Shake or Vibration Issues

1997SierraSLT · May 23, 2015

If bearing, shaft, and bore tolerances are not correct, the bearing would fail rather quickly. Plus, it would generate one hell of a howling/grinding noise. I can't imagine this would be the culprit to vibration issues but after reading through 314 pages, anything is possible.

I can only imagine GM is using dirt cheap Chinese bearings rather than more costly bearings such as NSK, SKF, Timkin, or Fafnir.

mjj · May 24, 2015

I know at least one person on here asked about if the trucks still vibrate when loaded down. Today I had a few errands to run including getting a load of patio pavers. So I got those first. Loaded a pallet with close to 1400lbs of pavers in the bed then went on my way. Three different times on different highways going 65-70mph at least 10-15 miles each time. I can say without a doubt that my highway speed vibration and petal vibration was still there. The vibration I feel in the seat was maybe slightly dampened at times, would come and going differently than unloaded but I could still feel it. Petal vibration was as strong as always. Past few weeks I think my vibration has gotten more intense and frequent. Maybe I'll fall into the category of those getting the rear end fixed who knows. Truck goes in this Friday.

pm26 · May 24, 2015

If bearing, shaft, and bore tolerances are not correct, the bearing would fail rather quickly. Plus, it would generate one hell of a howling/grinding noise. I can't imagine this would be the culprit to vibration issues but after reading through 314 pages, anything is possible.

I can only imagine GM is using dirt cheap Chinese bearings rather than more costly bearings such as NSK, SKF, Timkin, or Fafnir.

The irony is that even Timken makes many of their bearings in China now. It all comes down to sufficient quality spec and decent quality control. Both of which are a big question mark when it comes to Chinese made stuff. It seems to work rather well with more expensive electronic devices, not so well with most other things.

The front hub bearings on my 2009 Impala failed at 70k miles. I never had front wheel bearings go out this fast on any car I have ever owned over the past 35 years.

Edited May 24, 2015 by pm26

albe1234 · May 24, 2015

The irony is that even Timken makes many of their bearings in China now. It all comes down to sufficient quality spec and decent quality control. Both of which are a big question mark when it comes to Chinese made stuff. It seems to work rather well with more expensive electronic devices, not so well with most other things.

The front hub bearings on my 2009 Impala failed at 70k miles. I never had front wheel bearings go out this fast on any car I have ever owned over the past 35 years.

2003 Buick Le Sabre.....replaced left front bearing at about 50 k miles with one from NAPA.....replaced that bearing at about 80K miles.

????? Al

Chadwilliam1 · May 25, 2015

Judging by this thread they have never found a solution to the problem. Also does this affect the 2015s as well? Also about what percentage of vehicles does this affect. I am considering a 2015 sierra but this is a big turn off.

Thanks

Aaron1085 · May 26, 2015

Bringing mine in for 3rd time to a different dealer here. BBB is involved and awaiting the results....

Sent from my iPhone

bigsam94 · May 26, 2015

Judging by this thread they have never found a solution to the problem. Also does this affect the 2015s as well? Also about what percentage of vehicles does this affect. I am considering a 2015 sierra but this is a big turn off.

Thanks

I have a vibration issue on my truck and its a 2015 sierra. I bought it on may 12th, so build date is fairly recent. It has only happened once but then again I only have a thousand miles on the truck. I think this will end up being a recall issue but, other than discomfort/annoyance, i dont think it has any real effect on how the truck performs. My vibration is very minor and i doubt i would have noticed if not for reading the forums.

Edited May 26, 2015 by bigsam94

Bkramer · May 26, 2015

I am now another added to the long list of those having this issue. First bought a used 2014 LT all black with 9k miles on it and it drove super smooth. Then I made a horrible choice to trade it for another 14 that was identical but it was Red and only had 3k mile on it and was at a great price... Big mistake, on the test drive it drove pretty good but I never got it up on the freeway..also another big mistake because on the way home @ 70mph it was like I was in a blender being tossed around. Took it right back the next day which started a month long process of new tires, then new rims and the dealer checking the drive shaft to ensure it was balanced by that point I told them that I was done with the truck and wanted a replacement. They did and for a 1k more I got a brand new 2015 with several upgraded options and I made sure to test drive it for a good hour and a half... No vibration so I thought I was good to go.. I was wrong, after 500 mile all the same issue started to come back plus many more.

