Shake or Vibration Issues

20L8TSierra24 · December 5, 2014

Well folks, my ordeal came to an end today. My 14 Sierra 1500 SLT with 1750 miles on it does not shake any more while going down the road. My story:

By the time the truck had about 1000 miles on it, I realized that that the driveline vibration was (1)unacceptable and (2) not going to go away by itself. Took it to the dealer. The tech said that two of the wheels were out of balance. One by 3/4 oz and one by 1.5 oz's. Knowing this to be BS, I went ahead and took the truck. Of course nothing about the ride was different. Brought it back a couple of days later and told the service writer that "this is repair attempt number two - please troubleshoot and repair my problem." Service writer explained that at this point GM has a LOT of driveline vibration issues with this series of trucks and they do not yet have a solution.

He put me in a loaner, a 2015 Yukon XL. I told him "take your time". A week later, he told me to come and get the truck. When I got there, he told me that they had been able to improve the road force variation on the two rear tires by two pounds. BS again. It doesn't take a week to match mount two tires. Not good. I arrived, ready for a spirited discussion and seeing a buyback in my future. At that time, service writer told me that GM tech had just called and asked them to use the electronic vibration analyzer to troubleshoot the problem. I jumped in that sweet loaner and left. Two days later, service writer asked me to return the loaner and drive my truck while waiting for a rear axle assembly to come in. Too much or too little pinion to ring gear backlash will cause problems, but not vibration. I was told that there is a VARIATION in backlash during a ring gear revolution. Wow! That makes sense. The backlash should be equal (or very nearly so) between the pinion and ALL of the ring gear teeth.

Two days ago, I dropped it off to have the rear axle assy replaced. It came in COMPLETE, including rotors and calipers - ready to bolt up. Got my truck back this morning. It now rides like a new truck! During the last visit, all 4 wheels were scratched due to improper tooling being used on the wheel balance machine. I now have four NEW wheels. No pushback whatsoever about the wheels.

Some lesson learned:

The dealers (ALL of them - all brands) do not have the competent techs that they wish they had.

Based on an experience that I had with a 14 Silverado (same size wheel/tires), I was certain that the tires were the issue. Had the dealer done as I insisted in the beginning, the tires would not have helped and they would have been out a lot of money.

As frustrating as the first two visits were, I believe that my remaining calm and respectful contributed to these folks continuing in earnest to try to resolve the problem.

I'm not happy that they (twice) tried to give me a "let's hope he'll go away and not come back" non solution. I respectfully let this be known. See 1. above. I feel like we now have a good relationship.

I'm grateful to these folks for properly repairing my truck. I really like my truck now.

I must have gotten a second bad diff put in my first Chevy... I now have a new vibration free truck instead. Glad to hear that we are starting to see something in common after a whole year. Thanks for the update

scooter484 · December 5, 2014

hmm.. it looks as though we are all having the same issues, I have a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab LTZ LT1 2WD 5.3 L with 18" wheels and it has vibrated since I bought it. and when it is wet outside it will spin the tires just cracking the throttle.. they say it is normal but the 20" texas edition does not do it so I suspect the 18" wheels are too small for the drivetrain.

They have replaced the driveshaft, and rear pinion.

I have driven the trucks with the 20's and they seem to ride much smoother, mine rides okay up to about 80mph and then starts to shake pretty good, at 85 it is really noticable and at 90 will just about knock you out of your seat.. mind you I drive an 85mph toll-road here in Austin, TX.

I think Chevrolet owes me a set of wheels and tires since I bought a $46,000.00 truck with these issues.

20L8TSierra24 · December 5, 2014

hmm.. it looks as though we are all having the same issues, I have a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab LTZ LT1 2WD 5.3 L with 18" wheels and it has vibrated since I bought it. and when it is wet outside it will spin the tires just cracking the throttle.. they say it is normal but the 20" texas edition does not do it so I suspect the 18" wheels are too small for the drivetrain.

They have replaced the driveshaft, and rear pinion.

I have driven the trucks with the 20's and they seem to ride much smoother, mine rides okay up to about 80mph and then starts to shake pretty good, at 85 it is really noticable and at 90 will just about knock you out of your seat.. mind you I drive an 85mph toll-road here in Austin, TX.

