Shake or Vibration Issues

SLESierra · May 12, 2014

I think a lot of people have these issues but think its just how a truck should ride or either they are used to it. Mine slowly got worse over time to the point if I was questioning if the truck should ride that way or maybe it was just in my head because it crept up on me over time. I had the dealer look at it and they said in no way was that how it should ride.

These vibration problems have different characteristics and severity between different trucks. Theres probably a larger percentage than you think of these lemon trucks between people that don't know any better, trucks where the problem is not as severe, or people that don't flock to the internet to complain. I've only driven 2, mine and the loaner they gave me, both vibrate. Thats 100% of the trucks I've tested. I've always loved GM vehicles but I wouldn't risk buying another one of these trucks if they bought me out, the risk of another lemon is too great in my eyes.

And the driveshaft may fix one here and there but a lot of us including me have had several different shafts, of 2 different designs with no change to the characteristic of the vibration. All of the shafts aren't identically out of balance the same way.

I agree I have a work truck 4.3L and my personal truck - work truck has 61+K on it now and has never vibrated - I had another truck besides the one I currently have they went through drive shafts, axles, wheels and tires and no fix so they traded me out. Now the one I have now had similar vibrations and I let air from the tires and it seems to have helped but still I believe there is a common issue or a manufacturing miscue that is causing this. GM should step up to the plate and not let this become a litigious point in a company that is already in hot water over trying to push things under the rug. The mere fact they are sending engineers and buying back trucks is enough to know there is an issue.

Oh and I have owned plenty of trucks to know how they drive. I have a one ton that does not vibrate and it has currently over 1.6 million showing on the odometer and the diesel and it have aging issues but not weird vibrations. Sort of sad I traded a perfectly good personal truck in on 14 when the 13 was just fine.

pm26 · May 12, 2014

There are definitely some checks you can do yourself. First, I would have tires checked and balanced by a good independent tire shop that has a set of Haweka flange adapters that mount the wheels on the balancer by the lug holes - the same way they are mounted on the truck. This way, the wheels are centered much better and balancing results will be better. Keep in mind that if the wheels are poorly centered on the balancing machine by just using a centering cone, you can get false force variation readings, as well as poor balancing results. And the bigger the wheel diameter, the more difficult they are to center properly.

Second, you can remove your driveshat and take it to a good reputable drive shaft balancing shop equipped with proper drive shaft balancing equipment and have them check the driveshaft for balance. At the same time have them check the U joints for proper installation and any radial runout on the shaft that would indicate another problem (such as poor welding of parts). Don't forget to mark the drive shaft before you remove it for proper reinstallation.

Third, perform a torque check on the axle pinion nut (accessible after the drive shaft has been removed). Proper torque on this nut is absolutely essential to provide proper preload on the pinion shaft bearings and to eliminate any possible play in the pinion shaft.

While this may not solve your vibration problems, it definitely helps eliminates some unknowns and let you zero in on the torque converter or something else as the root cuase.

Edited May 12, 2014 by pm26

2strokesmoke · May 12, 2014

I agree with you 100%, however if we start doing this and it ends up more serious or can't sort it the dealer along with GM will be saying you took this apart you want us to warranty someone elses work!

New truck it is their responsibility to fix it on their time, as well as their dime too.

Reason for a new truck so I don't have to fix things!

They have an obligation to fix it or replace it or give me my money back period!

z28clark · May 12, 2014

Unfortunately my truck is in the shop right now. Dropped it off last Thursday for the 40-50mph vibration in the steering wheel. ('14 5.3 crew 4x4 3.42 rear).

This thread has given me little hope that the issue is going to be fixed, or at least fixed professionally. Hose clamps on a driveshaft??? Get the hell out of here.

Best of luck to you guys still trying to get it fixed- I'll report back what my dealer came up with but I'm not optimistic by any means!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FL335i · May 12, 2014

I for one am not buying a Silverado over this issue. It's too risky. And personally working with someone who had a buy back just strikes close to home. It's sad, I've owned a lot of GM's and so has my family. My father in law is a GM retired employee with good discounts. I'm test driving a F150 next week when I have a free day. The '14 F150 has 1 TSB at current time. I am on the F150 forum, and have been for a while researching. They have a clip/snap with their driveshaft/pinion when changing gears. Does not shake or vibrate or affect performance. And after 1 or 2 visits the Ford dealers have it fixed.

hotrodz37 · May 12, 2014

I think a lot of people have these issues but think its just how a truck should ride or either they are used to it. Mine slowly got worse over time to the point if I was questioning if the truck should ride that way or maybe it was just in my head because it crept up on me over time. I had the dealer look at it and they said in no way was that how it should ride.

