2021 Denali died while on the road - 292 total miles

[Fireman591]

Here's the latest. Cylinder 3 had bad valve spring. Turns out this is a known issue from this post back in Sep about a bad batch of valve springs. The dealer is replacing all valve springs as recommended by GM.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/0...dresses-valve-spring-issues-in-gm-v8-engines/

Have a good remainder of the holiday season!

I am turning mine back into GM or taking them to court via Michigan's lemon law. I will know by mid next week. Since my 2021 Tahoe has been in the shop for repairs over 30 days GM is between a rock and a hard space. I found my engine build sticker and discovered it was built on June 9th. So it is safe to say it will be joining the broken valve spring club in the future. With 90 TSBs and multiple recalls it is safe to say the early production units are a headache. I am going to order the exact same vehicle but with the Duramax diesel. It looks like the units rolling off the line have the kinks worked out. We cancelled our trip to Florida. There was no way in hell we were going to load up our kids and a ton of luggage and drive that far with a defective engine. It sucks but better to be safe than sorry. It will only be a local commuter vehicle until the new one arrives. Keep us posted on how your repair is coming along.

 

[Fireman591]

Another 6.2 bites the dust https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/246133-well-crap-catastrophic-engine-failure/

 

[SnowBuck]

I was just trying to pick either a Denali XL or Suburban GC because they've got the 6.2. You've all convinced me...just keep my old Yukon XL with the 5.3 and be happy it doesn't have all these new-car problems!

 

[Fireman591]

I was just trying to pick either a Denali XL or Suburban GC because they've got the 6.2. You've all convinced me...just keep my old Yukon XL with the 5.3 and be happy it doesn't have all these new-car problems!

I have been through hell with mine but have no problem ordering a new one this week if GM buys mine back or a 2022 this fall when i get the Lemon Law settlement. I would just stay away from dealer stock for now. The ones being built now hopefully have the early production bugs worked out. I loved driving ours and can't wait to get behind wheel of one again.

 

[Fireman591]

Here's the latest. Cylinder 3 had bad valve spring. Turns out this is a known issue from this post back in Sep about a bad batch of valve springs. The dealer is replacing all valve springs as recommended by GM.

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/0...dresses-valve-spring-issues-in-gm-v8-engines/

Have a good remainder of the holiday season!

Just wondering how it is going with the spring replacement? Are you back in service or does the dealer still have your ride?

 

[Leon00000]

I have been through hell with mine but have no problem ordering a new one this week if GM buys mine back or a 2022 this fall when i get the Lemon Law settlement. I would just stay away from dealer stock for now. The ones being built now hopefully have the early production bugs worked out. I loved driving ours and can't wait to get behind wheel of one again.

How s your truck going? Canada has no Lemon laws and i am start to worried..

 

[Fireman591]

How s your truck going? Canada has no Lemon laws and i am start to worried..

So far so good. I have around 1800 miles on it and the valve springs are holding up. Should have a lemon Law settlement before summer. It will most likely be a cash deal. Our lawyers said buybacks are rare these days. I will most likely purchase a 2022 Tahoe LT with the diesel depending on the amount of the settlement and value of my current 2021. That all depends on how the New 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and Toyota Sequoia turn out. I might get one of those instead.

 

[Goldenbear03]

My wife's 2021 Escalade experienced the same thing the OP described this morning while using cruise control at 73mph. I happened to be driving and took it straight to the dealer and now I wait. We just got the "Service Levelling System" crap worked out last week and it's back this week for "engine misfire." I'm not the happiest of campers.

 

[Fireman591]

My wife's 2021 Escalade experienced the same thing the OP described this morning while using cruise control at 73mph. I happened to be driving and took it straight to the dealer and now I wait. We just got the "Service Levelling System" crap worked out last week and it's back this week for "engine misfire." I'm not the happiest of campers.

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it is something simple and not a blown valve and/or valve spring. How many miles on your 6.2?

 

[Goldenbear03]

Right at 4,500 miles. I spoke to the dealership for an update late yesterday afternoon and they think it’s a fuel injection issue of some sort. It continued to give technicians problems yesterday morning, but they couldn’t replicate the problem in the afternoon. They’re going to get back at it this morning. I specifically asked about the valve spring issue, but that wouldn’t make sense if the issue is on again, off again. I’ll keep you all posted.

 

[Fireman591]

Right at 4,500 miles. I spoke to the dealership for an update late yesterday afternoon and they think it’s a fuel injection issue of some sort. It continued to give technicians problems yesterday morning, but they couldn’t replicate the problem in the afternoon. They’re going to get back at it this morning. I specifically asked about the valve spring issue, but that wouldn’t make sense if the issue is on again, off again. I’ll keep you all posted.

A fuel issue took mine out of service for 32 days. The fuel control module failed at 616 miles. GM had a hard time getting the part last fall. I ended up getting a new module, fuel pump and fuel tank. That control module is more advanced than the silverado since the tahoes and yukons can shut down up to 7 cylinders to save fuel. Please keep us posted

 

[SAdude]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it is something simple and not a blown valve and/or valve spring. How many miles on your 6.2?

I keep hearing mention of this valve spring issue but I think I've only heard one tahoe/yukon owner on forums actually verify that they have experienced this issue. I would expect to hear alot of people complaining on forums if this were a significant widespread issue. Doesn't seem like anything to be concerned about and if it's going to fail I would imagine that would happen well within the warranty period.

