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New 2021 Sierra 1500 SLT with Major Mechanical Issues Already, what should I do?

dwpearl03
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dwpearl03 New Member

dwpearl03

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I bought a brand new 2021 Sierra 1500 2WD SLT at the end of November last year. It has already had multiple strange issues and yesterday it had a major mechanical issue. Check engine light flashing, multiple error messages popping up and a major vibration/shaking issue at idle. It felt like it was about to die. I got it straight to the dealership. They think that it has a bent push rod and lifter and they aren't sure about the cam. Something similar happened to my 2010 Avalanche with 180,000 miles on it, not 8000! That's the reason I got rid of my Avalanche and bought a new car. I was tired of dealing with repairs.

 

Anyways, I know this is a major repair. I am stressed and unhappy to be having a major issue with a brand new car. Should I be concerned about this devaluing the car? Should I be concerned about it needing future repairs? What should I ask for in return? A replacement car? A partial refund? Extended warranties? I've never bought a new car so I don't know how this all works.

 

By the way, it's also having weird electrical issues like the heater turning on instead of the AC. My heated seat turned on in the middle of my drive even though none of the buttons were on. The blinker seems to have irregularities as well. My driver door howls on windy days. These all seem like issues a brand new truck shouldn't be having.

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I don't plan on letting all of these issues occur without some form of compensation.

Adamace1 Enthusiast

Adamace1

Posted
Posted

If you have bought a few or alot of GM vehicles in the past. I would think it could be helpful to write gm and nicely let them know your upset with such a major repair with such low miles. Ask if they could reassure you with an extension on your factor warranty. Might not get any but it's worth a try. But that's all I think is reasonable to ask for, just for them to please a customer by standing behind their product with a longer warranty.

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bwoodsmn Enthusiast

bwoodsmn

Posted
Posted

Ok - first things first - you need the dealer to diagnose exactly happened with your engine.  Once you know that, we can help with some of the questions you ask, but right now it's too early.

 

For the electrical gremlins and such - have you had the dealer look at these?  Start tracking the days that your truck is in the shop - you will need to know that later to build your case for why you deserve compensation, if they can't fix your truck.

 

Did they give you a loaner to drive?  You definitely want a loaner - your truck may be down for awhile.

 

Let us know what the dealer says the problem with the engine is!

blckblt Enthusiast

blckblt

Posted
Posted

Make sure your fuse box is all set (bolts tight).

https://www.tsbsearch.com/Chevrolet/PIT5756

 

On my 2020 (since traded) I had some electrical gremlins and when I checked all of my fuses seemed to be loose.  I could push them all back in.  All of my bolts were tight (dealer verified and inspected per the TSB guidance).  After that I didn't have any more issues.

 

This thread may be helpful.  While not the exact same problem a lot of electrical problems are caused by the same issues.

 

dwpearl03 New Member

dwpearl03

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Thanks everyone for the thoughts so far. It will be sometime next week before I get more solid information on the diagnosis. I will be sure to post the details once I find them out. I’m waiting on a loaner. They don’t have any at the dealership. I’m trying to work with GMC customer service to get one through Enterprise in the mean time. Ridiculous. I am supposed to be able to get one if they have the vehicle over 24 hours. 

Sir Dan Enthusiast

Sir Dan

Posted
Posted

Sadly, the general has gone down the old crapper lately. Mostly with poor engine component and tech quality. 

dwpearl03 New Member

dwpearl03

Posted
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The results are in. Two bent push rods on the same cylinder. Apparently they have had several 2020/2021 trucks with the same cylinder getting bent push rods. That makes no sense to me why it would be the same cylinder on these trucks but I'm well educated on it. Should I be worried about any long term concerns with this repair? Thanks in advance.

Steve-2019 Enthusiast

Steve-2019

Posted
Posted
On 5/5/2021 at 1:16 PM, dwpearl03 said:

The results are in. Two bent push rods on the same cylinder. Apparently they have had several 2020/2021 trucks with the same cylinder getting bent push rods. That makes no sense to me why it would be the same cylinder on these trucks but I'm well educated on it. Should I be worried about any long term concerns with this repair? Thanks in advance.

Hopefully they will scope the cylinder to make sure there is no damage.

Joe Clarke New Member

Joe Clarke

Posted
Posted

I also have a 2021 1500 with the 5.3 engine. It is a month old with 2300 mile on it. I had a engine knock the other day and the truck had to be towed to the dealer. They are telling be it is a stuck valve and that they have to replace all the valves and that they have several other trucks with the same problem and that there is a bulletin on it that 90% of the truck are going to have this problem. As a result there is no parts available and they have no idea how long the truck will be down. 

dwpearl03 New Member

dwpearl03

Posted
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Joe, that’s very irritating. I’m waiting on parts as well. The service rep at the dealership told me that it’s always the same cylinder and that they haven’t had any need to come back for service after repairs. Unfortunately that’s less than two years of results to pull from. 

  • 2 months later...
Teresa Rudzik New Member

Teresa Rudzik

Posted
Posted

I purchased a 2021 gmc serria 6.2l has 7100 miles. Running 70mph and started shaking. Dealership told me to go thru onstar and have it towed. Closest dealer was 25 miles away and no mechanic. Next was 55 miles away and I had to pay 109$ for the extra miles.  If I want a loner I haft to go thru a rental.  No idea when I'll get my truck back.  Parts on back order... could be months. Hope it is a permanent fix.

jpass12 Enthusiast

jpass12

Posted
Posted

Seems like all three engines have their Achilles heel. When I was researching GMC Sierras, I mostly concentrated on the 3.0 duramax and I almost didn't buy the truck based on what I was seeing. Right now I have a little over 400 miles driven since new. Knock on wood nothing major happens. I already had one crank no start incident at 123 miles. Hope your trucks get back on the road soon! I love my AT4. It drives nice and smooth and you can't deny Sierras are the best looking trucks out there. 

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