Brand New 1500, Issues Already

Stevens03 · October 5, 2011

Good lord, it's not suppose to be this hard.

Pat1usmc · October 5, 2011

Thanks for your update, I hope you can fix it. The issue with my vibration is that it comes and goes. I can't figure it out but I do know it got better with new tires and with the road force balance.

How many miles are on your truck?

racerx520 · October 6, 2011

at first i was going to say you have a bad U-joint probably if its the worst at highway speeds like that. but if it moved to the front then it is likely that its a tire. have they replaced the tires only or the rims too?

wavery · October 6, 2011

If the tires are the issue...... I'll bet you are looking forward to the day that you have to buy new tires and start this all over again.

gabet95 · October 6, 2011

I think I know what the problem is...................you bought a GM truck!.!.!.!

I bought a new 2009 Sierra 1500 Crewcab 2 years ago and have had the exact same problem (along with others) from day one. And it's not the factory rims and tires cause I replaced rim and tires before the truck hit the 6K mile mark. Everytime I've taken it to the Salesmen and/or Service Tech they say "well it's a truck and it's not gonna ride like a passanger car". Then I remind them that this has been my 3rd full size truck (not all GM's) in the last 8 years, so I have a pretty good idea what a full size truck should feel like. Anyhow I'm almost at the end of my 36K miles warranty and have excepted the fact that I'm pretty much stuck with this truck and all it's problems.

One thing am certain of is that in about 2 years when I'm ready for a new truck, it will NOT be a GM. I'm Leaning toward a Ford or Toyota. I know all brands have their problems, but to me it's all about how these brands go about making things right and NOT stringing you along until your warranty runs out.

FLAME ON!.!.!.!

RockySierra · October 6, 2011

Your loss, Gab.

Stevens03 · October 6, 2011

I think I know what the problem is...................you bought a GM truck!.!.!.!
I bought a new 2009 Sierra 1500 Crewcab 2 years ago and have had the exact same problem (along with others) from day one. And it's not the factory rims and tires cause I replaced rim and tires before the truck hit the 6K mile mark. Everytime I've taken it to the Salesmen and/or Service Tech they say "well it's a truck and it's not gonna ride like a passanger car". Then I remind them that this has been my 3rd full size truck (not all GM's) in the last 8 years, so I have a pretty good idea what a full size truck should feel like. Anyhow I'm almost at the end of my 36K miles warranty and have excepted the fact that I'm pretty much stuck with this truck and all it's problems.

One thing am certain of is that in about 2 years when I'm ready for a new truck, it will NOT be a GM. I'm Leaning toward a Ford or Toyota. I know all brands have their problems, but to me it's all about how these brands go about making things right and NOT string you along until your warranty runs out.

FLAME ON!.!.!.!

Now see, I've owned alot of trucks, and have had nothing but good luck with GM trucks. My Last 4 GM trucks were almost flawless imo.

RockySierra · October 6, 2011

If people want to switch brands, they are more than welcome to do so. The only thing I want to point out is that if they go visit the other forums, they'll see that those other auto makers have a lot of issues as well, and many people get treated crappy by those dealers too.

pm26 · October 6, 2011

I guess I am lucky because I still have the original balancing weights on my '06 silverado and no vibration problems at all at 17,500 miles. There are quite a few components on a truck that can cause upleasant vibration. However, the quality of tires has markedly decreased in the last decade, so you have to be careful what you buy anymore. I have a lot more faith in Korean made Kumho tires now, as I have used at least four sets of them on my cars and no issue with any of them. I had horrible luck with Michelin MXV tires: they were absolute junk. At least two of them had a loose belt and caused horrible vibration all the time.

I think that Michelin LTX M?S is a really good truck/SUV tire, but I am not sure if the quality has stayed the same, as my last set was bought about 8 years ago.

Stevens03 · October 6, 2011

If people want to switch brands, they are more than welcome to do so. The only thing I want to point out is that if they go visit the other forums, they'll see that those other auto makers have a lot of issues as well, and many people get treated crappy by those dealers too.