These vibration problems have different characteristics and severity between different trucks. Theres probably a larger percentage than you think of these lemon trucks between people that don't know any better, trucks where the problem is not as severe, or people that don't flock to the internet to complain. I've only driven 2, mine and the loaner they gave me, both vibrate. Thats 100% of the trucks I've tested. I've always loved GM vehicles but I wouldn't risk buying another one of these trucks if they bought me out, the risk of another lemon is too great in my eyes.

And the driveshaft may fix one here and there but a lot of us including me have had several different shafts, of 2 different designs with no change to the characteristic of the vibration. All of the shafts aren't identically out of balance the same way.

Aboothlsu,

When do you expect to get your truck back with the new driveshaft? Please forgive me if you already have, it is hard to keep track of all of the conversations going on in this thread! Anxiously awaiting your results.

Aboothlsu · May 12, 2014

Aboothlsu,

When do you expect to get your truck back with the new driveshaft? Please forgive me if you already have, it is hard to keep track of all of the conversations going on in this thread! Anxiously awaiting your results.

Yeh its very hard to keep track, The driveshafts were actually changed a few weeks ago, Ill recap where Im at.

Things they tried already and that didnt change anything.

Tires and wheels were all rebalanced and road forced balanced, wheels swapped from a different truck.

Driveshaft swapped from a different truck

New design driveshaft ordered and installed

Motor mounts changed (trans mount too not sure)

Al rearend gears and assembly checked for tolerance issues.

Entire rear end assembly replaced

All driveline angles measured with specialty tools, determined to be within spec.

Last week the GM field engineer suggested locking open the exhaust flapper and testing it, the service manager claims it fixed the vibration. They ordered me a new exhaust assembly and it has been delayed and should arrive tomorrow. I havent driven it since the day I dropped it off on April 8th so I cant confirm any effects anything has had.

I am actually going up there today at lunch time to drive the truck so I can get a before and after feel to see if the exhaust truly fixes it. Im not very optimistic

hotrodz37 · May 12, 2014

Yeh its very hard to keep track, The driveshafts were actually changed a few weeks ago, Ill recap where Im at.

Things they tried already and that didnt change anything.

Tires and wheels were all rebalanced and road forced balanced, wheels swapped from a different truck.

Driveshaft swapped from a different truck

New design driveshaft ordered and installed

Motor mounts changed (trans mount too not sure)

Al rearend gears and assembly checked for tolerance issues.

Entire rear end assembly replaced

All driveline angles measured with specialty tools, determined to be within spec.

Last week the GM field engineer suggested locking open the exhaust flapper and testing it, the service manager claims it fixed the vibration. They ordered me a new exhaust assembly and it has been delayed and should arrive tomorrow. I havent driven it since the day I dropped it off on April 8th so I cant confirm any effects anything has had.

I am actually going up there today at lunch time to drive the truck so I can get a before and after feel to see if the exhaust truly fixes it. Im not very optimistic

Thanks for the recap, greatly appreciated! I knew you were waiting for a part, couldn't remember if it was a new driveshaft or exhaust assembly. I too am skeptical that it is the exhaust, but at this point, that would be the lesser of all the evils if that in fact fixes it! Let us know what you come up with!

What vibration were you experiencing again? The 40-50 or 70+, and was it in the steering wheel or the seats and console? Thanks again for taking the time to share with us.

Aboothlsu · May 12, 2014

Thanks for the recap, greatly appreciated! I knew you were waiting for a part, couldn't remember if it was a new driveshaft or exhaust assembly. I too am skeptical that it is the exhaust, but at this point, that would be the lesser of all the evils if that in fact fixes it! Let us know what you come up with!

What vibration were you experiencing again? The 40-50 or 70+, and was it in the steering wheel or the seats and console? Thanks again for taking the time to share with us.

It was most noticeble at 70+ and there was also some sort of audible whine or noise, it was much louder in the cab than it was when I first bought it. I would feel it mostly through the seat and pedal, slightly in the steering wheel, and the pasenger seat would wobble to the point it was rattling slightly.

At higher speeds I could really feel it through the pedal as well especially when mantianing speed at highway speeds or accelerating. There was also a slight side to side sway that I could feel. I honestly cant remeber what it was like at lower speeds I was so focused on the highway speeds since most of my commute is highway, I think the vibration was always there and increased with speed.

I will report back at lunch when I go test drive it again and see what the lower speeds are like, my memory of its probably off since its been like 5 weeks since Ive driven it.

Aboothlsu · May 12, 2014

Well correction. They just called me back and said the exhaust is off my truck waiting on the new exhuast, so I guess I wont be driving it before the new exhaust is in.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Aboothlsu

Arclight · May 12, 2014

I was going to purchase a new Silverado/Sierra until I found this thread. I hope someone will take their shaft to a professional drive-line shop and post the results.