 

[Fireman591]

I keep hearing mention of this valve spring issue but I think I've only heard one tahoe/yukon owner on forums actually verify that they have experienced this issue. I would expect to hear alot of people complaining on forums if this were a significant widespread issue. Doesn't seem like anything to be concerned about and if it's going to fail I would imagine that would happen well within the warranty period.

Just follow the pick up truck forums. They have lots of members vs the Tahoe-Yukon forums. Also the corvette and camaro forums have plenty or blown spring posts. These 5.3 and 6.2 engines all came from the same plants with the batch of valve springs that were not properly heat treated. Some have blown leaving the car carrier and some have blown around 7000 miles. No recall from GM. There answer is to make the repair as these engines blow up. Pretty great huh? https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/243709-gm-service-bulletin-for-faulty-valve-springs/#comments

 

[SAdude]

Just follow the pick up truck forums. They have lots of members vs the Tahoe-Yukon forums. Also the corvette and camaro forums have plenty or blown spring posts. These 5.3 and 6.2 engines all came from the same plants with the batch of valve springs that were not properly heat treated. Some have blown leaving the car carrier and some have blown around 7000 miles. No recall from GM. There answer is to make the repair as these engines blow up. Pretty great huh? https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/243709-gm-service-bulletin-for-faulty-valve-springs/#comments

Even with the handful of people reporting issues on that thread, still seems like a very very small amount of affected vehicles. They sell mass quantities of these engines. The way these forums work is everybody and their mama posts when their engine blows up, if this was a widespread issue you would hear alot more about it. Not something I'll stress about. Chances are the vast majority of owners will run the life of their truck without this being a problem. I don't doubt there are ticking time bombs out there, just seems a bit blown out of proportion on some of these threads with very few owners actually reporting a failure.

 

[Fireman591]

Even with the handful of people reporting issues on that thread, still seems like a very very small amount of affected vehicles. They sell mass quantities of these engines. The way these forums work is everybody and their mama posts when their engine blows up, if this was a widespread issue you would hear alot more about it. Not something I'll stress about. Chances are the vast majority of owners will run the life of their truck without this being a problem. I don't doubt there are ticking time bombs out there, just seems a bit blown out of proportion on some of these threads with very few owners actually reporting a failure.

I hear ya. I am just glad GM had my vehicle in the shop over 30+ days for another issue. It activated our states lemon law and gives me a way out legally. I will feel better with a later production model with the diesel

 

[Geotrash]

Down in the basement in the 2007-2014 section, we occasionally see valve spring failures as well, and sometimes it happens at higher mileage. As these new trucks age, there is ample reason to believe that some of you will experience valve spring failures after the warranty expires. If you plan to keep your trucks for a long time, in my opinion it's wise (and relatively easy) to replace your valve springs with a new set - perhaps just after your warranty expires. I did it as part of a cam swap project on my 2012, partly to retain peace of mind as the miles add up, and partly to get stronger springs capable of handling the greater valve lift provided by the new cam.

 

[Fireman591]

Down in the basement in the 2007-2014 section, we occasionally see valve spring failures as well, and sometimes it happens at higher mileage. As these new trucks age, there is ample reason to believe that some of you will experience valve spring failures after the warranty expires. If you plan to keep your trucks for a long time, in my opinion it's wise (and relatively easy) to replace your valve springs with a new set - perhaps just after your warranty expires. I did it as part of a cam swap project on my 2012, partly to retain peace of mind as the miles add up, and partly to get stronger springs capable of handling the greater valve lift provided by the new cam.

Depending on the Lemon Law settlement if we decide to keep our Tahoe one of the first things we are going to do is replace the valve springs with reliable aftermarket ones. The confidence I have right now for our engine is in the ******* Not a happy camper that GM is rolling the dice knowing darn well engines are failing across the country due to valve spring failure. Hopefully no one will get hurt or killed when their engine fails and the driver loses power But hey on the bright side GM recalled my vehicle for headlight color. I guess that shade of blue was such a huge safety issue

 

[BourbonNcigars]

Hate to read about all these issues. It's not just here, either. Man I wish I could find a pre-2006 Z71 Tahoe with about 20k miles. I'd pay a lot for it.

 

[SAdude]

Hate to read about all these issues. It's not just here, either. Man I wish I could find a pre-2006 Z71 Tahoe with about 20k miles. I'd pay a lot for it.

Such is true on any new car forum. Plenty of happy owners of these new trucks racking up thousands of miles...including myself and others I know personally. However, anyone who buys GM expecting to be problem free didn't do their research. Not the most reliable brand but very capable family haulers and some damn cool features.

 

[BourbonNcigars]

Not the most reliable brand but very capable family haulers and some damn cool features.

Therein lies the problem. If the customer is always right (continues to buy unreliable vehicles), then why change the formula? By lowering accepted standards we reinforce the lack of positive change. Whether the car/truck is 80% "good" is totally irrelevant. We're talking about $65K+ vehicles. Regardless of manufacturer.

People have always been their own worst enemy in almost any facet of life. This one is no different. Stop buying from a company and they'll find out why. Unless they get a heaping pile of cash from the government to keep producing "mostly good" products. I'll admit that as someone who makes a living doing consulting in manufacturing that I may be more sensitive to this area than most, but I say that's a good thing.

Consumers are in charge. They just don't know that and don't act collectively on it.