Shake or Vibration Issues

Big_D · February 4, 2015

No need to apologize. Great post.

I have the 70+ slight vibration that somtimes gets worse. It bugs me most feeling it in my foot so sometimes I just set the cruise. Its my work around for the moment. Kind of been waiting til summer and to see what others end up with a fix before having my dealership dig into it.

I really want to add the RC 2.5" lift/leveling kit to mine but am very hesitant with the vibration and what that might mean for warranty work trying to figure it out.

i added a 1.5" level in front even with the vibe problems. after this was installed, i got an alignment, and it's been smooth ever since . may have been a driveline angle problem, i dont know.

pm26 · February 4, 2015

Its not really a safety issue in most cases, so its a matter of good will. Lets face it if the truck was perfect some people would still complain its the nature of the beast, Im in business in know. I have a hard time finding a road that's smooth enough to tell if my truck has a vibration, I have and it doesn't. The fact that they are certified pre-owned shows they are still backing them, something they don't have to do. It an advantage that they stay in business for lots of people, if they did have a run of bad luck they will get pass it. I owed one of those 5.7 diesel olds and I forgave them, these problems pale in comparison. If they failed over that then I wouldn't have the pleasure of owning my 94 Impala ss, 94 z/28, 06 trailblazer ss, 02 Camaro , to name of few.

A $50,000 Rolex watch that gains 1 hour/day and stops every 4 hours is not a safety issue either. Would buying back such a watch by the manufacturer, if it cannot be fixed under warranty, be an act of good will? Or would the unlucky customer consider it to be an obvious and the only acceptable solution (a new watch being the only alternative)?

Would the manufacturer be expected to sell such a watch as a "certified pre-owned" watch to an unsuspecting customer without fixing it?

Edited February 4, 2015 by pm26

LSK · February 4, 2015

Folks, my saga began in Sept of '14. I loved my new Silverado 1500 WT until I hit the interstate. Vibration at 65 mph. My dealer balanced and then changed tires and rims, no difference. In December my truck was sent to a second dealer who rebalanced the tires and said they were way off, they checked the rear end and axels and finally replaced the drive shaft because it was out of round on the inside.

When I drove it i didn't know if the 65 mph shake was gone because from 15 mph up it felt like "Magic Fingers". Both dealers and the GM rep pronounced it good and I screamed lawsuit.

I finally noticed the red dots on the Bridgestones were all over the place. After a heated discussion with the GM rep about them refusing to correct obvious improper installation I convinced them to remount the tires with the red dot at the valve stem as Bridgestone requires. This was done Jan. 28, 2015.

I am now the owner of a fine-functioning new truck.

It took 2200 miles and 45 days in the shop and I had to lead them by the nose but it worked. I'm just sad that I didn't get to enjoy that new truck smell.

20L8TSierra24 · February 4, 2015

i added a 1.5" level in front even with the vibe problems. after this was installed, i got an alignment, and it's been smooth ever since . may have been a driveline angle problem, i dont know.

Good post thanks for sharing

20L8TSierra24 · February 4, 2015

Folks, my saga began in Sept of '14. I loved my new Silverado 1500 WT until I hit the interstate. Vibration at 65 mph. My dealer balanced and then changed tires and rims, no difference. In December my truck was sent to a second dealer who rebalanced the tires and said they were way off, they checked the rear end and axels and finally replaced the drive shaft because it was out of round on the inside.

When I drove it i didn't know if the 65 mph shake was gone because from 15 mph up it felt like "Magic Fingers". Both dealers and the GM rep pronounced it good and I screamed lawsuit.

I finally noticed the red dots on the Bridgestones were all over the place. After a heated discussion with the GM rep about them refusing to correct obvious improper installation I convinced them to remount the tires with the red dot at the valve stem as Bridgestone requires. This was done Jan. 28, 2015.

I am now the owner of a fine-functioning new truck.

It took 2200 miles and 45 days in the shop and I had to lead them by the nose but it worked. I'm just sad that I didn't get to enjoy that new truck smell.

glad to hear we have another happy silvy owner!

pm26 · February 5, 2015

Folks, my saga began in Sept of '14. I loved my new Silverado 1500 WT until I hit the interstate. Vibration at 65 mph. My dealer balanced and then changed tires and rims, no difference. In December my truck was sent to a second dealer who rebalanced the tires and said they were way off, they checked the rear end and axels and finally replaced the drive shaft because it was out of round on the inside.

