I want to root for GM, but...

Silva · December 8, 2014

Hi guys,

Just bought a brand new '14 Sierra SLE 4.3 a couple of weeks ago on Black Friday. Always been a GMC guy, owned a '96 Sierra Ext. Cab 5.7 V8 and I absolutely loved it. Wanted to stay in the family so I took advantage of the Black Friday specials.

Like I said I want to root for GM, but for the 10-15 days that I've owned it, I've had 2 lights come on in my dash. First one was for low tire pressure. Minor problem of course (probably dealers fault anyway), but still was disappointed. Few days later the check engine light came on. For a truck with 400 miles, that shouldn't be happening. Anybody else have this problem come up so early? Set up an appointment on Saturday for a check up.

Just upset that I have to worry and take time out and get my new truck serviced so early. Still will always be a GM guy. Hope everything gets fixed and back to worry free driving.

Silverado-Hareek · December 8, 2014

Hi guys,

Just bought a brand new '14 Sierra SLE 4.3 a couple of weeks ago on Black Friday. Always been a GMC guy, owned a '96 Sierra Ext. Cab 5.7 V8 and I absolutely loved it. Wanted to stay in the family so I took advantage of the Black Friday specials.

Like I said I want to root for GM, but for the 10-15 days that I've owned it, I've had 2 lights come on in my dash. First one was for low tire pressure. Minor problem of course (probably dealers fault anyway), but still was disappointed. Few days later the check engine light came on. For a truck with 400 miles, that shouldn't be happening. Anybody else have this problem come up so early? Set up an appointment on Saturday for a check up.

Just upset that I have to worry and take time out and get my new truck serviced so early. Still will always be a GM guy. Hope everything gets fixed and back to worry free driving.

The low tire pressure is most likely from them not adjusting the tire pressure when the temperature outside dropped. Just add some air and it should be fine.

As for the check engine light, definitely get them to check it but I will say when I bought my 2007, that light was on when I left the lot and the salesmen told me about it and not to worry it was the sensors and everything getting acclimated and he said it should go off after a few minutes of driving and it did. So it may be just a minor thing in your case. Have you checked your gas cap to make sure its seated properly and tightened? How is the truck performing otherwise?

DanMan_S · December 8, 2014

Hi guys,

Just bought a brand new '14 Sierra SLE 4.3 a couple of weeks ago on Black Friday. Always been a GMC guy, owned a '96 Sierra Ext. Cab 5.7 V8 and I absolutely loved it. Wanted to stay in the family so I took advantage of the Black Friday specials.

Like I said I want to root for GM, but for the 10-15 days that I've owned it, I've had 2 lights come on in my dash. First one was for low tire pressure. Minor problem of course (probably dealers fault anyway), but still was disappointed. Few days later the check engine light came on. For a truck with 400 miles, that shouldn't be happening. Anybody else have this problem come up so early? Set up an appointment on Saturday for a check up.

Just upset that I have to worry and take time out and get my new truck serviced so early. Still will always be a GM guy. Hope everything gets fixed and back to worry free driving.

Keep in mind that the Check Engine Light isn't that at all. It doesn't indicate that something is wrong with your vehicle or engine. The CES light is merely a 'anomaly has been detected with a diagnostic signal voltage in the vehicles electrical system (IE, sensors, etc)' so it could be anything! Common sense needs to come first: Do you have oil? Do you have coolant? Is the engine running at the correct temperature? Do you have ABS? If the vehicle is still running just fine, then it's going to be something minor, IE, gas cap not being tightened, O2 sensor operational temperature, etc.

One of the things I missed about my Z06 was that you could bring up the diagnostic mode on the DIC in the gauge cluster and see immediately what was causing the CES. It's handy to have a scan gauge or a bluetooth OBDII dongle for your phone to check those as well.

f8l vnm · December 8, 2014

I dont want to ruin your experience or turn this into a negative thread but this is completley normal =(

I have had my 14 Sierra for almost 3 months now and its been to the dealer 5 times already .

I love the way the truck looks but it just seems like the quality in which GM put these trucks together was an after thought.

Good Luck bud and congrats

Silva · December 8, 2014

The low tire pressure is most likely from them not adjusting the tire pressure when the temperature outside dropped. Just add some air and it should be fine.

As for the check engine light, definitely get them to check it but I will say when I bought my 2007, that light was on when I left the lot and the salesmen told me about it and not to worry it was the sensors and everything getting acclimated and he said it should go off after a few minutes of driving and it did. So it may be just a minor thing in your case. Have you checked your gas cap to make sure its seated properly and tightened? How is the truck performing otherwise?

Silverado-Hareek, I hoping its something minor since I don't really notice a difference in performance. The light came on right at the time my first tank of gas ran out. So that's when I first check the gas cap. Filled up with 89 gas so maybe that will turn off the light.

Keep in mind that the Check Engine Light isn't that at all. It doesn't indicate that something is wrong with your vehicle or engine. The CES light is merely a 'anomaly has been detected with a diagnostic signal voltage in the vehicles electrical system (IE, sensors, etc)' so it could be anything! Common sense needs to come first: Do you have oil? Do you have coolant? Is the engine running at the correct temperature? Do you have ABS? If the vehicle is still running just fine, then it's going to be something minor, IE, gas cap not being tightened, O2 sensor operational temperature, etc.

One of the things I missed about my Z06 was that you could bring up the diagnostic mode on the DIC in the gauge cluster and see immediately what was causing the CES. It's handy to have a scan gauge or a bluetooth OBDII dongle for your phone to check those as well.