Over the years, Dodge customer service has treated me worse than any other brand for warranty issues. Thats my experience and swore I'd never buy another dodge product again because of it. But never is a long time and my wife currently drives a 2000 dodge intrepid She likes it so why should I argue.

pm26 · October 6, 2011

If you buy a good trouble free vehicle, it does not matter who the manufacturer is. They all will gladly fix a small warranty issue for you. If you have a hard to resolve problem, they seem to be all the same - making excuses, trying to discourage you into giving up the fight. A lot of times, going to another dealer may make all the difference. This has been my experience.

wavery · October 6, 2011

If you buy a good trouble free vehicle, it does not matter who the manufacturer is. They all will gladly fix a small warranty issue for you. If you have a hard to resolve problem, they seem to be all the same - making excuses, trying to discourage you into giving up the fight. A lot of times, going to another dealer may make all the difference. This has been my experience.

I would agree with some of this statement. However, I think that the, "making excuses, trying to discourage you into giving up the fight" part is more about individual personalities at the dealership level and has nothing to do with the manufacturer.

The OP of this thread is handling the issue exactly right. He is being patient and taking the issue through the proper "Chain of command" (so to speak).

Rolling · October 6, 2011

Thanks for your update, I hope you can fix it. The issue with my vibration is that it comes and goes. I can't figure it out but I do know it got better with new tires and with the road force balance.
How many miles are on your truck?

I have around 7700 miles on it right now.

The engineer I spoke to said that a cyclic vibration is directly related to tires. Its really hard to describe typing, but as I drove down the highway it was like a pendulum swing. It would kinda cycle into the shake and cycle out of it, starting smooth and working up to a violent vibration and then work its way back to smooth again. And what made it even worse, it didnt do it all the time.

The engineers response to this was the heat factor in the tire sidewalls and the fact that no two tires roll the exact same distance at all times.

So at highway speeds (the speeds that would be affected by variations in tire sidewall integrity) say for instance that the drivers rear tire was moving at 100rpm and the passenger tire was moving at 97rpm. Could be the difference of a couple PSI, could be one tire riding higher on a rut than the other. And yes I know RPM'S would be significantly higher at highway speeds.....anyways, as the high impact spot on one tire impacts the ground at just a little different time each time both tires come around.

So, at some instances, they would be hitting the ground at a conflicting time ( creating a vibration) and at some times they would be hitting the ground at a complimenting time, i/e cancelling each other at and giving you a smooth roll.....untill they rolled out of phaze again.

His answer to why it would vibrate sometimes and sometimes not at all was related to the heat in the sidewall. Sometimes when the vehicle was parked, i just got so lucky to park the warm tires with the high spot on the ground, which effectively cancelled it untill it got cycled again.

redjewel2ss · October 6, 2011

i bought mine off the lot. it was built 4 months prior to my purchase. never had a single problem like this. the ride is very smooth, almost as smooth as my wife's cadillac. at the rate they build these trucks, something is bound to go out of whack. even so, it is a very small percentage of the trucks produced. if your only getting the vibration at higher speeds, it is most likely the driveshaft out of balance. if something is vibrating, it will continue to do so until the problem is solved, it won't fix itself, you can't just "break it in!" the tires are the smoothest they'll ever be when they are brand new, don't let the service guy tell you otherwise just to get you out the door.

IMO, if your current dealer refuses to mess with it any further, take it to another dealership to see if the outcome is any different. be sure to tell them the full story of what is going on and how the other dealership didn't resolve anything. they might help you further by trying to win your business over their competition!

good luck!

jjsonoma · October 11, 2011

Well after 8 weeks of dialogue with GM there is officially no recourse relative to resolving my vibration issue under warranty...

GM refuses to admit that a problem exists. The official response is: "This is a normal condition for a truck with this wheel and tire combination. There is no problem." If there is no problem, then there is no problem to fix.

Unfortunately just saying there is no problem, doesn't make the truck not shake.

So now I'm stuck with a truck with 3500 miles on it that they refuse to fix... Even more unfortunate is that when I drive the truck I just find myself becoming more and more aggravated. This is not the feeling one should have with a brand new truck.

After purchasing 4 new GM vehicles in 11 years, this will likely be my last. Very unfortunate. I wish I had kept my 2004...

I'm still undecided about the lemon law claim. I had intended on buying winter wheels for it anyhow, I may buy a set of 18s to see if that helps the vibration... When you spend 30k for a vehicle you shouldn't have to consider what to buy for it to make it not shake, that's the point behind buying a new vehicle.

Thanks GM...