issue Recirculate cabin air

timthib · December 21, 2015

I have a case opened with them as well. When I brought it up to my dealer I was told that there are "federal restrictions" that prevent them from sealing off outside air completely. I alternate driving to work every other day with a friend of mine and there is a low lying area that we pass through which has a sewage smell. We smell it on the days that I drive but absolutely nothing in his F150 or the Ram 2500 that I had prior to my Sierra.

m33ortiz · December 21, 2015

I have a case opened with them as well. When I brought it up to my dealer I was told that there are "federal restrictions" that prevent them from sealing off outside air completely. I alternate driving to work every other day with a friend of mine and there is a low lying area that we pass through which has a sewage smell. We smell it on the days that I drive but absolutely nothing in his F150 or the Ram 2500 that I had prior to my Sierra.

That's a new one, federal restrictions. I found the first print of the owners manual for the 2014 Sierra and it states recirculation will prevent outside air. So I guess since it was a poor design that wouldn't be fixed, GM decided to change the manual instead. Very nice.

Has your service advisor given you any hope? I went ahead and filed a Better Business Bureau report today too. I'm so disappointed in this truck.

Edited December 22, 2015 by m33ortiz

timthib · December 22, 2015

That's a new one, federal restrictions. I found the first print of the owners manual for the 2014 Sierra and it states recirculation will prevent outside air. So I guess since it was a poor design that wouldn't be fixed, GM decided to change the manual instead. Very nice.

Has your service advisor given you any hope? I went ahead and filed a Better Business Bureau report today too. I'm so disappointed in this truck.

I haven't had anyone from the dealership call me yet. The woman from GM that I've been dealing with is calling around to different dealerships to find more information. Apparently they know less than we do about this issue.

southern_sierra · December 22, 2015

I have been putting up with this for over a year now. Could be fixed easily with a BCM program but GM does not won't it fixed. Only truck out of 17 I have owned that does this.

timthib · December 22, 2015

Here's my update from GM....

Dear Mr. Thibodaux,

I have been in contact with Randy at the dealership and he is stating that there is nothing that can be done. I do apologize that they feel that way and for any inconvenience. I do understand that Courtesy Buick GMC may be further away, but they did state that there are things that can be looked at in an attempt for a resolution. My recommendation is that you take your vehicle there to be looked at for your concern. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Asia
GMC Customer Assistance
866-790-3600
ext. 5913438

m33ortiz · December 23, 2015

Here's my update from GM....

Dear Mr. Thibodaux,

I have been in contact with Randy at the dealership and he is stating that there is nothing that can be done. I do apologize that they feel that way and for any inconvenience. I do understand that Courtesy Buick GMC may be further away, but they did state that there are things that can be looked at in an attempt for a resolution. My recommendation is that you take your vehicle there to be looked at for your concern. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Asia

GMC Customer Assistance

866-790-3600

ext. 5913438

Are you going to take it to the other dealership? When I spoke to my advisor, she said they were going to send out another engineer to look at my truck, but she didn't know when. I asked her where she saw this going, if everyone says it is working as designed, where is my resolution? She didn't have an answer. I'm hoping the BBB can help out. I'll post more once I hear back from them.

LaserBlueZ71 · December 28, 2015

The truth is, what people are asking for here, is a completely sealed passenger cabin.

Ok, well, I have to ask, would you put yourself in a completely sealed balloon, or an airtight room? If your house was airtight, you and your family would be deceased! If someone held a bag over your head and sealed it, you would fight for your life, yet you want a car manufacture to seal you inside a passenger cabin with no incoming oxygen.....

Think of the science here. I hate to say it, but I have to agree with GM, you can't make a cabin that is 100% airtight. Imagine someone who takes a long road trip, hits the recirculate button and forgets about it. Windows aren't opened, doors aren't opened, eventually you will simply pass out and crash.

Heck, it happened with a smaller jet airplane a few years back. The cabin pressurization was tested on the ground, and whoever tested it, left the switch in test mode. When the plane got up to cruising altitude, slowly but surely, every single person on the plane passed out and died from lack of oxygen. It flew on like a ghost plane until it struck a mountain. Even airplanes bring in outside air through the jet engines. It is a very complex system. Think of the inside cabin as a balloon with a leak, but yet the air system on the plane fills the cabin at the exact same rate as the leak. So, since air is being exchanged, you will get outside smells. This is on multi million dollar airplanes, our trucks are nothing compared to those things.

