Shake or Vibration Issues

Jesse Davidson · September 26, 2015

I like the new lights and front bumper on the sierra but I think they messed up the grille. Hopefully the new 16 tail lights fit the 15's those look really sharp, not sure how I feel about the new bar led's in the 16 but, led head lights would be a nice upgrade.

I agree with the lights on the Sierra all around. I don't think that the grill on the Sierra looks that bad, but the '16 Silverado looks like absolute shit. I hate the way the led DRL's are styled, I hate how small the headlamp housing is, I HATE the grill design. I basically just hate the '16 Silverado. this was the opposite for the '15 Silverado & Sierra, I liked the headlamps grill etc of the Silverado but not the Sierra.

Jesse Davidson · September 26, 2015

So I have some new strange issues that happened with my truck today. I went to drive to the store, and the radio wouldn't work at all. I turned the truck off, got out closed the door, and tried again, still nothing. Went to the store with out the radio, come out and only the left (driver) side speakers are working, go to a different store up the road, and when i come out of that store, all of the speakers are working.

There is also now a "rattle" from the right rear of the truck, I think it has something to do with the suspension> They tightened the U bolts yesterday because per the recall because they weren't torqued to spec.

This truck is ridiculous

abominable z71 · September 26, 2015

So I have some new strange issues that happened with my truck today. I went to drive to the store, and the radio wouldn't work at all. I turned the truck off, got out closed the door, and tried again, still nothing. Went to the store with out the radio, come out and only the left (driver) side speakers are working, go to a different store up the road, and when i come out of that store, all of the speakers are working.

There is also now a "rattle" from the right rear of the truck, I think it has something to do with the suspension> They tightened the U bolts yesterday because per the recall because they weren't torqued to spec.

This truck is ridiculous

What you describe is why I haven't pushed the dealer in trying to fix the vibration. I figured more problems would be created than fixed. I haven't been able to fix the problem but I haven't made anything worse or created any new issues, but at least eliminated some potential sources. Too bad a new rear end costs $2000, might just end up with another out of spec POS rear end. I considered buying a complete 9.76 with 3.73 ratio since no one makes a 3.73 gear set for these new 12 bolts but leery about it being a vibrator, even considered a used 2013 rear end, but who knows what kind of cluster that would be to swap in.

Jesse Davidson · September 26, 2015

What you describe is why I haven't pushed the dealer in trying to fix the vibration. I figured more problems would be created than fixed. I haven't been able to fix the problem but I haven't made anything worse or created any new issues, but at least eliminated some potential sources. Too bad a new rear end costs $2000, might just end up with another out of spec POS rear end. I considered buying a complete 9.76 with 3.73 ratio since no one makes a 3.73 gear set for these new 12 bolts but leery about it being a vibrator, even considered a used 2013 rear end, but who knows what kind of cluster that would be to swap in.

yea, I hear ya. I'd be careful on trying to swap a rear end from a 2012 or 2013. I was messaging a guy who was talking about his 2012 that was having vibe problems... I personally havn't heard of vibes in a 2012, but idk

abominable z71 · September 28, 2015

Opened the rear end this weekend and checked things out. 4 teeth had chips that look like this. This was the worst of the 4. My vibration may be within spec but we shall see if gm feels this gear is within spec, I suspect the heat treatment wasn't up to par and makes me question the overall quality and tolerances of this gear set.

Edited September 28, 2015 by abominable z71

Wrench589 · September 28, 2015

Opened the rear end this weekend and checked things out. 4 teeth had chips that look like this. This was the worst of the 4. My vibration may be within spec but we shall see if gm feels this gear is within spec, I suspect the heat treatment wasn't up to par and makes me question the overall quality and tolerances of this gear set.

Wow, that does not look good at all. No way that meets any reasonable spec for a rear end gear set. Besides the obvious quality issues, I wonder how much these "two-cut" gears are playing a role in all the troubles.

Did you happen to check the backlash all the way around? Anyone know what GM spec is?

Good on you for having a look yourself!!

14silverado4.3 · September 28, 2015

We had a garage sale this weekend. Guy pulled up in a 14 Silverado.

Asked how he likes it, says has some issues.

I said vibration, he confirmed yes - console shakes all over the place, Annoying vibration

Told him about the multiple pages of owners with same issues told him mine did the same.

His comment, was like really - I am not the only one!

There are people out there that have no idea about this problem.

pm26 · September 28, 2015

His comment, was like really - I am not the only one!

I bet his dealer service department told him that they never heard of vibration problems with these trucks.

peejaykay · September 29, 2015

Got my truck back today. New driveshaft, rear pinion gear, bearing, seal...no vibrations. It's like th enew truck I shoul dhave had 20,000 miles ago.