Steering wheel viberates at all speeds

Between 45-70 the center console viberates off and on as so does the gas pedal

Now the door on the drivers side sounds like the wind is blowing right through it when there is any type of cross winds out and feels like it never really shuts unless u slam it as hard as you can.

Next is the hood which has been adjusted but is like a fluttering bird wings when there is any wind out and also at speeds over 70mps.

Last is the Mylink which will not play a single one of my iPods "3" but states it is compatible with each of them..BS.. I finally bought an iPod touch 32g 1st generation which plays but has some delay to it.

So far on the 2015 I went ahead an replaced the rims with stock 20' chrome LTZ rims and replaced the tires with Nitto Terra grapplers AT, have had them road forced twice and the truck still viberates.

This is so very disappointing and an issue that really needs to be addressed by GM!!

I guess my next step is to get the drive shaft checked, the U joints and have the ring and pinion checked as well by some one other than the dealership.

Jordan18 · May 26, 2015

Build date of March 27th On an max tow. First thing I tried to replicate were every speed people were experiencing these vibrations and I couldn't replicate any of them, stock factory tires and biggest addition is the borla exhaust (not that it should but wanted to list any key differences between stock and aftermarket). On secondary highway I took it to 80-90 mph and still nothing, towing 4000lbs still nothing, 30mph holding and nothing, harsh and slow acceleration and nothing.

One thing I noticed when reading on difference between a 2014 and 2015 was a "enhanced/upgraded rear end" but I didn't read much into the details. No clunking or crappy 8 speed related issues either and these NHTs are a fresh product in the last 2-3 months with a changed ratio in the 8 speed and beefed up rear end.

It's a piss off to see many people facing these issues while others like myself experience none(seems contradictory but no one should have to deal with quality issues these days), no real trend to speak of in terms of build dates as some earlier ones vibrate and some don't. Some 2015s do and some don't. Some are 6 sp and some are 8 sp. I have seen any complaints from guys with 2015 NHTs on this site yet though.

Edited May 26, 2015 by Jordan18

SGI2015 · May 27, 2015

Judging by this thread they have never found a solution to the problem. Also does this affect the 2015s as well? Also about what percentage of vehicles does this affect. I am considering a 2015 sierra but this is a big turn off.

Thanks

Agree, it is a huge turn off, and it also made me very nervous. Here's how I approached it before I decided to buy.

When GM began to clear out the 2014's last fall I got very interested in getting a good deal on a Silverado or Sierra. I came real close to getting a nice Silverado Z71 but eventually decided I couldn't live with the color for as long as I usually keep a vehicle. I continued to shop around but couldn't find anything I liked in a 2014 so I decided to wait for the 2015's and, about that time, began following this forum. Like you I got very concerned about all the vibration problems and decided to watch the forum and wait to see if GM could identify and fix the issue. In the meantime, since I still was very interested in the truck, every time I ran across a 2014+ Silverado/Sierra I tried to find and talk to the owners about their experience and satisfaction with the vehicle. Over a period of a couple of months I probably talked to 20+ owners in my area and didn't find any who had vibration problems. I'm sure GM knows how widespread the vibration problems are but considering that something like one million of these new GM trucks have been sold since Jan 2014 to date it's really hard for folks like us to figure this out.

I did shop Ram and Ford, I'm sure they are good trucks, but I just never really got excited about any of them. So, eventually in February, after numerous test drives, including taking a Sierra home for three trial days, I purchased a 2015 Sierra All Terrain (5.3 V8, 4X4, 3.42 rear end, 18" wheels, stock Goodyear tires, build date 12/14). While I only have 2200 miles on it so far I have to say I love it. I live in a rural area and don't do a lot of city driving but am averaging right around 20 mpg so far, including two trips of about 400 miles total with a loaded truck and towing a 3500 lb travel trailer. From the experiences of others on the forum whose vibration didn't show up until later I know it's early for me but so far not a hint of any vibration under any road condition or any speed up to around 80.

Finally, I'm not saying any of this to make light of the problems folks have had. I feel for the miserable time they're going through because I've been there, done that with GM many years ago (two clutches, three drive shafts, two transfer cases and a year of hassle before a vibration was fixed) and swore I'd never buy another GM product. This time around I just really liked the truck enough to take the plunge, roll the dice, and guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

captgary · May 27, 2015

Well it's been awhile since I posted last and I wanted to update what is going on with my vibration issues. As previously stated I've had the truck in the shop 3 times for a total of 26 days trying to get the vibration issue fixed. The vibration was occuring when my 2014 Silverado 1500 4X4 went from V6 to V4 mode. Once in V4 mode the steering wheel and truck would vibrate. The service manager after replacing the ring/penion and force balancing tires, and finally changing tires from Goodyear to Contenial, that he had no idea why this was occuring.

