Letter - Cycling Thermostat

15 Z71 · November 18, 2018

2 hours ago, mutex said:

I have had this problem on my Silverado Midnight Edition built early 2015 and bought new on July 2015 a month ago.

I went for an oil change at 67000KM and they found my radiator was leaking. At first Dealer asked me to pay for a full repair and then I found the recall on this Forum (Thank you). The Dealer/GM Canada told me the recall was for 2014 models only and they did not want to repair it under the 'Powertrain Warranty'. They asked me to pay 50% of the repair as the initial 3 years warranty was expired. I do not understand why GM does not fully honor this warranty (Powertrain) on early 2015 models that does have the same problem as 2014 models. The GM representative told me GM was doing modifications on their truck every year, but they did repair my truck with the same parts as of the recall. I can also tell the leak was minimal and was probably there for at least a year. Although I am a Chevy fan since I am young, I lost my confidence in GM products and might go elsewhere on my next purchase.

So I would like to advise every Canadian early 2015 owners to ask the dealer to check the Radiator before the initial 3 years warranty expires.

I have read on here lots of people who have had them covered under the power train warranty. Due to the fact that the thermostat caused it.

JS77 · November 19, 2018

That is correct. Had mine done last week. 2014 LT dc 5.3

mutex · February 23, 2019

I had a call a few weeks ago from the dealer telling me my issue on my 2015 Silverado was now fully covered. I received a check to cover the repairs. It was unexpected and I appreciate the fact that GM honored the warranty on my truck.

krazykarl · March 7, 2019

Noticed a faint coolant smell over the past couple months but couldn’t pinpoint the cause, coolant level didn’t seem to change. With the cold weather lately in the last week I noticed a small amount of steam coming from the front of the hood and grill after warmed up fully. It appears I have the problem covered by the 15829 Special Coverage Notice, however, my truck is a 2014 5.3L Silverado with 56,018 miles, so it is out of the 5 year coverage window. The local dealer, Symdon Motors, changed my oil today and I inquired about the leak and mentioned the Special Coverage Notice. After the oil change the service advisor indicated that they did find that the radiator had a leak and that they included an estimate of $384 labor and $491 parts to fix it since it was out of the coverage window. I asked if he thought GM would still stand behind it, he indicated that it might be worth a call since it is a known problem. I asked if he had a number to call, he indicated that I should check my manuals.... He also mentioned that they have the radiator in stock and that they could do the work next week. Must be a fairly common issue if they stock the parts....

Does anyone have any advice, number to call, experience getting a special coverage notice covered outside of coverage window?

Andrew Tipton · May 15, 2019

In February i bought a 2015 Silverado Z71 5.3 with 67K miles. Last week i dropped it off at the dealership bc i was getting the coolant smell when i got out of my truck. I gave them the bulletin number #PI1513A after they checked my truck over yep the radiator and thermostat has to be replaced. They are trying to fork me with the whole bill, Is this not covered under the power train warranty? I'd love to get some help on this. Thank you in advance.

Sierra Dan · May 15, 2019

30 minutes ago, Andrew Tipton said:

In February i bought a 2015 Silverado Z71 5.3 with 67K miles. Last week i dropped it off at the dealership bc i was getting the coolant smell when i got out of my truck. I gave them the bulletin number #PI1513A after they checked my truck over yep the radiator and thermostat has to be replaced. They are trying to fork me with the whole bill, Is this not covered under the power train warranty? I'd love to get some help on this. Thank you in advance.

Andrew,

Unfortunately this issue was very common on '14 and '15 models of the Sierra, Silverado and Full size '15 and up Suv's

No it is not powertrain. Powertrain would be Transmission, Engine (internal) etc.

Another item to look out for is the Ac Condenser (in the very front seen thru grille) that develops stress cracks and leaks refrigerant leaving you with blowing hot air.

The Vacuum pump is also another known failure item. You are covered 6 years or 72K miles on that if you notice any slow speed hard braking effort in the pedal.

I take it that your Silverado did not come as a CPO certified pre-owned?

If not, nothing other than powertrain is covered since you are out of the standard warranty period.

There is a 100K corrosion warranty I believe.

Aside from that welcome to the site and club. You will find Plenty of back and current info here on your truck.

Despite these issues as all automakers have them, your Silverado should be a worthy steed!

q.poole · July 31, 2019

Sigh.. Looks like my early 2014 Sierra 1500 is having this issue. I am out of warranty and local shop is charging 1600$ (Canadian dollars) to replace it all.. Local GM dealer was 2600$.

Edited July 31, 2019 by q.poole

Oli4 · September 11, 2019

Sorry to dig up this post.
So maybe 6-12 months after I factory ordered my '14 Sierra All Terrain in Sept 2013, I had a rad leaking. So it was replaced by the dealership at no cost and I got the 'special Coverage 15829'. After this rad, the thing leaked 3 more times and has always been replaced since I was under warranty.

I am currently on radiator no5! This one was installed at the end of June (at my cost because I am long out of warranty).

Guess what. Leaking again!

I want this truck to explode. I HATE THIS THING SO MUCH. Thanks GM for building a shitty product.

krazykarl · September 11, 2019

Was your thermostat replaced during any of the radiator replacements? Since that is what GM said causes the problem.

I purchased a new radiator from Rock Auto earlier this summer and did the radiator swap myself and also installed a new thermostat in the process. No issues so far.

Mozzer · September 11, 2019

Are there any aftermarket rads available or is it GM only?

Sent using Tapatalk - 2014 5.3 WT

Oli4 · October 15, 2019

Yes. I checked my thermostat and looks like it was replaced.(see green dot).

I have written letters to the dealership that did the rad replacement and waterneck to confirm. Which they did.

I currently am also talking to GM customers service to see what's going on here. Because everything was correctly replaced according to the TSB. Waiting for a callback today. Once that is fixed I am flipping this truck. I AM BEYOND DONE.

The Cowardins · November 10, 2019

If you have this problem you should file a complaint with the NHSTA, the Center for Auto Safety, and the BBB.

15NHT · June 15, 2020

Sorry to dig up an old thread.

Took my truck in on Friday after I found that my coolant was disappearing, though with no dripping or any other evidence of a leak. After they pressure tested the system, they concluded the radiator was leaking. I bought this truck GM Certified in March of 2019. The bumper to bumper is required, but my powertrain warranty is still good. I referenced the TSB PI1513F, which has some language in it about making the repairs under powertrain warranty. They told me it wasn't covered. Not only that, I get the truck home, and now it's actually dripping, where it wasn't before.

Has anyone had any luck recently going straight to GM to get this taken care of?

If they won't cover it, I'll do the work myself. Is it worth upgrading to a better radiator? No matter which radiator I go with, I'll get the newer thermostat from GM, so that I don't continue to have issues.

Thanks for your help.

davester · June 16, 2020

Is it actually dripping from the radiator? It wouldn't be the first time a tech misdiagnosed something like this.

15NHT · June 16, 2020

13 hours ago, davester said:

Is it actually dripping from the radiator? It wouldn't be the first time a tech misdiagnosed something like this.

Yes. Not a ton, but definitely dripping. When I dropped it off, it was not. I’ve got a voicemail in to the service manager. Not surprisingly he hasn’t called me back. If I haven’t heard from him by Thursday I’ll go sit in his office until he has time for me.

The language in the TSB literally says it’s all covered under powertrain warranty, despite the fact that the radiator isn’t covered, because the thermostat is the cause. Says it in pretty plain English.