There is a break in period with the new gears. After that's over, I'm going to tow my 9k trailer to the beach for a celebration. WOO! Never going to visit this thread again! I'll post a copy of the service order if you're interested.

14silverado4.3 · September 29, 2015

Got my truck back today. New driveshaft, rear pinion gear, bearing, seal...no vibrations. It's like th enew truck I shoul dhave had 20,000 miles ago.

There is a break in period with the new gears. After that's over, I'm going to tow my 9k trailer to the beach for a celebration. WOO! Never going to visit this thread again! I'll post a copy of the service order if you're interested.

Can you detail out what you were feeling? Speeds? Seat / Steering wheel?

peejaykay · September 29, 2015

I went for a drive with the tech to ensure we were feeling the same vibe. As I noted, at 42-43mph, his vibe sensor hooked up to his laptop picked up the oscillations. The order of troubleshooting went:

balance tires = vibe still there

new drveshaft = vibes still there

rear pinion/gear replaced = vibes gone

For me, it felt like going over a rumble strip, in the steering wheel. A little in the console.

ziemer · September 29, 2015

Been following this thread, as I also have the dreaded highway vibration. It's back to the dealer for the 2nd time, and they are replacing a tire, after the first time they only did the road force balance.

What I don't understand is that there doesn't seem to be much consistency to the cause of the problem other than it occurs at 40 +/- mph and 75 +/-.

It happens in 2wd trucks, 4wd trucks, crew cab, double cab, Denali's, along with mine which is a "Max Tow" equipped truck, so it has different leaf springs and rear end.

Seems like many of the issues have been fixed with tires, with some fixed with driveshaft and/or rear ends. My question is, why are these truck SO sensitive to tires??? I've talked to one service manager that has gone through 3 or 4 sets of tires to get rid of the shake on a truck. That's ridiculous... I've also talked to a tech that works at a local dealer that's seen several come though and he said GM doesn't have a solid fix...

BTW, I came out of a 2012 Ford Eco-Boost with 100k miles, on it's 2nd set of tires and never had a vibration like this in my brand new truck. I truly think it's in more trucks than being reported, unless you came out of a later model and know how they should ride, you might think "it's just how a truck rides"...

Edited September 29, 2015 by ziemer

mikegmi2 · September 29, 2015

Opened the rear end this weekend and checked things out. 4 teeth had chips that look like this. This was the worst of the 4. My vibration may be within spec but we shall see if gm feels this gear is within spec, I suspect the heat treatment wasn't up to par and makes me question the overall quality and tolerances of this gear set.

I have had my rear axle assembly swapped with new on both my 2014 and 2015 Silverado. GM knows they have issues with this. Just print out the article on oemdtc and bring it in with you. This is what causes the steering wheel and truck to vibrate slightly when you are decelerating. The runout/backlash is not to spec on the ring/pinion so the gears grind.

I feel bad for owners that will never get this fixed, and have to pay out of pocket once warranty is gone and their rear differential fails.

mikegmi2 · September 29, 2015

Same logic Mikegmi2 used..."based on my findings"

Surely you don't agree with his 80% do have vibration issues???

I am not saying 80% have vibration issues, but 80% of the trucks I test drove did. Actually more, because I included my new 2015 into that calculation as a "non vibrator", but turns out it is after all. Also, finally got around to making a video for proof of how bad they shake on the highway:

This is AFTER GM swapped out 'bad tires', RF balanced everything, and replaced my rear axle assembly...

abominable z71 · September 29, 2015

Wow, that does not look good at all. No way that meets any reasonable spec for a rear end gear set. Besides the obvious quality issues, I wonder how much these "two-cut" gears are playing a role in all the troubles.

Did you happen to check the backlash all the way around? Anyone know what GM spec is?

Good on you for having a look yourself!!

My intention was to measure backlash, While I was rotating the case measuring runout I noticed the chips in 4 teeth took pictures and stopped there. Measuring the backlash on 41 teeth is a PITA especially on a hypoid gear tooth. Spec for back lash I believe is .007-.013" with .008" being ideal, and the difference in backlash between teeth is .003" or less. I called the service manager and gave home the whole run down of it being put on the PICO but being below GM spec, so they vector matched and RF balanced the tires but it didn't solve the problem, I told him I opened up the diff and found chips and took some pictures and asked if he wanted me to email them to him so they could decide how they wanted to proceed, He said bring it in first thing tomorrow morning. The truck is in at the dealer as I type this, waiting for a phone call to see what they have decided to do.