The ONLY way to prevent outside smells, is to have a 100% sealed cabin, which could actually kill people. The only way a 100% sealed cabin could work, is if GM installed oxygen tanks on the vehicle somewhere that fed oxygen into the cab. Yyyyeeeaaa....never going to happen!

Sure, you could make some kind of filter system to filter incoming air, but it would add weight, complexity, another maintenance item which consumers complain about, and cost, to already very expensive vehicles. They COULD add a sensor that could measure the oxygen level in the cabin and force an override of a sealed intake air door, but think about the possible lawsuits? If that sensor fails, people driving those vehicles can die, and take out other people in the process of the action. As a company, GM made the right choice. Avoid all that BS altogether and just have a slightly vented door.

So what is the solution if you are operating the vehicle in a stinky environment? Well, don't we live in a stinky environment? You think the air outside your truck is better for you than what is inside? You don't see it but our air is massively polluted right in front of your face. This is why almost all tunnels of any significant length have forced air systems to move exhaust out and fresh air in.

Edited December 28, 2015 by LaserBlueZ71

southern_sierra · December 28, 2015

The truth is, what people are asking for here, is a completely sealed passenger cabin.

Ok, well, I have to ask, would you put yourself in a completely sealed balloon, or an airtight room? If your house was airtight, you and your family would be deceased! If someone held a bag over your head and sealed it, you would fight for your life, yet you want a car manufacture to seal you inside a passenger cabin with no incoming oxygen.....

Think of the science here. I hate to say it, but I have to agree with GM, you can't make a cabin that is 100% airtight. Imagine someone who takes a long road trip, hits the recirculate button and forgets about it. Windows aren't opened, doors aren't opened, eventually you will simply pass out and crash.

Heck, it happened with a smaller jet airplane a few years back. The cabin pressurization was tested on the ground, and whoever tested it, left the switch in test mode. When the plane got up to cruising altitude, slowly but surely, every single person on the plane passed out and died from lack of oxygen. It flew on like a ghost plane until it struck a mountain. Even airplanes bring in outside air through the jet engines. It is a very complex system. Think of the inside cabin as a balloon with a leak, but yet the air system on the plane fills the cabin at the exact same rate as the leak. So, since air is being exchanged, you will get outside smells. This is on multi million dollar airplanes, our trucks are nothing compared to those things.

The ONLY way to prevent outside smells, is to have a 100% sealed cabin, which could actually kill people. The only way a 100% sealed cabin could work, is if GM installed oxygen tanks on the vehicle somewhere that fed oxygen into the cab. Yyyyeeeaaa....never going to happen!

Sure, you could make some kind of filter system to filter incoming air, but it would add weight, complexity, another maintenance item which consumers complain about, and cost, to already very expensive vehicles. They COULD add a sensor that could measure the oxygen level in the cabin and force an override of a sealed intake air door, but think about the possible lawsuits? If that sensor fails, people driving those vehicles can die, and take out other people in the process of the action. As a company, GM made the right choice. Avoid all that BS altogether and just have a slightly vented door.

So what is the solution if you are operating the vehicle in a stinky environment? Well, don't we live in a stinky environment? You think the air outside your truck is better for you than what is inside? You don't see it but our air is massively polluted right in front of your face. This is why almost all tunnels of any significant length have forced air systems to move exhaust out and fresh air in.

I have owned many trucks (Ford, Chevy, Toyota) and none of them let smells in the cab like grass being cut food being cooked gas fumes diesel fumes and so on while the a/c was in recirculate mode like this 14 does even the previous model gm's did not let the smells in. I never passed out in any of the other trucks I owned. Whats really bad is to get behind an old car and all you can smell is exhaust fumes now I might pass out from that because its bad enough to make you feel sick. It tells you in the owners manual that to keep out unwanted smells to push the recirculate button the keep them out. Another design flaw by gm. All trucks have vents on the back of the cab that are hidden from sight they will let out pressures. On the 2014 the vents are located on the back of the cab on each side about 8" down from the top of the bed.