PS: What is the best Ford F150 Discussion Board? Address?

Edited May 12, 2014 by Arclight

FL335i · May 12, 2014

^Arclight- F150forum.com I've looked at all the forums and trucks. They all have issues. I'm not brand loyal, I just want something to drive reliably for work and family use. I really like the new Silverado looks and interior. My father inlaw is retired GM, so that's why I started with the Silverado and then the layers started to come off the onion. For what I'm looking for, IMO, the F150 has the least amount of issues, mainly ones that I can either A- Live with, or B- get fixed relatively easy by the dealer in about 3 or 4 days. Vibrations and shakes. no way. I can't deal with them. My cars ride out. Even my old mud truck rode out at 80 w/out vibrations. Why should a new '14 $40k truck not? I built mine in the driveway for $10k. GM has engineers and built theirs in a factory. The F150 is the last year of a model. So naturally it will have less issues; and me more outdated. I'll take slightly outdated with no issues vs new with issues. Hence why I'm not looking at a new '15 F150... To make things fair here, in 2011-2013 I would NEVER have bought a Ecoboost F150 with the issues they had going on. But from what I've been seeing the issue is fixed. From what I've seen I think ford's reaction to their first ever turbo engine tweaks was "ok". not steller, but not terrible either; better than GM with the vibration. The EB's now have different spark plug #'s and tighter gap, redesigned intercoolers and the problem is fixed. One reason the F150 issue became huge was when the truck ingested water, it would knock a cylinder out, and then these people are driving down the road pumping gas into their cats causing 2ndary damage and then they'd fix the IC/Plugs and not the cats.. big mess is my point. But it's figured out and the turbo engines are the future. I hope GM comes out with a fix. More trucks to pick from is good for the consumer.

Edited May 12, 2014 by FL335i

chuckl1218 · May 12, 2014

Guys, one thing to remember in all of these forums...there are a lot of us who are not having any issues with our GM trucks - we tend to post issues and not that things are great. I've had the recalls, of course, but only a minor front parking assist issue and it was fixed in 10 minutes. There was a software update to the radio that I took advantage of and had the knob illuminating rings fixed on the HVAC and Radio controls. None of these were major issues. I had no vibration issues from 0-90 (we have 80 MPH roads in Texas and it is so smooth and quiet that it is easy to do 90). In fact, there is a speed alarm that I set at 90 to remind me.

I don't want to get into a GM or Ford bashing contest either. But last week someone asked about a class action suit, recall or Lemmon Law settlement for vibration. I found some suits described on LemmonLaw.com and yes, there is a Ford Truck thread about extreme vibration in their trucks for several years.

http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/

Boughtalemon · May 12, 2014

Guys, one thing to remember in all of these forums...there are a lot of us who are not having any issues with our GM trucks - we tend to post issues and not that things are great. I've had the recalls, of course, but only a minor front parking assist issue and it was fixed in 10 minutes. There was a software update to the radio that I took advantage of and had the knob illuminating rings fixed on the HVAC and Radio controls. None of these were major issues. I had no vibration issues from 0-90 (we have 80 MPH roads in Texas and it is so smooth and quiet that it is easy to do 90). In fact, there is a speed alarm that I set at 90 to remind me.

I don't want to get into a GM or Ford bashing contest either. But last week someone asked about a class action suit, recall or Lemmon Law settlement for vibration. I found some suits described on LemmonLaw.com and yes, there is a Ford Truck thread about extreme vibration in their trucks for several years.

http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/

Interesting link. 2014 Silverado with steering wheel vibration, full repurchase through New York Lemon Law.

Silverado-Hareek · May 12, 2014

I honestly don't know if my truck has an issue or not anymore. I do know I've been following this thread and paying super close attention to my ride and maybe I'm psyching myself out. I feel a very slight vibration in my steering wheel and seat that is constant at all speeds. I can't tell if it's normal road imperfections transmitting through the steering wheel and seat or if there's something really wrong. I do know that if I never saw this thread I probably never would have thought anything was out of the ordinary that's how subtle the vibration is. When I really felt it bad, I checked my tire pressure and they were at 40psi all around so taking them down to 35psi nearly eliminated what I was feeling in the steering wheel and seat.

Anyway I'm dropping it off at the dealership on Wednesday for the driver seat shifting issue and for them to fix a rust spot on the frame that they missed. I'll see what they find with the tires and everything. As long as the tires don't have any problems and all of the steering and suspensions components are fine, I don't think I'm going to worry about this issue any further because it is barely noticeable and I can't figure out if I'm chasing ghosts or not.