GM under investigation for faulty brake vacuum pumps

[Rezaghoul]

I have a 2017 Silverado with less than 30k miles. The brakes “went stiff” this weekend and I bumped a concrete wall in a parking garage. I was pulling into a space and the vehicle did not respond as I expected it to. I had to press hard enough on the peddle that my butt came out of the seat. I want GM to cover the front bumper damage. If I go through my insurance I am sure they will make me pay my deductible and I am sure there will be rate changes as well. 

[aaronarf]

1 hour ago, Rezaghoul said:

I have a 2017 Silverado with less than 30k miles. The brakes “went stiff” this weekend and I bumped a concrete wall in a parking garage. I was pulling into a space and the vehicle did not respond as I expected it to. I had to press hard enough on the peddle that my butt came out of the seat. I want GM to cover the front bumper damage. If I go through my insurance I am sure they will make me pay my deductible and I am sure there will be rate changes as well. 

Posts like this have me considering jumping ship.... F150 sounding nicer and nicer everyday.  

[JMHD]

I was at the dealer last week for a different problem and when the service writer was booking me in he said my 2017 1500 has a recall but it is not ready yet. He said it was the vacuum pump problem. I did a VIN search on the gm recall website and it shows that this problem is a recall now but no fix yet. Just wondering if anyone else has ran their VIN on the recall page?

[JMHD]

1 minute ago, JMHD said:

I was at the dealer last week for a different problem and when the service writer was booking me in he said my 2017 1500 has a recall but it is not ready yet. He said it was the vacuum pump problem. I did a VIN search on the gm recall website and it shows that this problem is a recall now but no fix yet. Just wondering if anyone else has ran their VIN on the recall page?

This is the GM recall number 

• N192217410

[paumat]

1 hour ago, JMHD said:

This is the GM recall number 

• N192217410

I thought I saw the recall is for Canada. Those in the US get an extended warranty and a middle finger. 

[parthery]

Mine is in the shop as we speak.  Same thing....first time in a parking lot no biggie.  Second time I bumped the garage wall.  Now have a dent in the back bumper.

[Baytrucker]

15 hours ago, aaronarf said:

Posts like this have me considering jumping ship.... F150 sounding nicer and nicer everyday.  

I've seen this sentiment pop up in even the most die-hard chevy fans over the last few years. The truth is, GM isn't keeping up. They are barely getting by as a company. They cannot afford to innovate, and as a result, are drastically behind the curve.

 

I heard someone say the other day that the new 2019 Sierra/Silverado is the best truck the 1990's has to offer. I couldn't help but laugh because it is so true. While Ford, Toyota, and even Dodge continue to innovate their trucks with new design features, GM is practically inert, releasing the same truck over and over with a new cosmetic parts, minor upgrades, and putting in the bare minimum towards design improvements to give the appearance they are keeping up. There is a reason that many of the GM problem parts (lifters, vacuum pump, leaf springs, exhaust flap, AC condenser,  etc etc) tend to be problem parts for years and years. GM is just not set up to redesign parts on a year-by-year, or even generational basis. They have burned too many bridges with their parts suppliers, and as a result, no one wants to deal with them.

 

Ford, Toyota and Dodge have their bad years, for sure. But GM seems to have bad decades.

 

This is why this vacuum pump has them totally flummoxed. Transport Canada forced them to recall, and GM was totally unprepared for it. The recall is sitting in inactive status while GM figures out how they are going to redesign the break pump so it doesn't fail, manufacture the quantity needed, then distribute them in the time-frame that Transport Canada has given them. They just aren't set up for that kind of accountability. If the US follows suit and issues their own recall, I wouldn't be surprised if this turns into the next ignition-gate that bankrupts the company. GM is likely investing a LOT of lobbying money to try and prevent this from happening.

 

I will be trading my Sierra in as soon as I can afford to. I don't really need a truck anymore though, so I likely will be going back to a passenger vehicle.

Edited July 15, 2019 by Baytrucker

[Gwailo27]

14 hours ago, JMHD said:

I was at the dealer last week for a different problem and when the service writer was booking me in he said my 2017 1500 has a recall but it is not ready yet. He said it was the vacuum pump problem. I did a VIN search on the gm recall website and it shows that this problem is a recall now but no fix yet. Just wondering if anyone else has ran their VIN on the recall page?

Yeah, I just noticed it on my GMC app. I'm concerned that because my truck is a salvage they won't do it. I know that in the States they have to do safety recalls by law even on salvaged vehicles but I"m not sure if a similar law applies in Canada. I'm going to give Transport Canada a shout and see what they say about it.

 

[NCPGMC]

34 minutes ago, Baytrucker said:

I've seen this sentiment pop up in even the most die-hard chevy fans over the last few years. The truth is, GM isn't keeping up. They are barely getting by as a company. They cannot afford to innovate, and as a result, are drastically behind the curve.

 

I heard someone say the other day that the new 2019 Sierra/Silverado is the best truck the 1990's has to offer. I couldn't help but laugh because it is so true. While Ford, Toyota, and even Dodge continue to innovate their trucks with new design features, GM is practically inert, releasing the same truck over and over with a new cosmetic parts, minor upgrades, and putting in the bare minimum towards design improvements to give the appearance they are keeping up. There is a reason that many of the GM problem parts (lifters, vacuum pump, leaf springs, exhaust flap, AC condenser,  etc etc) tend to be problem parts for years and years. GM is just not set up to redesign parts on a year-by-year, or even generational basis.

 

Ford, Toyota and Dodge have their bad years, for sure. But GM seems to have bad decades.

