2015 Silverado 2500HD with vibration problems...

cjackg · April 18, 2014

I am starting this thread to document the persistent vibration problems I am having with my very new 2015 Silverado that I recently bought as a tow vehicle for a new Fifth Wheel toyhauler soon to be delivered. I acquired this 2015 Chevy from Integrity Chevrolet in Chattanooga TN in late Feb 2014.

For reference, the truck is as follows:

2015 Chevrolet Silverado Z71 2500HD 4x4 SB Crewcab Duramax, 3.73 rear end, Goodyear 20" Tires.

I have driven the truck close to 3000 miles since delivery and have towed two different trailers (both bumper pulled) on a couple of trips. The first time I towed a lightweight trailer & load less than 2500lbs, a steady vibration showed up in the range of 55--65mph. At 70+ the problem disappears. The vibration can be felt in the steering wheel and visually seen in the shift lever shaking, Braking or acceleration does not make noticeable change until you get out of the problem range.

I tow this same load behind my wife's Ford Escape with no vibration at any speed.

Later, I towed a second trailer, a 7,000lb tandem Toyhauler, and the problem occurred in the same speed range.

When not towing, there is no vibration at all and the ride is as smooth as it should be.

After the first occurence of this vibration, I returned to my dealer and requested their help. As might be expected, they were reluctant to believe there was a problem and wanted to blame it on the trailers. When they did nothing but a cursory checkout of the truck, I offered to bring the trailer with the load that had shown the problem.

When I showed up they never bothered with the road test, but did proceed with Road Force Balancing of the tires on the truck. They got the following road force readings: Front Tires: 6 & 9 lbs, Rear Tires: 12 & 26 lbs.

They advised me that GM will not replace a tire unless the reading is over 35lbs, but they finally agreed to replace the tire with the 26 lb reading. They had to try 2 different new tires before finding one that was better, but they did come up with one that had a reading of 7 lbs. I had high hopes this would be the magic bullet...

A couple of days later, I hooked up the same trailer & load and took a 50 mi trip down I75 into Ga. As soon as the tires warmed up and we got past the rough pavement areas, it was clear the very same vibration problem was still there, and at the same speed range... starts soon after 55 and disappears over 70mph.

I have been back to my dealers service department 4 times in this matter and am no closer to a solution than when I started. I will be picking up a new Fifth Wheel toyhauler in KY soon and wanted to resolve this before then but now am running out of time to spend at my dealers service department. Guess we will see now how the truck performs with a 15,000 lb load.

I am very interested to hear if anyone has had a similar vibration problem with a Silverado HD towing a load. I am also fully open to any interest from GM in resolving this matter!

Jack

8.1HD/ALLISON · April 18, 2014

I would try another dealer. Any dealer who would not take the time to road test a vibration complaint with a customer obviously does not care about them. Standing by my initial thought that you could have a driveline vibration. Good luck trying to get your dealer to calculate and check driveline angles if they are to lazy to even test drive it. I'll be watching this one, curious to see what you find.

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Gun Designer · April 18, 2014

How about an aerodynamic issue when the trailers are hooked up. I have had a 2007 GMC that would shake when my wife followed me at 65-70 winthin a few car lengths in her 2000 Camry but no other time. With all the claims of aero work on these trucks, maybe something like this is at work?

cjackg · April 18, 2014

No way! One was an open utility trailer and the other was a Work & Play 8x18 tandem box toy hauler!

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kstruckcountry · April 18, 2014

Try new tires. NOT Goodyears.

8.1HD/ALLISON · April 18, 2014

That would be a good idea too. I have a set of Goodyears and they will be my last. Vibration issues. Thats after i cherry picked 4 good ones( took 8 tires to find 4 that road forced well)

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anthony2558 · April 18, 2014

Oh boy.... I hope you guys with the 2500's aren't gonna go through with what some are going through with the 1500's. Some with the 1500's are pushing lemon laws, buy backs, having the entire rear end and drive lines replaced with no fix in sight. :-(

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GMCustomerService · April 18, 2014

Hello Jack,

Congratulations on the new Silverado. I apologize that you are experiencing this vibration concern and I can see how it would be frustrating. Please PM me your VIN, mileage, and contact information so I can research this issue and document it within our system. I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a great weekend,

Austin J.