When I drove it i didn't know if the 65 mph shake was gone because from 15 mph up it felt like "Magic Fingers". Both dealers and the GM rep pronounced it good and I screamed lawsuit.

I finally noticed the red dots on the Bridgestones were all over the place. After a heated discussion with the GM rep about them refusing to correct obvious improper installation I convinced them to remount the tires with the red dot at the valve stem as Bridgestone requires. This was done Jan. 28, 2015.

I am now the owner of a fine-functioning new truck.

It took 2200 miles and 45 days in the shop and I had to lead them by the nose but it worked. I'm just sad that I didn't get to enjoy that new truck smell.

Whether or not the red dots were lined up with the valve stems should not really make any difference if the wheels were balanced properly by a competent outfit. What you unfortunately are describing is what I have been suspecting all along - that many outfits are not capable of properly balancing wheels no matter what the equipment. I think if they used the old day bubble static balancers, the results would be a lot better.

Edited February 5, 2015 by pm26

MJFlores · February 5, 2015

Folks, my saga began in Sept of '14. I loved my new Silverado 1500 WT until I hit the interstate. Vibration at 65 mph. My dealer balanced and then changed tires and rims, no difference. In December my truck was sent to a second dealer who rebalanced the tires and said they were way off, they checked the rear end and axels and finally replaced the drive shaft because it was out of round on the inside.

When I drove it i didn't know if the 65 mph shake was gone because from 15 mph up it felt like "Magic Fingers". Both dealers and the GM rep pronounced it good and I screamed lawsuit.

I finally noticed the red dots on the Bridgestones were all over the place. After a heated discussion with the GM rep about them refusing to correct obvious improper installation I convinced them to remount the tires with the red dot at the valve stem as Bridgestone requires. This was done Jan. 28, 2015.

I am now the owner of a fine-functioning new truck.

It took 2200 miles and 45 days in the shop and I had to lead them by the nose but it worked. I'm just sad that I didn't get to enjoy that new truck smell.

Glad yours was an easy fix. They tried that with mine but it didn't help a bit. The first 4 or so visits they were totally focused on tires...balancing, remounting, rebalancing, doing the voodoo tire dance. Nothing made it right. They did so much to those damn tires I figured if they did solve the vibes mine had I would have been afraid to rotate and or balance the darn things. That lemon is gone...my new F150 rides like a beauty and I routinely catch myself doing 75 to 80 on the highway by mistake. With that silverado I avoided 65 and up like the plaque. Not the way to live when driving a new truck.

smhss · February 5, 2015

I was offered a really good deal on a 2014 High Country with the 6.2, but it had the vibration abouve about 67 mph on the Interstate when I test drove it (twice). I turned it down and instead ordered a 2015 LTZ, but I'm nervous about that decision after reading that this problem is STILL happening with 2015's. Damn.

pm26 · February 5, 2015

I was offered a really good deal on a 2014 High Country with the 6.2, but it had the vibration abouve about 67 mph on the Interstate when I test drove it (twice). I turned it down and instead ordered a 2015 LTZ, but I'm nervous about that decision after reading that this problem is STILL happening with 2015's. Damn.

GM "solved" the vibration problem by changing the model year from 2014 to 2015. I suspect that they still have a stock of known defective parts which they will continue installing on the new trucks until they use them up. How long that will be is anyone's guess. Nothing different from what GM did in the past. They repeatedly kept installing known defective parts on new vehicles long after the defect was discovered (e.g. intermediate steering shaft on GMT800 trucks). Fortunately these parts were cheap to replace and the fix was easy. This is no longer the case with vibrating 2014 and 2015 trucks because the problem cannot be traced to one defective part or assembly.

