Sharky146

UPDATE: I've been experiencing similar buffeting noises in my 2016 Tahoe LT. After reading this forum, I was fairly sure that it was the "oil-canning" of the roof that was causing this issue. Well, yesterday I brought it the dealership where I purchased the vehicle, and took the shop foreman for a ride. To his credit, he did not try to diagnose my problem before experiencing the noise for himself. However, during the ride he convinced me that the roof that is not causing this noise. He admitted that the early 2015s had a problem with the roof bows not being properly secured to the roof skin. However, that specific problem was fixed in later 2015s and the 2016s. The shop foreman convinced me that the my problem relates to the vehicle's exhaust system. He stated that the full size SUVs and the Silverado have a problem with the exhaust that causes a pulsating droning sound in the cabin. The root of the problem has to do with how exhaust air flows through the system. Apparently there is an issue with the baffles in the muffler. The sound is particularly noticeable when the vehicle switches from V8 to V4 mode, which can be observed by selecting the appropriate display on the instrument panel. While the sound is most noticeable while in V4 mode, it can be heard in V8 mode as well. He said that GM is aware of the problem, and is working on a solution. He mentioned that GM has solved the problem for the Silverado truck line, but is still working on the SUV problem. The foreman had recently spoken to the GM field technician, who said that he expected a solution from GM by January 2016. While there is no immediate fix for my problem, I'm happy that there is a solution in the works. Now we just have to see if GM follows through! I hope this helps those with later 2015s and 2016s. I'll report back in January with an update. -Joe (By the way, while I initially thought that my roof was the problem, I had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't. Let me tell you why... If the fluctuating cabin pressure sensation was being caused by the roof pulsating up and down, it should stop once you equalize the pressure by opening a window. However, in my car the sound is present regardless of window position.)

Frank, I read that you bought your vehicle from Quality Chevrolet in Escondido. Do you remember the name of the service manager or technician that you dealt with? I'd like to put my dealer in contact with them. Thanks. -Joe

Ok. I'll do that. It sounds like there is at least one other user that has had success with your procedure. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the info and advice.

I would love to give them a chance to fix it. In fact, I'm sure the dealer will not buy it back before giving it a thorough run through. However, in over 1,400 posts to this thread, I can't find a "silver bullet" that is causing this problem. I've read everything from tires, to driveshafts, to windows, to roof bows. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like the dealerships are shooting in the dark. This is not only an unfortunate problem for owners, but I'm sure it's costing the dealerships a fortune to keep working on a problem that appears to be a fundamental design flaw. Do you have any advice when it comes to my first interaction with the dealership? Thanks.

Hey guys. I've got a brand new 2016 Tahoe LT with the same buffeting sound. I'm so sorry I bought it now. It makes me sick to think of the money I spent on the car. I'll take it back to the dealer this week and hope I can work a buy-back.