So I approched the general manger of the dealership to request a buy-back. He told me to open a case with GM and he'd work on finding out what to do, which I did. Now in my mind we're talking buy-back but in the general managers mind he was offering a trade-in. Huge difference. When they made me the offer I was getting $7K less for my truck and having to pay $2800 more for the new truck. Not a good deal for me. I told them I wanted a even trade on the vehicle with NO money out of my pocket. He said he'd have to contact GM to see if he could get anymore incentives. Well after 5 days later after I had to call back to get an update and of course he told me that GM could not do anything else and asked me if I'd like to proceed with the trade-in. I advised him I'd call him back.

Needless to say I was not happy with the deal and that evening I filled with the BBB Autoline to proceed with Lemon Law. It was amazing the very next day I got a call from GM Senior Advisor asking what the issue was with my truck, what I wanted, and which dealership I was working with and the contact name there. I went over everything with them and they advised they'd get back to me in a few days.

True to their word they called me back with an offer. That offer was a buy-back of my vehicle, MSRP of my truck for another vehicle of the same or less MSRP. So yesterday I found another truck, 2015 Sliverado LT V8 which I submitting through the GM senior rep this morning for replacement.

All in all I guess the squeeky wheel gets the grease and if you do have issues don't be afraid to report your problem to the BBB autoline. They are there to help and arbutrate if needed, but all I had to do was file with them to get GM to call and start the process. Thanks to this board for all the post and advise. It really helped.

Edited May 27, 2015 by captgary

14silverado4.3 · May 27, 2015

Captgary, so there is no fix for the V6 to V4. I have the same issue. Getting "they all do that" from the dealership. I drove a 2015 Ford F150 4X4, crew cab, V6 no ecoboost rental on a 1000 mile round trip down south. It was amazing and the ride quality was way above the Chevrolet. I am taking it in for steering wheel vibes and hope to see more than the usual road force balance.

captgary · May 27, 2015

Captgary, so there is no fix for the V6 to V4. I have the same issue. Getting "they all do that" from the dealership. I drove a 2015 Ford F150 4X4, crew cab, V6 no ecoboost rental on a 1000 mile round trip down south. It was amazing and the ride quality was way above the Chevrolet. I am taking it in for steering wheel vibes and hope to see more than the usual road force balance.

No fix for this. They kept my truck for 26 days trying to fix it and when I had my truck in they told me they had another 2WD V6 truck in that was doing the same thing when in V4, so don't believe them and keep pressing the issue.

The service manager drove my truck with the pico meters on it and confirmed the vibration. He told me that it might be due to the engine weight as the V6 was about 200lbs lighter. But yes the steering wheel would shake and I could tell you every time it went into V4 mode. Very frustrating as I liked the truck but not the vibration. Yea they did a road force balance on my truck twice. First time it took 9 goodyear tires before they found 4 they could use. The second time they put contential tires on. As for the ride when in V6 mode it was nice and smooth, but V4 was another story.

In anycase GM is standing behind it with the buy-back but I had to give up my 4X4 for a V8 2wd. I did a short test drive on the new truck I'm looking at getting and so far you can't even tell when it's in V4 mode. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Edited May 27, 2015 by captgary

Silverado 6.2 · May 27, 2015

Captgary, so there is no fix for the V6 to V4. I have the same issue. Getting "they all do that" from the dealership. I drove a 2015 Ford F150 4X4, crew cab, V6 no ecoboost rental on a 1000 mile round trip down south. It was amazing and the ride quality was way above the Chevrolet. I am taking it in for steering wheel vibes and hope to see more than the usual road force balance.

I believe there is a bulletin or PI to loosen up the Y pipe from the manifolds and cat back and resettle them on the V6 engine Silverado.

BadVibes · May 27, 2015

Please add me to the list of shakers. Same issue as all of the rest. Very disappointed in GM. Bought truck new in January. 53K sticker truck, rides like a farm wagon. Been in for service twice. Noticed the vibration on the test drive and told it was flat spots on tires. Will never buy GM again. Have been a loyal customer for 15 years. Sad a company will not own up to an engineering flaw and fix it. I feel that after being lied to on the test drive, there should be a buyback of the vehicle. I am letting everyone I know to stay away from GM/Chevy.