Shifter wobble

batman900 · August 27, 2019

Interesting TSB. My 2018 was loose and I got used to it, I thought it was normal. With my April build 2019 it's so tight that I keep skipping past drive by accident due to the force needed to shift it. On the subject of cheap plastics, the little clear rubber covers were still over my climate control faces when I got my truck, gently pulling those off also pulled out the plastic faces of the buttons lmao.

Moend · August 27, 2019

7 hours ago, OnTheReel said:

Dunno. Even if they were torque to yield, which I doubt, it shouldn’t matter anyway if they weren’t never tight in the first place! At any rate, there must be some other issue if yours were tight and you still have the wobble.

I just have a lot of difficulty accepting it. It may be “normal” but it sure ain’t right. When even my wife asked me if it should be loose like that going down the road, it obviously looks like something is wrong, to even an outsider.

I should hear back tomorrow with an update. If they decline a repair because the bolts are tight, one might have to go in there, loosen them a turn or two and take the thing to another dealer...

See another thing I don't have much trust in the dealership around me. From previous experiences. I learned not to bring little things like this to them. 1. They usually manage to brake something in the process or leave too many marks (not sure if they use butcher knives as pry tools or what) 2. Best case the issue will be slightly better but not completely addressed

Happened to me when I had my speakers swapped on my old truck, had to go after them and clean every thing up. Because they had Taz working on it.

OnTheReel · August 27, 2019

Well, the dealer agreed that mine had beyond what they consider an acceptable amount of play, and did order a column for me. They are back-ordered (of course), so I don’t know when it will be actually replaced, but I’m happy to hopefully not have to deal with it too much longer.

Thomcat · August 28, 2019

On 8/26/2019 at 11:31 PM, OnTheReel said:

Dunno. Even if they were torque to yield, which I doubt, it shouldn’t matter anyway if they weren’t never tight in the first place! At any rate, there must be some other issue if yours were tight and you still have the wobble.

I just have a lot of difficulty accepting it. It may be “normal” but it sure ain’t right. When even my wife asked me if it should be loose like that going down the road, it obviously looks like something is wrong, to even an outsider.

I should hear back tomorrow with an update. If they decline a repair because the bolts are tight, one might have to go in there, loosen them a turn or two and take the thing to another dealer...

.02

Just for laughs and free coffee. popcorn and donuts, went to the dealer with a copy of the listed TSB complaining of a loose shift lever in Drive. Head service rep looked up the TSB against my VIN and said it didn't apply. Makes sense since I have a May '19 build and the TSB is Mar. '19. I checked other later ones in the lot and they were also "loose" in Drive.

Service bays were light on Tue. and he was curious so I got instant service. He had one of the mechanics come and pull the shrouds so we could examine the mechanism. I looked and confirmed that the two bolts were tight and the looseness/sloppyness in the lever disappeared when shifted to gear and locked in Park, R, N or L, .......evidently this loose motion has to do with operating past a cockscomb mechanism so the shift lever can get forward motion to lock firmly into L, R or Park detents.

Appeared to be a rationale explanation and I haven't had any "Shift into Park" messages or problems so I'll go with it, for now.

OnTheReel · August 28, 2019

That’s all good and well, but my 2016 didn’t bounce around, my 2007 didn’t bounce around, none of these bounced around until they changed steering column suppliers for this generation.

If the new column is the same I will live with it, but the dealer compared mine to others on the lot and said mine had more slop, and ordered the replacement.

OnTheReel · September 11, 2019

Just to put a bow around this, they replaced the column and I got it back today. Complete night and day difference, shifter doesn’t jump up and down, or move at all every time I hit bumps. Still has a tiny bit of up/down movement in “drive” but about half as much as before and much tighter feeling.

Very happy with the result and nothing was damaged in the process, so even better! If it annoys anyone else as much as it did me, you know what to do...

Edited September 11, 2019 by OnTheReel

Moend · September 12, 2019

21 hours ago, OnTheReel said:

Just to put a bow around this, they replaced the column and I got it back today. Complete night and day difference, shifter doesn’t jump up and down, or move at all every time I hit bumps. Still has a tiny bit of up/down movement in “drive” but about half as much as before and much tighter feeling.

Very happy with the result and nothing was damaged in the process, so even better! If it annoys anyone else as much as it did me, you know what to do...

Thank you for sharing. Based on the feed back I got here. I am convinced to bring it over to the dealership and have them fix it. It is going to the shop Monday for hail damage repair.

OnTheReel · September 12, 2019

26 minutes ago, Moend said:

Thank you for sharing. Based on the feed back I got here. I am convinced to bring it over to the dealership and have them fix it. It is going to the shop Monday for hail damage repair.

Good luck, might as well have it done if the truck is going to be out of commission anyway. Took them about a week or a little more to get the column, and two days to install it.

Moend · September 12, 2019

1 hour ago, OnTheReel said:

Good luck, might as well have it done if the truck is going to be out of commission anyway. Took them about a week or a little more to get the column, and two days to install it.

I live in a small town. I hope they don't give me the run around and give me a rental truck if they were going to keep it longer than 1 day.

Thanks again

f8l vnm · September 14, 2019

Wish GM has shortened the shifter even by 3 inches

Tx_Bowtie · September 17, 2019

Got mine back last week. The steering column due to the TSB, took 1 month to get.

Moend · September 18, 2019

Yeah, called the dealership and asked them to order the part so when I bring it in next Monday they can work on fixing it. They want to see the truck first. Problem is the truck is at the body shop getting chubbed up after the hail storm.. so there goes another wasted day for their tech to check it out and me waiting on part for months... Frustrating.

OnTheReel · September 18, 2019

Yeah, unfortunately they have to “go through the motions” before GM will approve and pay for the part. With this problem, it’s obvious what needs to be replaced. But I’m sure there are dummies who would call and tell the dealer they need one thing, when something completely different is the actual problem.

It is worth the trouble though. Just hope the strike doesn’t totally screw this up for ya.

Moend · September 18, 2019

15 minutes ago, OnTheReel said:

Yeah, unfortunately they have to “go through the motions” before GM will approve and pay for the part. With this problem, it’s obvious what needs to be replaced. But I’m sure there are dummies who would call and tell the dealer they need one thing, when something completely different is the actual problem.

It is worth the trouble though. Just hope the strike doesn’t totally screw this up for ya.

Crazy I know. Going to leave it at that. Deleted all my political opinions because I am sure they will make people upset and its a car forum after all.

Moend · January 24, 2020

So after back and forth with the dealer it was no use, but since then I have brought it to another dealer in town GMC dealer this time and still proceeded to tell me its normal. Its been going back and forth for about 3 months now for another unrelated issue. Today when I went to pick it up the technician told me he heard that I complained about the shifter and said he felt it wasn't normal comparing to his 2011 truck and said this could be normal for 2019 trucks. Long story short. We tried a new 2020 off the lot and both agreed it was night and day different. I told him there is a TSB on the gm-truck forum he said he can't use this forum for documentation but have to find the TSB on their system. I told him all the information I found here to aid him with his search. 2 min later he found it in their system and now I am waiting for the new steering wheel column

Thank you guys very much couldn't done it without you!!

Cheers, Moe