I checked the manual and It mentioned the light can come on due to a loose gas cap or use of low quality fuel. Hadn't even filled up my tank yet. Was still using the dealer installed gas. Filled up on the same day that the light came on. Used 89 grade from 76. Should I wait to visit a dealer to see if the light turns off?

DanMan_S · December 8, 2014

Silverado-Hareek, I hoping its something minor since I don't really notice a difference in performance. The light came on right at the time my first tank of gas ran out. So that's when I first check the gas cap. Filled up with 89 gas so maybe that will turn off the light.

I checked the manual and It mentioned the light can come on due to a loose gas cap or use of low quality fuel. Hadn't even filled up my tank yet. Was still using the dealer installed gas. Filled up on the same day that the light came on. Used 89 grade from 76. Should I wait to visit a dealer to see if the light turns off?

I would definitely take it in at your earliest convenience just to see what it is, or have someone else quickly pull the code. You can also disconnect the battery, let it sit for awhile, hook things back up, and see if the code clears/comes back.

But if the truck is still running fine, then you shouldn't have any issues driving it until you can take it in.

2017SierraSLT · December 8, 2014

I would be dissatisfied too. The tire light generally is an easy fix. The check engine light is not normal, but it could be a myraid of things from simple to complex to repair the issue that is causing the code to set. Good Luck

nuclearxp · December 8, 2014

Interesting - I'm sure nobody ever drove a Toyota/Ford/Ram off the lot and got a CEL.

The question is - are you posting to vent or do you actually want help? Sounds like you've already scheduled to take it to the dealer which is what you should do. Short of taking it to AutoZone and getting a free scan we can't help you with a CEL.

As for the tires, are you the only person to have ever driven the vehicle? I'm sure nobody that drove it before could have possibly hit a nail. Also - tire pressure drops 1psi for every 10*F.

Silva · December 8, 2014

Interesting - I'm sure nobody ever drove a Toyota/Ford/Ram off the lot and got a CEL.

The question is - are you posting to vent or do you actually want help? Sounds like you've already scheduled to take it to the dealer which is what you should do. Short of taking it to AutoZone and getting a free scan we can't help you with a CEL.

As for the tires, are you the only person to have ever driven the vehicle? I'm sure nobody that drove it before could have possibly hit a nail. Also - tire pressure drops 1psi for every 10*F

Well looking to see if anyone else has has the CEL come on so early, and if so what were the results. I know this is specific to MY truck but it would be interesting to see what I'm getting myself into.

For the tires I'm the only only that's driven the truck. This part was more me venting I guess. All fixed now.

Silverado-Hareek · December 8, 2014

Interesting - I'm sure nobody ever drove a Toyota/Ford/Ram off the lot and got a CEL.

The question is - are you posting to vent or do you actually want help? Sounds like you've already scheduled to take it to the dealer which is what you should do. Short of taking it to AutoZone and getting a free scan we can't help you with a CEL.

As for the tires, are you the only person to have ever driven the vehicle? I'm sure nobody that drove it before could have possibly hit a nail. Also - tire pressure drops 1psi for every 10*F.

I had a dodge where the CEL just stayed on 24/7. Drove it for years like that haha

Silverado Steve · December 8, 2014

Put a piece of black electric tape over the "Check Engine light" problem solved....all kidding aside, the TPMS light is probably just due to a tire being low if it's been cold in your area. Call your salesman since your truck is so new and let him know of the issue, he can probably get you in and out in no time as opposed to having to wait for a Service appointment. Hopefully it's a real simple fix. I don't think this is an indication of the overall quality of these trucks. I had a Toyota Tacoma and in the first year, I had a loud squeaky AC blower motor replaced twice, a leaking oil seal gasket on the timing chain and a squeaky real leaf spring. Toyota is always lauded for thier quality, I haven't had any worse luck with my Silverado than the Toyota.

Put a piece of black electric tape over the "Check Engine light" problem solved....all kidding aside, the TPMS light is probably just due to a tire being low if it's been cold in your area. Call your salesman since your truck is so new and let him know of the issue, he can probably get you in and out in no time as opposed to having to wait for a Service appointment. Hopefully it's a real simple fix. I don't think this is an indication of the overall quality of these trucks. I had a Toyota Tacoma and in the first year, I had a loud squeaky AC blower motor replaced twice, a leaking oil seal gasket on the timing chain and a squeaky real leaf spring. Toyota is always lauded for their quality, I haven't had any worse luck with my Silverado than the Toyota.

DanMan_S · December 8, 2014

Well looking to see if anyone else has has the CEL come on so early, and if so what were the results. I know this is specific to MY truck but it would be interesting to see what I'm getting myself into.

For the tires I'm the only only that's driven the truck. This part was more me venting I guess. All fixed now.

Thats the problem, due to the amount of systems and sensors that are being monitored, there is no way to even guess what the problem is. Especially if the vehicle is running fine. That's why having a code reader is a handy investment as EVERYTHING can set off the CEL.

Heck, my 2009 silverado would flip a CEL when the main inline fuse block on the firewall was getting loose. Took me awhile to diagnose that one because the error was in regards to the battery charging system. 5 minutes with a socket wrench and the CEL disappeared.

4-fiddy · December 8, 2014

Just a thought - is your gas cap on tight?

giantrules · December 8, 2014

here is the fix.....

Retired Bob · December 8, 2014

Doesn't the 2014 come with 'x' months of OnStar for free? OnStar should show TPMS info in the DIC and diagnostic info at the OnStart Web page for your truck.