Edited February 5, 2015 by pm26

BluByU14 · February 5, 2015

It is amazing to me that Silver Spaceship first posted about this issue in August of 2013, yet GM still has not fixed the issue – and actually carried it into a second model year! It's also unfortunate that I just traded by smooth riding 2011 SLT in for a $48k 2015 SLT vibrator. It has the same issue as many others in this thread, and I have already wasted a bit of time at the dealership trying to figure out the problem. I wish I had read this thread prior to my trade instead of stumbling on it while I was looking for a solution. I had them bring my truck in from another dealership’s stock so never drove it before taking delivery and I had no clue what I was getting into. I have to say that my dealer (in Florence SC) is the absolute best. They are truly trying hard to get it solved. The General Manager even insisted on personally coming to my office (45 minutes away from his dealership) and dropping off his own demo, taking my truck back to the dealership, and then making the swap again as soon as they had mine fixed. He said they would strip parts off any vehicle on the lot and swap them into mine if that’s what it took. To me that is an incredible statement that they are 100% focused on their customer service. For that reason alone I will stick with them to get this thing figured out.

I actually love the truck, except at 73 - 82 MPH. Mine seems to always have a slight vibration in that range but sometimes it manifests itself as an outright shake. Sometimes it settles back down to a light vibration, but there is always at least a light vibration present in that range. They have done the road force thing and even installed one new tire, as well as rotated them into different axle positions. It did not seem to change anything. The service manager explained that they had at least two other vehicles they have been working on with the same complaint. They tried tires, driveshaft and even a replacement rear axle in one of them to no avail. They wanted to keep mine and do some exploratory surgery but I suggested I keep driving it and they call me when they have found a fix on one of the other's in their possession.

For the record, it is a 2015 SLT crew cab, 5.3, short bed, 2WD, 3:42 gears, 20 inch wheels and the Goodyear LS2s. I had the same size LS2s on my 2011 with no issues. After the 2015s first trip to the dealership did not fix it the General Manager and I took out another 2WD SLT from the lot. It was an identically equipped truck and had almost the same vibration at almost the same speeds. Clearly there is a design or equipment issue repeating itself.

After all that history, the real reason I am writing is to see if anyone has experienced this vibration issue with a 2015 crew cab short box, but with the 6.2 liter option? I read the first 163 pages of this thread, as well as the last 12 (got lazy in the middle) and I did not see a single posting about a 6.2. They all seemed to be with the 5.3, 6 speed and a mix of 2 and 4 wheel drive. Of course the 6.2 has a different engine, 8 speed transmission, different driveshaft and a heavier duty axle so the driveline is completely different. I drove a 6.2 off mu dealer’s lot for 4 days (over the same exact path I drive this one to my office every day) and never noticed even a hint of vibration in it. I actually loved every inch of that truck – from the incredible power to the drivability of the 8 speed – but it did not have navigation or cooled seats which were options I really wanted. It had the same wheels and tires as mine, it was 2WD with the same suspension package, but it rode smooth as butter. It would be great to know if anyone in the forum has a 6.2 that vibrates.

I know I am getting long winded now but my last question is about modifying my truck. A very good friend of mine is the GM at American Luxury Coach (they are the ones that build all those awesome lift trucks you see at the Chevy/GMC dealerships across the country) and I was planning to have them install a 3/5 drop with aftermarket 22s and 305-40-22s. When I found this vibration I asked if he had seen any issues before. They process around 400 trucks a month, lifting them 4 or 6 inches and then shipping them to GM dealers all over the country. They are certified by GM and the trucks are covered by the full factory warranty so certainly he would have heard if there were issues with the vehicles he was delivering. He honestly had no idea what I was talking about. They have lifted thousands of 2014s and thousands of 2015s and he was not aware of any issues relating to vibration. You would think the first thing someone would do was look at the up-fitter and blame their suspension modifications. So, that brings me to the theory that maybe their lifting the trucks is actually improving things and eliminating the vibration in the trucks they ship? Maybe that slight change of driveshaft angle is helping? I suppose it could be the removal of the stock wheel and tires (replaced with mud-tread 35s or 37s) but I have read a few posts where rear leveling kits actually improved the vibration.

