On my birthday in 2020, I purchased my dream truck, a brand new 2020 GMC Sierra crew cab regular bed with x31 off road package.
My family and I have enjoyed owning many GM products over the years. My father owns two Chevrolet SIlverado 2500HD Duramax diesel's, both of which were purchased brand new in 2005 and 2007. My brother purchased a new Chevrolet Tahoe in 2005 and put over 250 thousand miles on it. As for myself, I have owned a Tahoe Z71, two Chevrolet Suburbans and a white 2003 GMC Sierra 2500HD with a Duramax diesel. That GMC had 275 thousand miles on it and was recently sold in order to make room for my dream truck. That truck is a 2020 GMC Sierra in the same color, white. I chose this vehicle over Ford, Toyota, Nissan and Ram, as my faith in the GM product was huge. I have trusted my GM trucks to enjoy our family road trips, camping weekends and the hauling of my boat and travel trailers. Thousands of miles of reliably and safely transporting my family encouraged me to continue the relationship with GM. That is why I purchased the 2020 Sierra.
Eight days after the purchase of the 2020 Sierra, I loaded up my family for our annual camping trip. It was an exciting day for my family and I as it was the first experience we had to bond with the new truck. We had begun the five hour drive to our destination and not five minutes in to the trip, the check engine light began flashing for aproximately 20 seconds. I contacted OnStar to gather diagnostic information, but nothing was available. I considered it a one off situation and continued driving. When we were three and a half hours from home, the check engine light came on and stayed on. I contacted OnStar and they retrieved a trouble code P0300, random misfire. I then called the nearby GMC dealer in Redding, CA to schedule the drop off of my truck. My father and brother were caravaning behind me in their trucks and they noticed my Sierra smoking heavily on deceleration. It was determined that the issue was concerning enough for me to take a rental for the week long trip and leave my new truck with the dealership. Mind you I had my boat in tow, truck bed filled with firewood and camping gear, etc. We spent two hours transfering all of our supplies in 110 degree heat from the new truck to the rental. The Sierra had 573 miles on it at that time.
While on vacation, I got a call from the dealership stating the engine was burning engine oil and it had to be replaced. At this point, I contacted GM to start the buy back process. I do not want a vehicle with 573 miles on it that has had the engine replaced, for many reasons. I can explain why this is a problem for me... I am a journey level Master Diagnostic Technician with Toyota and I can say for sure that the truck will never be the same after the engine has been replaced. When an engine burns enough oil to leave soot on the exhaust tip and bumper, many other things are happening. The catalytic converters, Air/Fuel sensors and oxygen sensors are being covered with oil as well. These components' lifespans are affected by this. When a truck is assembled on an assembly line, things are done with precision. Every fastener is torqued to specification, fluids are bled and topped properly, every item has quality control oversight. I purchased a NEW truck with this in mind. I sold my old GMC Sierra and spent nearly $50,000 of my hard earned money with this in mind!
As a Toyota Technician, I was considering a new Tundra. But I went with my gut and kept my faith in the GMC brand. I stayed in the family. I believed in the product. But when I recieved a call from the GM customer care associate, things changed. I was informed that my situation does not qualify for buy back and that I should contact the Better Business Bereau to file a complaint. Is that really how I will be treated for my years of loyalty? I was absolutely going to buy a different GMC truck, probably a more expensive 3.0 Duramax. I didn't want to go through the process of arbritration, attorneys etc but they say “The truck is fixed and you’re good to go”... lol.
The dealer replaced the engine in my truck with 575 miles on it, made me drive 3 hrs each way to get it and they messed up a few parts when replacing it.
Now the truck has 1850 miles on it and the mil is back on with the p25a2 brake issue.
When easing into the throttle at low Engine speeds, there’s a vibration at 1200rpm. Dunno why.
Did I get a lemon or are these truck really ******???