I think Chevrolet owes me a set of wheels and tires since I bought a $46,000.00 truck with these issues.

My 18's are smooth

FL335i · December 7, 2014

Update. my '14 now has 11k on it. No vibrations. runs smooth. This issue had me scared to death about buying a new '14 truck. I lucked out I guess. I'm super happy with it. only issues I have with my truck are the typical GM driveline clunk from the driveshaft/diff which I can live with as long as nothing breaks. And I think the gas pedal is too far inward in relation to the brake pedal. Other than that I'm happy. I think you guys need to start witnessing the road force balancing. I for one, will not pay for road force balance unless I witness it. Most techs/shops SUCK at using the 9700. Hell, yesterday I went in for my free oil change and tire rotation. I labeled the tires with a paint marketer where they should go. told the service writer and he even wrote on ticket. Guess what. Truck came back in the breeze way with a front to rear, rear to front rotation. Made them swap the rears out. All I asked for was a per the manual rotation and they couldn't even do it with me labeling the tires for them. So I have very low expectations out of most techs. If they can't even do a tire rotation per the owner's manual (X to the drive wheels, drive wheels just move forward) what makes you guys think they can properly diagnose driveline angle and things like rear-end work. This is where it's the difference between the BMW dealerships, Benz dealers etc vs the GM/Ford/Chrapler stealerships is evident. The tech difference is huge. I've never once had bad work done on my BMW's. I still watch them and all, but I never had a screw up situation. Good luck guys.

Edited December 7, 2014 by FL335i

kazaman · December 7, 2014

Yes the axles still spin when in 4WD or 2WD, but the point the dealership is making is that the angle of the drive shaft from the transfer case to the front differential is not perfect, which is causing the vibration when I go itnto the 4WD modes.

What I don't understand is why I get the vibration in "Auto" Can anyone explain the difference between 2H and Auto or 4H and Auto? My assumption is that the front hubs are locked and the axle is engaged, but I could be completely wrong.

Well that is my point, shifting into 4WD Auto does not change the angle...

DRS 95 Silverado · December 7, 2014

Yes the axles still spin when in 4WD or 2WD, but the point the dealership is making is that the angle of the drive shaft from the transfer case to the front differential is not perfect, which is causing the vibration when I go itnto the 4WD modes.

What I don't understand is why I get the vibration in "Auto" Can anyone explain the difference between 2H and Auto or 4H and Auto? My assumption is that the front hubs are locked and the axle is engaged, but I could be completely wrong.

I don't think your driveshaft is turning when in 2WD. In Auto or 4WD it does. That would make the difference.

Edited December 7, 2014 by DRS 95 Silverado

Pinnacle · December 7, 2014

Update. my '14 now has 11k on it. No vibrations. runs smooth. This issue had me scared to death about buying a new '14 truck. I lucked out I guess. I'm super happy with it. only issues I have with my truck are the typical GM driveline clunk from the driveshaft/diff which I can live with as long as nothing breaks. And I think the gas pedal is too far inward in relation to the brake pedal. Other than that I'm happy. I think you guys need to start witnessing the road force balancing. I for one, will not pay for road force balance unless I witness it. Most techs/shops SUCK at using the 9700. Hell, yesterday I went in for my free oil change and tire rotation. I labeled the tires with a paint marketer where they should go. told the service writer and he even wrote on ticket. Guess what. Truck came back in the breeze way with a front to rear, rear to front rotation. Made them swap the rears out. All I asked for was a per the manual rotation and they couldn't even do it with me labeling the tires for them. So I have very low expectations out of most techs. If they can't even do a tire rotation per the owner's manual (X to the drive wheels, drive wheels just move forward) what makes you guys think they can properly diagnose driveline angle and things like rear-end work. This is where it's the difference between the BMW dealerships, Benz dealers etc vs the GM/Ford/Chrapler stealerships is evident. The tech difference is huge. I've never once had bad work done on my BMW's. I still watch them and all, but I never had a screw up situation. Good luck guys.