LaserBlueZ71 · December 28, 2015

I have owned many trucks (Ford, Chevy, Toyota) and none of them let smells in the cab like grass being cut food being cooked gas fumes diesel fumes and so on while the a/c was in recirculate mode like this 14 does even the previous model gm's did not let the smells in. I never passed out in any of the other trucks I owned. Whats really bad is to get behind an old car and all you can smell is exhaust fumes now I might pass out from that because its bad enough to make you feel sick. It tells you in the owners manual that to keep out unwanted smells to push the recirculate button the keep them out. Another design flaw by gm. All trucks have vents on the back of the cab that are hidden from sight they will let out pressures. On the 2014 the vents are located on the back of the cab on each side about 8" down from the top of the bed.

I suspect like a lot of things, the true fix is the owner themselves.

I hate to say it but I don't trust dealerships for anything. If they can't fix it, I find a way myself. When a person spends almost 50K though, you shouldn't have to!

southern_sierra · December 28, 2015

I suspect like a lot of things, the true fix is the owner themselves.

I hate to say it but I don't trust dealerships for anything. If they can't fix it, I find a way myself. When a person spends almost 50K though, you shouldn't have to!

I agree 100%, I wouldn't trust the dealers to put air in my tires. If I can't do it myself its major or has to be hooked up to a computer and then I will try to watch them. I'am a little OCD, but we bought them we will just have to deal with it or get rid of the truck.

sduff · December 31, 2015

Sorry to see this remains an issue after I first posted it back in Dec 2013. Luckily I live in a fairly rural area, southern Illinois, so I can put up with the problem. I did go by a dead skunk the other day that wasn't very pleasant. I did trade my '14 for a '15, same issue, but I do love the truck. The '15 has the 6.2L with the camper mirrors......420 horse, whoa......maybe GM will fix this and correct the problem for all of us...until they do, enjoy the ride, cause there isn't another truck like it!!

Coppertone · January 1, 2016

This is really laughable. I hate when I get behind a diesel truck or an old gasser. The fumes give me a headache. I don't have this issue in any of my other vehicles.

m33ortiz · January 1, 2016

We were contacted by our local service manager, and we are taking the truck in (again) next week so a field engineer can take a look at it. He said he'd park our truck behind their old shop truck and let him experience the fumes. I said yes, leave him there like he's stuck in traffic. He was also surprised to hear about the first owner's manual stating the recirculation function prevents outside air while the 2nd and 3rd printing say may reduce. I'll post more after the engineer's visit.

sduff · January 2, 2016

We were contacted by our local service manager, and we are taking the truck in (again) next week so a field engineer can take a look at it. He said he'd park our truck behind their old shop truck and let him experience the fumes. I said yes, leave him there like he's stuck in traffic. He was also surprised to hear about the first owner's manual stating the recirculation function prevents outside air while the 2nd and 3rd printing say may reduce. I'll post more after the engineer's visit.

Be sure and ask the Field Engineer what his expectations are regarding the test before it begins. Get that in writing if possible. If he believes the GM story line, the results will be predictable. And you will be wasting your time. Reference my Test with GM oversight from Feb2014. The report is posted there. (Posted 12 February 2014 - 04:12 PM) Good luck and I look forward to your posting of the outcome of your test.

Willshire · January 4, 2016

Is there a cabin air filter in the truck? So particulate matter is being caught? The heater only works in the fresh air mode? As it has for the last 60 years? I've never used recirc except for max a/c and then all you smell is the a/c lol. If you want to warm your truck in the winter you leave it in fresh air as it has to go by the heater core so cold air won't be coming in when your temp is turned up to 90 anyway. I apologize to any this offends but, good lord! their smells! things smell. makes me glad i have a nose. The smell of skunk lasts for 3 minutes, the stinky truck in front of you can be solved by backing off. For years we have asked to have the cabins sealed from noise and air leaks/wind noise. So now that they have done as requested at the expense of the recirc door not closing all the way. I always thought bad smells in the cabin were a result of driving in a smelly area.