Newell33

You understand that the AFM transition is not seamless in every truck, right? You may be one of the lucky ones, but others have serious lugging, hesitation, and transmission clunking concerns during AFM operation. I'm a reasonable guy, and if I wasn't able to turn AFM off on my '14, I would have taken a bath and traded it right away. Yes, it was that bad.

I think you'll find that the AFM system doesn't improve mileage much, if any at all. On my '14 I noticed zero difference when deactivating it. Each truck is different, but based on experience from members of this forum, even if it does affect mileage it will be by 1 mpg or less.

For what it's worth, this exact issue has shown up quite a few times on this board on trucks still under warranty. It sounds as if this issue is known by GM. You might politely plead your case to see if they'll cover a portion of the bill.

Right along with the team that programmed the transmission, designed the faulty t-stat / cooling system, the AFM system, the seat heating elements / system, the cup holder that allows fluid to leak into the bottom of the fold down arm rest, the seat bracket that loosens after about 12,000 miles, the sweet FM radio, the squeaky flapper valve, and probably other issues that I'm forgetting.

Some say they notice it, and some say they don't. I believe that some trucks behave differently than others, and I also believe some people are considerably more in tune with their vehicles than others. My '14 was horrible, especially when combined with the clunking, hesitating, flair shifting transmission. It drove me back to a '13 2500HD as soon as it financially made sense. I won't purchase another new truck with any kind of cylinder deactivation. Edit: By the way, when I shut off AFM both with the Range device my mileage was exactly the same. Ultimately when I shut if off with a tuner, my mileage increased by 1 mpg.

What was the history of the truck? If you haven't done so already, ask the dealer for a warranty history report. I'd bet you'll find a bit of information regarding the previous owner's attempts to fix the problem.

I love it... 600 pages of people trying all kinds of fixes. Some work on some trucks, and some don't. A guy reads 10 pages, tries a driveshaft fix, and holy moly he's got the whole thing figured out! Congratulations on your fix, and on how you've so eloquently communicated it!

There are a lot of pages in this thread. I'm guessing you haven't read all of them. There have been plenty of others that have taken their driveshafts to specialty powertrain shops to have them checked. A very small percentage have had driveshaft issues. Most have mentioned that theirs have checked out ok for both runout and balance. The consensus is that it's not one single issue with these trucks, there are multiple reasons for the vibrations.

Get out of the deal immediately if you're still able to.

He probably asked the same guy 30 times... That explains it.

Nice, but do you really want to take the chance on another GM truck?

It's been a while, but this has been discussed before: http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/155509-high-frequency-noise-coming-from-dash-when-in-4wd/page-2?hl=high+pitched&do=findComment&comment=1391531. I don't believe GM will fix it, and as others have mentioned, considers it "normal."

I find it more interesting that someone would believe that vibrations are not likely to cause premature parts failures.

My 2014 fob after 27,000 miles looked almost identical. I've never had one look so bad so quickly.

Not all trucks vibrate. Be sure you test drive at past 70mph as it seems that the trucks that do vibrate will vibrate at 70+. A thorough test drive in varying conditions is what I'd recommend. I couldn't wait to get rid of my 2014 for a number of reasons. There are a number of systems on these trucks that were poorly designed and not well thought out. I recently traded back to a 2013 2500HD, and it drives so much better it isn't even close. A thorough test drive is your friend!

You must own a 2012!

From the horrible transmission and AFM tuning, to the faulty seat heaters, the extensive vibration issues, the high pitched 4x4 dash noise, the loose seat tracks, the bad radio reception, and the bad headlights headlights, I'd second that these trucks were definitely under engineered. Everywhere you look there's an example of poor engineering and/or poor quality control.

Haha... Whenever someone says "nothing personal," it's usually personal.

That's the point of the article. If you're interested in going the lemon law route, then you can treat the times you tried to get the dealer to look at the truck, not just the times they actually worked on it, as one of your 3 or 4 attempts at repair.

Jesse, I know you've been shopping for law firms, but have you read this article and tried a lemon law attorney? As the article indicates, the statute states that YOU have to make an attempt to get your vehicle repaired, not the dealership. If they refuse to work on it, just document that YOU made an attempt. I'm not sure exactly what you've tried already, but nevertheless, the article clears up the law a bit. http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/when-the-dealer-refuses-to-fix-your-new-car-1716196888

You're right. They shouldn't, but they do. I wouldn't waste your time at the dealer as they'll likely tell you it's normal. You can turn off AFM with a Range device, or with a tuner. Trust me, it's much better without it, and mileage likely won't suffer. Mine actually improved 1mpg with it turned off. Based on others' experience, at worst you'll lose 1 mpg. Good luck...

