspect the driveshaft going through a natural frequency resonance.

[Spurshot]

Hi everyone.

 

...

 

My Silverado crew rode like a Cadillac until 4K miles. ...

A real pisser that the rear axle failed.

 

The vibration coming along after 4K miles is a clue. There's not much in a truck that has much likelyhood of changing balance other than tires and damaged drive shafts. Tires can and do change shape and balance over time and miles of use. Michelins have a reputation of maintaining roundness and balance. OEM fleet tires have a reputation of not being so good. I've given away my OEM tires almost immediately after I purchased my last two trucks. No return, no refund, on gifts. Lol.

[Silver16]

Is this a 1500 problem in the extreme sense? The 2500 seems to be less problematic. I had 104k on the Sierra with zero shaking/vibration issues. I beat that thing senseless at times too. Seems that most of the big issues surround the 1500 platform. Maybe underdesigned?

[SierraRover]

Picked up the vibrating 2014 Sierra 1500 from the dealer after tire rotation and balance. The dealer did not check the drive shaft like I asked them to do.

The paperwork says "could not replicate" the vibration -- this after I showed it to them on a video during the write-up. Pointless to go back and argue with the kid at the service desk.

 

Took the truck out to the expressway, ran it at 65, and it still vibrates like, well, a vibrator with fresh batteries. It's not very noticeable around town, where I do most of my driving. On the highway, it'll make you crazy.

 

I like this truck, but... I had to install the Morimoto HID headlight bulbs to fix the dim OEM bulbs that GM built wrong in the first place and wouldn't own up to fixing... Now GMC cannot or will not fix the vibration. Not going to chase a lot of after-market solutions and do-overs at my own expense. The truck has held its resale value surprisingly well (78% according to KBB after three years!) so it's destiny may be to end up as a trade-in for a Ford F150.

[WLC]

What about an adjustable vibration damper between frame rail? Could change locations until you get desired results.

[SierraRover]

The idea of a damper attached to the frame rails may have merit; it would take an engineer to figure out where and how to attach it.

 

The rubber or polystyrene mounts between the body and the frame are another point where the vibration could possibly be isolated.

 

Even a better seat mount could work wonders to cut the ability of the driver to perceive the vibration from inside the cab.

 

GM reportedly is coming out with the GMT T1XX platform for pickups beginning in the 2019 model year. I am sure they will incorporate what they have learned with the K2XX platforms, and specifically with the K2XG platform of the Sierra. At least we can hope they will.

[Spurshot]

You might find a driveline shop and have them check the driveshaft balance. I was able to jack the rear wheels on my 2000 truck to run the truck without driving it, so I could isolate a vibration I had.