So, after all that background, should I proceed with installing the 3/5 drop and 22s and see what happens? Since it will be performed by a certified GM up-fitter and I can prove the vibration was there from the get-go no one can’t say the problem is due to the suspension change. I could do it in stages, adding the drop first, drive it for a week and see if it improves, and then add the wheels and tires. That would let me know if one or the other changed things. Or, should I just push to swap the thing out for the 6.2 I drove before I get too much money invested into this one? I already added tint, an electric tailgate lock and some LED bulbs upgrades but I could cut my losses before they get too much bigger. Has anyone else seen an improvement after lowering their truck?

I had a 2014 6.2L 6-speed 3.73 that vibrated really bad and GM bought it back. The only repairs that were attempted on it were tire/wheel/driveshaft replacement. Minor improvement, but still not great. My vibs in that truck were bad from about 68+. I now have a 2015 6.2L 8-Speed 3.23 rear. I have 1000 miles on it and I am experiencing what you are describing....a light/mild vib (no where near as bad as my 2014) from about 73-80 mph. I doesnt do it all the time and most of the time it runs pretty smooth. I mentioned it to my dealer (after going through all the BS with my 2014) and they dont even want to touch it and told me that new tires will solve the issue. I have been thinking about getting a set of Michelin LTX M/S'2 from NTB as they have a 30 day return policy if you don't like the tires. If that doesnt improve it then I will most likely just run the hell out of it until the problem either gets worse or I cant stand it any longer. I recently road in my dad's 2009 Silverado with new Bridgestone Duelers and could feel similar vibs/feedback from his truck. So some of these complaints may just be "in my head" since I am almost always looking for a vibration every time a drive it on the highway. I plan on taking my 2015 on a 2500 mile trip to FL next month. I will see how that trip goes, since 95% of the trip will be at highway speeds.

The 6.2L/8-speed combo is an AWESOME engine/trans set up. Puts a smile on my face every time I get into the throttle. Other than the minor vibs, I have no other complaints about my 2015.

Anon2015 · February 5, 2015

A $50,000 Rolex watch that gains 1 hour/day and stops every 4 hours is not a safety issue either. Would buying back such a watch by the manufacturer, if it cannot be fixed under warranty, be an act of good will? Or would the unlucky customer consider it to be an obvious and the only acceptable solution (a new watch being the only alternative)?

Would the manufacturer be expected to sell such a watch as a "certified pre-owned" watch to an unsuspecting customer without fixing it?

What?! Rolex would replace that watch (not repair it) and it would have nothing to do with "good will". First, they wouldn't argue the point, and adversely impact their brand image. Second, that would mean their internal quality control failed and they'd want the watch back to determine what when wrong and where in the QC process did they fail. On something far less severe they would repair the watch. Pick a better example. The value of the Rolex brand is far, far more important to Rolex than GM is to GM.

yojo · February 5, 2015

I had a 2014 6.2L 6-speed 3.73 that vibrated really bad and GM bought it back. The only repairs that were attempted on it were tire/wheel/driveshaft replacement. Minor improvement, but still not great. My vibs in that truck were bad from about 68+. I now have a 2015 6.2L 8-Speed 3.23 rear. I have 1000 miles on it and I am experiencing what you are describing....a light/mild vib (no where near as bad as my 2014) from about 73-80 mph. I doesnt do it all the time and most of the time it runs pretty smooth. I mentioned it to my dealer (after going through all the BS with my 2014) and they dont even want to touch it and told me that new tires will solve the issue. I have been thinking about getting a set of Michelin LTX M/S'2 from NTB as they have a 30 day return policy if you don't like the tires. If that doesnt improve it then I will most likely just run the hell out of it until the problem either gets worse or I cant stand it any longer. I recently road in my dad's 2009 Silverado with new Bridgestone Duelers and could feel similar vibs/feedback from his truck. So some of these complaints may just be "in my head" since I am almost always looking for a vibration every time a drive it on the highway. I plan on taking my 2015 on a 2500 mile trip to FL next month. I will see how that trip goes, since 95% of the trip will be at highway speeds.

The 6.2L/8-speed combo is an AWESOME engine/trans set up. Puts a smile on my face every time I get into the throttle. Other than the minor vibs, I have no other complaints about my 2015.