That clunk is still around hard to believe they haven't fixed that

tbarn · December 8, 2014

Update. my '14 now has 11k on it. No vibrations. runs smooth. This issue had me scared to death about buying a new '14 truck. I lucked out I guess. I'm super happy with it. only issues I have with my truck are the typical GM driveline clunk from the driveshaft/diff which I can live with as long as nothing breaks. And I think the gas pedal is too far inward in relation to the brake pedal. Other than that I'm happy. I think you guys need to start witnessing the road force balancing. I for one, will not pay for road force balance unless I witness it. Most techs/shops SUCK at using the 9700. Hell, yesterday I went in for my free oil change and tire rotation. I labeled the tires with a paint marketer where they should go. told the service writer and he even wrote on ticket. Guess what. Truck came back in the breeze way with a front to rear, rear to front rotation. Made them swap the rears out. All I asked for was a per the manual rotation and they couldn't even do it with me labeling the tires for them. So I have very low expectations out of most techs. If they can't even do a tire rotation per the owner's manual (X to the drive wheels, drive wheels just move forward) what makes you guys think they can properly diagnose driveline angle and things like rear-end work. This is where it's the difference between the BMW dealerships, Benz dealers etc vs the GM/Ford/Chrapler stealerships is evident. The tech difference is huge. I've never once had bad work done on my BMW's. I still watch them and all, but I never had a screw up situation. Good luck

Oil changers/rotaters are not techs.

Edited December 8, 2014 by tbarn

Silverado-Hareek · December 8, 2014

It's definitely these cheap, horrible good year tires causing my vibrations. My wife was out of town this weekend so I drove her car and the truck basically sat from Friday at 5:30 PM until this morning (Monday) at 7:45 and this thing vibrated like hell for about half of my ride to work and then began to smooth out. It doesn't seem to be related to temperature as much as I thought. I have a feeling there's a problem with one or more of the tires and depending on which part of the tire(s) is making contact with the asphalt when it is parked, that amplifies or diminishes the problem. I can't wait to change out this junk. Before some people respond, I'm not saying this is the answer to everyone's vibration problem. I'm saying this is what I think is wrong with MY truck and possibly some other trucks in this thread. Obviously it's been the rear ring & pinion for some people as they've posted here. For others they still don't know. But hopefully this helps some people in diagnosing there's.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Silverado-Hareek

scooter484 · December 8, 2014

I agree with the tire suggestion, I have never been a fan of Goodyear tires and think they are crap from my experiences using them but the dealership will not change them out and keep putting me off on changing the tires..

I have had my truck in the shop 7 times dealing with the issue, they have changed the Driveshaft and Pinion so I am going to wait until I get it back this time to talk to GM about filing a LEMON complaint about the truck.

jimbo51685 · December 8, 2014

I am back . I posted some videos and links on youtube involving my truck and its shaking and vibrating a couple months back . I had some luck with limiting my shaking on the highway. did a lot of tire balancing and re balancing at a couple different tire shops!! had the driveshaft replaced too . I just got tired of trying to get it completely fixed. I just drive slower and turn the music up louder. so anyways I have been noticing my truck seems to be vibrating worse when idling

so when I took it in for an oil change I asked if they could perform the 3mm shim to see if that helps . I even pulled up a link that I found that shows the instructions on how to perform the procedure but they just don't do anything about it. I neeed the dang TSB code everybody is talking about . I wish that truck would just catch on fire sometimes . any help please and thanks!!

rotaxracing · December 8, 2014

It's definitely these cheap, horrible good year tires causing my vibrations. My wife was out of town this weekend so I drove her car and the truck basically sat from Friday at 5:30 PM until this morning (Monday) at 7:45 and this thing vibrated like hell for about half of my ride to work and then began to smooth out. It doesn't seem to be related to temperature as much as I thought. I have a feeling there's a problem with one or more of the tires and depending on which part of the tire(s) is making contact with the asphalt when it is parked, that amplifies or diminishes the problem. I can't wait to change out this junk. Before some people respond, I'm not saying this is the answer to everyone's vibration problem. I'm saying this is what I think is wrong with MY truck and possibly some other trucks in this thread. Obviously it's been the rear ring & pinion for some people as they've posted here. For others they still don't know. But hopefully this helps some people in diagnosing there's.