 

I will be trading my Sierra in as soon as I can afford to. I don't really need a truck anymore though, so I likely will be going back to a passenger vehicle.

Not sure I get what you're saying here...What truck company has changed their full-size pickup line more than "new cosmetic parts, minor upgrades, and putting in the bare minimum towards design improvements to give the appearance they are keeping up." That's all any company does. I have went and looked at the interior of GM, Toyota, and Nissan from 2019 and 2009 and the changes are all about the same, some simple refinements and a large touchscreen. As far as exterior goes, what do you want? What sort of innovations have you seen in other trucks that GM has not attempted/implemented?

[Rezaghoul]

On 7/14/2019 at 7:07 PM, Rezaghoul said:

I have a 2017 Silverado with less than 30k miles. The brakes “went stiff” this weekend and I bumped a concrete wall in a parking garage. I was pulling into a space and the vehicle did not respond as I expected it to. I had to press hard enough on the peddle that my butt came out of the seat. I want GM to cover the front bumper damage. If I go through my insurance I am sure they will make me pay my deductible and I am sure there will be rate changes as well. 

UPDATE:

So they replaced the vacuum pump and the dealer is in talks with GM to have the bumper damage repaired. The yellow paint really stands out on the dark paint. 

[Baytrucker]

On 7/15/2019 at 9:24 AM, NCPGMC said:

Not sure I get what you're saying here...What truck company has changed their full-size pickup line more than "new cosmetic parts, minor upgrades, and putting in the bare minimum towards design improvements to give the appearance they are keeping up." That's all any company does. I have went and looked at the interior of GM, Toyota, and Nissan from 2019 and 2009 and the changes are all about the same, some simple refinements and a large touchscreen. As far as exterior goes, what do you want? What sort of innovations have you seen in other trucks that GM has not attempted/implemented?

What I'm saying is what I said. I'm seeing more and more people loose faith in GM. This is my observation, and I feel its justifiable.

 

You asked what truck company changes their full-size pickup line. The OP mentions the F150, so I'll throw out some examples with the Ford, just off the top of my head..

 

• Probably the most notorious example in the recent releases is the aluminum body. Ford was the first to move their half-tonne pickups to aluminum bodies. GM openly mocked this decision, before grudgingly copying it in 2019.
• In response to the EPA's more stringent guidelines, Ford completely redesigned their V6 engine with twin-turbos, creating a half-tonne engine option that leaves GM's vortec in the dust in terms of torque and provides better fuel economy overall. The design wasn't perfect admittedly, but it showed that Ford was at least putting an effort in. Ford also continued to offer a classic V8 option for people who don't want the ecoboost. Compare that to GM, who simply jury-rigged their existing V8 design with the abortion that is AFM, a third-rate engineering hack that has been plagued with problems since inception. Problems that GM has failed to resolve or even address for going-on 3 generations of truck. Furthermore, GM gives you no alternative. If you buy a GM half-tonne truck, you are getting the AFM garbage whether you like it or not.
• GM GDI engines continue to have trouble with carbon buildup on the intakes, like most GDI engines had (and solved) in the 00's. Ford had this problem in the first two generations of their ecoboost before adding intermittent port injection to their design (along with nearly every other vehicle manufacturer that offers a GDI). Instead of actually fixing this problem, GM just shortened the power-train warranty by 3 years. I was hoping the 2019 would at least provide a solution to this problem, but no such luck. But at least they "fixed" the square wheel wells, so they get a pat on the head for focusing on what is really important.
• GM has been using the same bloody model of AC condenser for over a decade now in all of their trucks and SUVs. A condenser with a known defect (bad weld in the upper right corner). In 2018, they finally "solved" this problem by.......putting a piece of tape over the bad weld. That was their solution. Compare this to ford where.....well..actually I can't think of a single known defect that Ford continued to release for over a decade in their F-series trucks without addressing properly.
• Rust protection on the frame. Ford has been attacking this problem aggressively for the last 20 years. Most recently, with their " e-coating". Even if the e-coating fails, you can still apply aftermarket undercoating. Admittedly, this is a tricky problem to solve, but at least they are trying. Compare this to GM, which still puts wax on their frame like its the 1970's.

This is just off the top of my head. There are other examples too, especially if you start to include Toyota and even Dodge. Back in the 90's and early 00's, GM 1500 and Ford F150 were neck-in-neck for innovation. But GM has clearly fallen behind and is now playing catch-up. I can't think of a single GM pick-up truck "innovation" they have added to their vehicles in the last 15 years where they haven't been at least 5 years behind the competitors. Not a single one. I'm prepared to stand corrected, but GM seems to be playing catch-up in nearly all aspects of their trucks.

 

 

 

 

 

[wforrest08]

1 hour ago, Baytrucker said:

I can't think of a single GM pick-up truck "innovation" they have added to their vehicles in the last 15 years where they haven't been at least 5 years behind the competitors.

BUT what about the MultiPro Tailgate... ?

[Crstfr]

i have 60k on mine now.. and i've had this happen 2 times.. lucky not in traffic.... i guess i'll need to call the dealer..grrr

[Crstfr]

18 minutes ago, wforrest08 said:

BUT what about the MultiPro Tailgate... ?

man i hate that thing!!!.. 

[Baytrucker]

4 hours ago, wforrest08 said:

BUT what about the MultiPro Tailgate... ?

Heh. I stand corrected. Talk about solving a problem no one needed solved.

 

They have been putting a defective vacuum pump in their trucks for the past 10 years, putting everyone lives at risk, and now that it has come to light they still won't issue a recall unless they are forced to. They are still putting the pump in their new trucks.

 

But their tailgate can do yoga now, so all is good.