Have you looked to see if the truck is still in V4 mode when you get the shudder? My 2014 would lug, shudder, downshift/clunk, and then kick back into V8 mode. It was absolutely horrible prior to the 15604 transfer case recall / driveability update.

Here's a great article for owners that are having a hard time getting their dealer to attempt their 3rd or 4th repair to be able to use their state's Lemon Law. Note that Steve Lehto mentions that the statute states how many times that the vehicle "has been subject to repair," rather than the actual number of repair attempts. This distinction certainly would appear to help those owners in which GM refuses to even try to make any repairs. http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/when-the-dealer-refuses-to-fix-your-new-car-1716196888

Thanks for the information. Is the new TCM update part of the 4x4 engagement update? I've seen a few others comment about how their truck shifts much better after the 4x4 update was performed. The only other update I'm aware of is the 8 speed update for torque converter shudder.

I've driven my 2014 5.3 4x4 CC now for about 19,400 miles. Here's my review: The Good: 1. The cab is quieter than any other GM truck that I've owned. 2. The fuel mileage is better than any other GM truck that I've owned. 3. The interior looks nice. The Bad: 1. The transmission tuning is absolutely horrible, and ruins the driving experience. There's hesitation, flair shifting, clunking and hesitation when downshifting, and what I'd call an inconsistent lurching forward under light throttle 1-2 shifts. The torque converter also kicks in and out at inopportune times. I've also noticed that when going down fairly steep hills with the cruise control on, the transmission will hold for a bit, and then kick into neutral. This allows your speed to increase considerably instead of relying on the engine RPM to maintain a somewhat consistent speed. The transmission doesn't learn anything but shift pressures, and my truck never learned anything at all. If you like a consistent and smooth driving experience, then these trucks are not for you. 2. This is my first truck with the Active Fuel Management system. I noticed it immediately, and was disgusted at how poorly it functioned. It was most noticeable when approaching a slight incline. The truck would lug in V4 mode to a point at which it would hesitate and almost go into a transbrake mode, and then clunk, and then downshift. If it were a seamless transition, then I wouldn't mind it, but seamless it was not. 3. The infotainment system is clunky, and way more difficult to use than is should be. I'm sure you'll find this with all brands. The touch screen is sometimes delayed, and doesn't respond well. I've also found that the steering wheel controls only work about 75% of the time. The other 25% of the time you'll need to keep pressing them. It reminds me of playing with an old laptop with a slow processor. I've also had issues with Bluetooth, and my phone not connecting as it should. I've actually quit using the steering wheel controls for audio, and I rarely use the Bluetooth feature anymore. 4. The FM radio reception is much weaker than previous GM models. Not a huge deal, but you notice it if you like to listen to those stations that are a ways away from you. There is supposed to be a fix in the works, but I would have preferred that GM test and refine the product before actually sending the trucks to dealerships. 5. My truck has the dash snap or crackle noise near the infotainment center that about everyone has. It's not as bad now as it was when new, but it's still there. My truck also developed a very annoying rattle that sounded like it was coming from the lower part of the steering column. It ended up being the bracket that holds the OBDII port. The bracket is flimsy, and had to be fixed. 6. I came from a 2011 6.2, and although the 5.3 is capable, it's still nothing like the old 6.2. If the transmission tuning were better, then maybe I'd like it a bit more. The power has improved from previous 5.3 engines, but it's not what I'm used to. I didn't want to spend the money on an LTZ package to get the 6.2, so I settled. I won't do that again. 7. The backup camera resolution is poor, and was one of the first things I noticed. If you've never had a backup camera, then it's probably fine. My 2011 had the camera in the rear view mirror. It was much better. I've purchased new GM trucks in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007.5 (2500 Diesel), 2011 (6.2 gas), and now 2014. My 2000 and 2003 were in the shop a couple of times, but I don't believe the other trucks ever saw the dealership. I actually loved every one of those trucks for various reasons. The 2007.5 2500 diesel, and the 2011 6.2 gasser were my favorites, most likely because I'm the kind of guy that loves power, and the visceral driving experience. These new trucks have horrible transmission tuning, whether it be the 6 speed or the 8 speed. All I want is to not notice my transmission. I want my new truck to shift like my 2007.5 Allison, or my 2011 6 speed. If GM can get their act together, then I'd consider another new truck. If not, then I'll be looking for a low mileage 2013 or older Duramax or 6.2 gasser. The driving experience is too important to me to be constantly frustrated while driving one of these new rigs. Would I buy again knowing what I know now? Absolutely not.