mine does the same as yours. if it is parked for a while the vibration is really bad for the first 20 min or so and then diminishes to a very slight vibration. I have had 2 balances and a driveshaft so far. going back this week. I wonder if it is the tires

gassa-garage · December 8, 2014

Well after reading and watching since I bought my 2014 GMC Sierra Z71 standard cab short box in August and going thru all the same items I read here , I went to arbitration today . My truck is one that has a real real bad skake at 72 MPH , almost bad enough to take you off the road and I am a hot rodder for 40 plus years in case you think I am not a car guy thru and thru .

The letter fom the BBB said the case would be heard by a independent arbitrator , myself and a rep from GM on the phone . I get there and there is a territory Manager from GM service live and in person, they get the service mgr and the tech from the dealership on the phone along with the customer service rep for GM on the phone . That is 4 against one in my book , so just an FYI if you go to BBB arbitration and can afford a lawyer you best get one lol . I stated my position and the facts and didn't turn it into emotion statements , just the facts . The dealer on the other hand tried to pull some fast ones and made inacurate statements to discredit me when they could . I did my best to point this out but we'll see . Guess Mary Barra trains her employees well . Corruption starts at the top so to speak . They will be getting back to me they said but obviously GM doesn't want to take the truck back sending in the troops against one guy sheesh

I will write back when I get word of the decission , just wanted to let you know what you will be up against .

keakar · December 8, 2014

Well after reading and watching since I bought my 2014 GMC Sierra Z71 standard cab short box in August and going thru all the same items I read here , I went to arbitration today . My truck is one that has a real real bad skake at 72 MPH , almost bad enough to take you off the road and I am a hot rodder for 40 plus years in case you think I am not a car guy thru and thru .

The letter fom the BBB said the case would be heard by a independent arbitrator , myself and a rep from GM on the phone . I get there and there is a territory Manager from GM service live and in person, they get the service mgr and the tech from the dealership on the phone along with the customer service rep for GM on the phone . That is 4 against one in my book , so just an FYI if you go to BBB arbitration and can afford a lawyer you best get one lol . I stated my position and the facts and didn't turn it into emotion statements , just the facts . The dealer on the other hand tried to pull some fast ones and made inacurate statements to discredit me when they could . I did my best to point this out but we'll see . Guess Mary Barra trains her employees well . Corruption starts at the top so to speak . They will be getting back to me they said but obviously GM doesn't want to take the truck back sending in the troops against one guy sheesh

I will write back when I get word of the decission , just wanted to let you know what you will be up against .

that's the standard operating procedure of how they do it and if you had a lawyer at the arbitration then they would have shut it down right there and said it cant be arbitrated with lawyers.

my lawyer explained all this to me and said when it comes time for arbitration just call and cancel and then your lawyer can file in civil court for you.

the reason its best NOT to go to arbitration is they use anything you say against you in civil court where you end up anyway so they get a "practice" run so to speak as to what claims you make and anything you have to back them up. granted there isn't a lot they don't already know but if your statements differ in any way from the arbitration statements then they claim to the judge it proves you are changing your story and not dealing in good faith or being honest thereby exaggerating and lying about your claims. also if they get caught lying about anything or making false claims then they can make notes to readjust their words or try different excuses in the civil trial to avoid making the same mistakes twice, so if they screw up it doesn't matter at all but if you make any mistake or misspeak in any way it is held against you at the civil trail. this is a lose lose for you and a win win situation for them to get a practice run at you.

the reason it can be a good idea to set up arbitration is, they will almost always make an offer right before the hearing date (usually a week to 10 days) to give you a full value trade in on buying another vehicle, although I know of a few people who never got this offer until they were sitting in the arbitration room waiting for the hearing to start.

so if a full value trade in on another vehicle is an attractive option for you, then its worth setting up arbitration, otherwise as soon as the GM rep tells you some bullshit like its flat spot tires so the case is closed as far as they are concerned, then you hire a layer right then.

Edited December 9, 2014 by keakar