Could you or someone else please explain this to me, How can GM tell someone with a 2015 truck with 1000 miles on it to go buy new tires and that will fix it?? I still say the tires are 50 to 60 percent of the problems with these trucks...I know there is AFM problems,drivetrain issues,and also some dealerships that have no "TECHNICIANS" that can properly use balancing machine. I cant believe with all of the buybacks, lemon law cases, and the amount of trucks that the dealers have sitting on the lots, plus the loss of loyal GM customers they are still not at the least...offering assistance with tires

BluByU14 · February 5, 2015

Could you or someone else please explain this to me, How can GM tell someone with a 2015 truck with 1000 miles on it to go buy new tires and that will fix it?? I still say the tires are 50 to 60 percent of the problems with these trucks...I know there is AFM problems,drivetrain issues,and also some dealerships that have no "TECHNICIANS" that can properly use balancing machine. I cant believe with all of the buybacks, lemon law cases, and the amount of trucks that the dealers have sitting on the lots, plus the loss of loyal GM customers they are still not at the least...offering assistance with tires

I wish someone could it explain it my friend, but it appears that there is no end in sight for GM to stop denying that there are issues with these trucks......some are greater than others. I was lucky to get one truck bought back and lucky that my current one is MILES better than my other one, but still not what I would deem perfect. I do have the upper hand in that GM has not completed my buy-back yet and has given me my new truck without me signing anything. They have already shipped my old one away weeks ago to try and repair it. Before I sign the agreement for the new truck I am going to push that they at least take a look at the wheels/tires.....but as I said before, more times than not, the new rig runs pretty smooth.

Edited February 5, 2015 by BluByU14

Silverado-Hareek · February 5, 2015

Could you or someone else please explain this to me, How can GM tell someone with a 2015 truck with 1000 miles on it to go buy new tires and that will fix it?? I still say the tires are 50 to 60 percent of the problems with these trucks...I know there is AFM problems,drivetrain issues,and also some dealerships that have no "TECHNICIANS" that can properly use balancing machine. I cant believe with all of the buybacks, lemon law cases, and the amount of trucks that the dealers have sitting on the lots, plus the loss of loyal GM customers they are still not at the least...offering assistance with tires

I agree I think a lot of the problems people are having in the 65+ mph range are poor tires coupled with stiff suspension that can't absorb them. True that for some it's the rear end assembly and others it's undetermined but I think a lot of it is the bad tires. And if they keep swapping them with the same crappy tires it's not going to affect anything. They need to put some nice Michelins or something on there to see how that affects it before ruling out the tires. I've determined my slight vibration shows up when the outside temperature is in the 45-55 degree F range and the tires sit at that temperature for a bit. If it's really cold out there's no vibration and during the summer heat there's no vibration. I attribute that difference to the summer heat really softening up the tires and the extreme cold shrinking the tire materials and reducing the internal pressure to a point that the imperfection in the tire(s) is somewhat masked or dampened. If you have the violent vibration shown in some videos that's something else though....definitely driveline related. Mine is a slight vibration in the steering wheel.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Silverado-Hareek

keakar · February 5, 2015

I was offered a really good deal on a 2014 High Country with the 6.2, but it had the vibration abouve about 67 mph on the Interstate when I test drove it (twice). I turned it down and instead ordered a 2015 LTZ, but I'm nervous about that decision after reading that this problem is STILL happening with 2015's. Damn.

whatever you do

DO NOT SIGN THE PAPER ACCEPTING THE VEHICLE AFTER INSPECTION

this is that last vehicle inspection paper you sign before they hand you the keys to it and it is very very important because until you sign THAT paper stating you are accepting the vehicle as-is and any further claims to be handled through warranty, you are not yet obligated to that truck.

im not saying you didn't buy "a" truck, im just saying if it vibrates you don't have to accept it until it no longer vibrates or they bring a truck to you that doesn't vibrate.

once you sign that paper its yours and only a lawyer can help you if its a lemon as many are.

I hope you get lucky but damn sure test drive that thing on the interstate and make sure its completely vibration free since many with "mild" vibrations had it get worse over time.

you still can refuse to accept it so be aware of your rights and don't believe them if they lie and say you have no choice. just don't sign that paper and walk out. you don't have to pay for a truck unless it is delivered to you and you accept it.

Edited February 5, 2015 by keakar