GM Customer Care

NEFisher11 · April 18, 2014

Just for giggles you should have the tires balanced on one of your trailers. Maybe you are feeling a vibration from that and sense these trucks are so stiff and the load so light you are feeling instead of being absorbed by the suspension. Just a thought.

Gun Designer · April 18, 2014

No way! One was an open utility trailer and the other was a Work & Play 8x18 tandem box toy hauler!

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Sure, but anything behind it can affect the air that leaves the truck.

There is also an engineering term called natural frequency of vibration. Lets hope its not something like that, because Mine is on order and in shipment now.

cjackg · April 18, 2014

Just for giggles you should have the tires balanced on one of your trailers. Maybe you are feeling a vibration from that and sense these trucks are so stiff and the load so light you are feeling instead of being absorbed by the suspension. Just a thought.

Both trailers have been towed extensively behind a Ford F150 4x4 with no hint of vibrations. The tires on both trailers have been in use for a while & previously balanced. One trailer is over 7000 lbs and it also uses a dynamic balancing product.

I am on hold with the problem for a while until my new Fifth Wheel Toyhauler is ready for pickup, then we'll see...

NEFisher11 · April 19, 2014

Ok well it was just a thought. Keep us informed on the outcome because iam curious.

saxman915 · April 22, 2014

Any update on this? Ive had my '15 3500 denali drw for 4 days now and no problems at all. mine rides very, very smooth at any speed so there is definitely something going on.

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cjackg · April 23, 2014

My 2500HD was also very smooth, until I started Towing... I am still on hold waiting to see how it does with the new Fifth wheel toy hauler.

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AceMI · May 3, 2014

Are you sure you don't have a trailer tire that's out of round? You'd be surprised how trailer vibration can resonate through the truck as well, making you swear the vibration is originating from the truck.

If you've absolutely eliminated the trailers for sure, the only other guess (especially since you're feeling it in the steering wheel) is you're putting more load on the belts of the truck tires making defects more evident with the trailer attached, which is why it's smooth when unloaded. Good Years are garbage -- especially OEM Good Years. That was the first thing that went when I bought my 07 off the showroom floor. I've driven a '15 with Good Years and I ordered my '15 3500HD LTZ Crew with the upgraded tires knowing they were Michelins -- there's a difference, a big one at that. Mine is vibration free (load or not) and very quiet. Of course, I was with mine from an empty cab at the factory all the way down the line to the drivability chamber. GM engineers were there that day too, so I know everything was done right!

You'll go back and forth with the dealer forever and ruin the entire experience of the truck with those Good Years. Do yourself a huge favor, bite the bullet and put a set of Michelins (I love LTX M/S2's in that size, but I had to get 18") - you will be much happier. You may even want to reach out to GM, be very polite, express your concern and ask if they'll replace them with Michelins and even offer to pay the difference. Don't bother with the dealer unless it's to facilitate talking to the DSM. The dealer has no discretion with that type of thing and they'll only waste your time and add to your aggravation.

Also, I know the maintenance guide doesn't recommend it yet, but change out ALL of your fluids. At 500-1000 miles, I drained/filled the front/rear diffs, switched to Transynd in the Allison and changed the spinon, changed the transfer case fluid and of course an oil change (I'm running the factory fill Delvac conventional for several oil changes, then will switch to synthetic.) Some say it's overkill, but you'll likely find shavings (normal) on the magnet. GM used to recommend this after break-in, but people complained of maintenance costs so they backed off of it. One of the engineers at the factory that day reminded me it's still a good idea to do, but is definitely not going to be detrimental if you don't.

Good luck! Enjoy your truck.