Quick News About GMC Sierra 1500 Problems

Short stories about GMC Sierra 1500 recalls, lawsuits, and other interesting bits. Signup to have these stories emailed to you for free from CarComplaints.com.

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  1. GM did the right thing by recalling ineffective seat belts a few years back. It just would have been so much better if they used the right replacement parts.

    Now to be fair, only 2,800 of the over 1 million recalled vehicles ended up with the wrong pretensioner cable assemblies but considering the last recalls were in 2016 and 2018 this probably won't sit well with the owners driving around with the wrong seat belts for the last few years.…

    keep reading article "GM Accidentally Gave 2,800 Vehicles The Wrong Seat Belts in Previous Recalls"

  2. A federal investigation wants to know if rusty connectors are preventing 2020-2021 GM airbags from deploying.

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has received six reports of severe crashes where the airbags didn't deploy in GM vehicles, despite those vehicles receiving "significant frontal damage." All six crashes resulted in injuries.…

    keep reading article "Government Investigates Airbag Failures in Full Size 2020-2021 GM Vehicles"

  3. Toss another lawsuit onto the ever-growing pile of GM Vortec oil consumption cases.

    The Missouri based class-action is the latest in a series of suits saying the 5.3L Vortec engine churns through oil because of defects in the low-tension piston rings. The problem is compounded by GM's questionably designed oil life monitoring system which doesn't warn owners when oil levels get dangerously low.

    In fact the system doesn't monitor oil levels at all, just the quality of the oil itself. So while the engine may be dry and on the verge of collapse, rest assured that last quart of oil is still in tip-top shape. 👍🏼…

    keep reading article "Missouri Vortec Oil Consumption Lawsuit Latest in a Series Against GM"

  5. You’ve barely had a chance to get your 2019 truck dirty before buzzkill GM comes knocking for a recall of damaged airbag control modules.

    The busted module means the passenger side airbag might not deploy in a crash … or maybe it will? No-one really knows and that’s kind of the point.

    The recall covers the 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 / GMC Sierra 1500 and is expected to begin on December 26th. I’m glad they didn’t plan it for the 24th, the traffic can be awful with all those grandma and reindeer collisions.

    keep reading article "GM Shipped 2019 Trucks with Damaged Airbags"

  6. A lawsuit says a failed vacuum pump in GM’s brake boosters can make the brake pedal extremely hard to push

    , leading to longer stopping distances and accidents.

    While investigating a rear-end collision involving the lead plaintiff ”GM told her she should read the manual to understand how the brakes worked.” Nothing says “we value our customers” like accusing them of not knowing how brakes work. GM promised to fix the plaintiff’s bumper in exchange for confidentiality. Obviously this didn’t go over well.

    keep reading article "Lawsuit Says GM Owners Should be Worried About Vacuum Pump Problems Creating Stiff Break Pedals"

  7. A lawsuit regarding the GMC Sierra’s “inadequate” headlights is still burning bright in a California court.

    The plaintiffs allege GM made changes in the bulbs, assemblies and operation of the headlights … GM allegedly changed to projector-style headlights with single bulbs, smaller reflectors, two lenses each and shutters to switch between high and low beams that work from a single voltage source.

    The lawsuit was filed back in 2015 after owners started questioning GM’s headlight redesign for the 2014 and 2015 model years.

    Look – if you saw one of these trucks driving in the oncoming lane at night, I wouldn’t blame you if you confused it for a pair of mopeds with weak batteries. It’s that bad.

    keep reading article "The Sierra’s Dim Headlights Are Under a Spotlight"

  9. Plaintiffs in the case regarding excessive oil consumption in GM's 5.3L Vortec 5300 engines have switched gears.

    The original case was tossed out by a judge last year, but the plaintiffs were given a chance to ammend their complaints. So they've switched their focus into a potentially defective oil pressure warning system that doesn't properly monitor oil levels and can lead to early engine failure.…

    keep reading article "Vortec Engine Excessive Oil Lawsuit Takes Aim At Monitoring System"

  10. The judge looking into last year's Vortec excessive oil consumption lawsuit does not seem to buying claims that the engine is defective.

    The case has been tossed out. Concerning owner-reported complaints, the judge found those owners talk about excessive oil consumption but they don't specifically say what is causing the oil consumption. As for the bulletin sent to dealerships, it doesn't say anything about the oil rings and sending the bulletin doesn't mean GM believed the Vortec engines were defective.

    So ... the judge says the plaintiffs don't specifically say what's causing the problem. But in the next breath, the judge says there's no mention of the plaintiff's claims of defective oil rings in TSBs sent by GM to dealerships.

    I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.…

    keep reading article "Vortec Engine Excessive Oil Lawsuit Shot Down by a Judge"

  11. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of certain 2010-2013 GM owners with 5.3L V8 Vortec 5300 engines.

    According to the plaintiffs, changes to the engine design allow oil to enter the combustion chamber, leading to excessive oil consumption and premature engine failure.

    The lawsuit says GM 5.3L oil consumption problems are caused by defective piston rings, PVC systems and "active fuel management" (AFM) systems that cause the spark plugs to wear out prematurely and the engines to experience all kinds of malfunctions.

    The problem may be due to low-tension oil rings and a new PVC system, both of which are allowing too much oil to enter the combustion chambers to burn off early.…

    keep reading article "Excessive Oil Consumption in the 5.3-L V8 Vortec 5300 Engine?"

  12. The modules that help control the airbags and seat belt pretensioners in a crash aren't working in 4 million GM vehicles, prompting a massive recall

    that includes the GMC Sierra 1500/2500/3500, and Yukon. GM received an internal report in May relating to the crash of a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado where the driver’s frontal airbag and seatbelt pretensioners were alleged not to have deployed.

    GM opened an investigation into the issue in June and contacted Delphi, the supplier of the sensing and diagnostic module. The automaker gathered additional electronic data recorder records from other incidents where the same crash symptoms occurred.

    The modules will need to be reprogrammed, GM just doesn't know when yet.

    keep reading article "GMC Part of a Massive Recall for Failing Airbag and Seat Belt Sensors"

  13. GM isn't arguing against claims that the 2014-2015 GMC Sierra has some terrible headlights

    , just that the lawsuits against them don't prove it. GM argues truck owners don't allege the lights malfunction in any way, so the case should be dismissed because other lawsuits have been dismissed because of similar claims.

    The plaintiffs are worried ineffective lights will lead to more nighttime crashes, but GM says they have no data to back it up. If the automaker actually needs data for that, then I'm not sure which is dimmer --- the headlights or GM itself.

    keep reading article "GM Wants Sierra Headlight Lawsuits Dropped"

  14. GM is recalling nearly 4,800 new trucks and SUVs

    , and telling their owners to stop driving until their front upper control arms can be repaired. The automaker blames the problem on a bad weld near the control arm bushing, a problem the automaker discovered on a GMC Yukon XL Denali. The faulty weld can cause the control arm to change shape and eventually separate.

    If you own a 2016 GMC Sierra, Yukon, or Yukon XL you should call your local service center right away. While you're on the phone, ask them about getting a tow for repairs and how to get a loaner vehicle in the meantime.…

    keep reading article "Some GMC Owners Asked to Stop Driving Until Suspension Can Be Repaired"

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