Air Ride Adaptive Suspension failure in cold climates?

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kcb14214

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You guys might be right on that. Been a while since I sold that truck. Fastest off the shelf ride I ever had, and I did headers, cai, exhaust and a tune to it. That SS sounded and handled awesome. But I remember those air bags were loud, at lights, when you parked it, etc. but they worked great. I still miss that truck.
 

olyelr

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I do wish they offered a rear only system. I like the auto leveling aspect of the air susp. but right now to get that you have to go with the full four corner system.
They have been offering rear coil springs with auto leveling air shocks for a loooooooong time in the full size suv market, which in my opinion is much better than just an air system alone. Are you saying the irs rigs now dont have auto leveling shocks anymore? I honestly havnt looked under the back of my wifes high country to see. I will be really disappointed if they dont. I knew I didnt want full air suspension, but would absolutely like the air shocks.
 

NYisles1

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They have been offering rear coil springs with auto leveling air shocks for a loooooooong time in the full size suv market, which in my opinion is much better than just an air system alone. Are you saying the irs rigs now dont have auto leveling shocks anymore? I honestly havnt looked under the back of my wifes high country to see. I will be really disappointed if they dont. I knew I didnt want full air suspension, but would absolutely like the air shocks.
Yes --- on the current generation the only load leveling suspension is the full 4 corner air suspension. The MRC shocks don't auto-level.
 

olyelr

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Yes --- on the current generation the only load leveling suspension is the full 4 corner air suspension. The MRC shocks don't auto-level.
Well thats a bunch of shit. They have had mrc air shocks in the rear for years…wtf.
 

R32driver

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Have they ever even had air ride before?

I know they have had air assist shocks in the rear of the suv’s for eons, but what other gm vehicle has had full on air suspension besides these new ones?

I know the rear air shocks in my wifes last 16 denali lasted over 100k miles with not a lick of an issue. And we live in northern michigan.
I guess I wasn't trying to say full on air ride, but more the rear air shocks that wear out and fail on a pretty regular basis and leave your ride quality all clapped out. As it recall it's pretty common on the caddys over the years. Lots of broke ass looking fords running around too with failed air shocks. Or be it compressor failure or a broken air line or whatever. Conventional suspension doesn't just give up the ghost overnight like can and does happen with air shocks. More complicated system just means more complicated problems IMO
 

olyelr

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I guess I wasn't trying to say full on air ride, but more the rear air shocks that wear out and fail on a pretty regular basis and leave your ride quality all clapped out. As it recall it's pretty common on the caddys over the years. Lots of broke ass looking fords running around too with failed air shocks. Or be it compressor failure or a broken air line or whatever. Conventional suspension doesn't just give up the ghost overnight like can and does happen with air shocks. More complicated system just means more complicated problems IMO
Yes i do agree to an extent. Full on air suspension scares me…one little failure and the entire suspension can be on the bumpstops. I find it crazy that some big rigs (simis, dump trucks etc.) have full air suspension too.

I know there are many instances of failure, just with the height adjustable rear air shocks (which is not full air suspension). My wife has put over a few hundred thousand combined miles on her full size gm suv’s with rear air assist shocks and never had a lick of issue. I love the system because it does a wonderful job at keeping the vehicle level when loaded. Hook a heavy trailer up, the shocks start pumping up and level the rig. Load the seats up with people and you can hear the compressor kick on to handle the added weight in the cabin. Its a great system, WHEN IT WORKS lol.
 

todayusay

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any thoughts on this?
2021 AT4 yukon - 39k miles
I put the suspension in service mode and it still does it

 
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ND Airstream

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HA!!!!!! I did not even see that lol…that is nuts to see on a brand new rig…didnt know that was still a thing!
Agreed - not sure that I have seen another one like that - I originally posted the pic. My (now former) Yukon is the one to the right. I drove by the lot this evening - two more added to the waiting-for-parts pile - five weeks and counting for repair parts. I sold mine back to a GM dealer last week. It is an interesting world for sure - drove it a year and it was still worth more than what I paid (including the lost sales tax). Now, I am patiently waiting to see whether German engineering can live up to its reputation (I know that is naive). Anyone know if there’s a board for MB GLS450’s!?! Take care.
 

JLC05

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A new member thankful for the wisdom of this group. I have a '21 Yukon AT4 with ~11K miles. Initially, problems manifest as "service leveling system" and inability to adjust height of ride. First trip to dealer during minus zero weather - no resolution as it was "showing no codes" at time and suspension control started responding again with a software update. Week later (still around 0 degrees), same message came back with additional control (DSC?) related messages including something about engine combustion - dealer captured all codes sent me home (suspension still had air but would not adjust/inflate) with a new appointment for addition overnight diagnosis. Two days later (before the appointment and still seasonably frigid for January in North Dakota), total suspension failure on the front - front tires bowed in - virtually like riding on a steel wheeled steam tractor. Service advisor now says needs a total system rebuild - laundry list of parts. Been waiting for parts for almost two weeks - no ETA on parts - no loaner from the dealer to add insult. Most concerning - it is parked in a dealer storage lot a mile away from the dealership with roughly 8 or 9 other '21's in very similar (deflated) condition some lower than others and some without full front tire tread after driving to the dealer - I am concerned that the wait could be significant and that the fix is adequate. Anyone have any intel on an engineered fix and/or availability of these parts? Looks like these units weren't ready for the cold.View attachment 360980
Hello,
I’m wondering if there is any update on this? I’m having the same issue. 2021 Yukon at4 with 9k miles, had it for about 9mo, went to drive in slightly below zero temps (after warming up for about 30 min) & had suspension failure almost immediately (with 2/3 kids in my car). It was not a fun situation.
Front end was pretty much on the ground.
Had it towed to dealership immediately & still no one has an answer or a solution. They also have no loaners.
This has been over 3 weeks!!!
Last week they reached out and said “GM is aware of the situation but they have no solutions. So you can pick it up, drive it and if it happens again bring it back”.
Are you kidding me??! Yea, no. I’m not jeopardizing my family’s safety.
I have been trying to contact someone for a rental at least. We cannot be without a second vehicle any longer .
Has anyone on this forum had any luck at all? Any progress or solutions? What are they offering you if they can’t fix it??
Very frustrated over here.
Thanks in advance!!
 
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Stbentoak

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Mine is in for a "Service restraint system" error. I'm in the same boat, the part needed has NO eta and is out of stock nationally. They can barely produce enough for the line to be fed VS any for the owners out there with quarantined vehicles... Was told it could be 2 months easily... was told I couldn't drive it due to passenger safety.
 

BrokerThis

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@Stbentoak you seem to have good input/advise on all fronts... with having this setback on the service error, given the chance to swap out rigs, would you take one with air ride or just go MRC?
 

Stbentoak

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My air ride has been flawless, and it just floats down the road. I had air ride in my last Grand Cherokee for 6 years and over 100K miles, gave me no problems....
I have no reason to not like it so far. I'm very happy with my rig overall, just disappointed in these supply chain issues. I know it affects all industries and people everywhere are waiting on things and paying more than ever. I think in this climate, you take what you can get if you need a vehicle...we don't have the luxury of picking and choosing "Nice to haves" anymore...
 
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ND Airstream

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Hello,
I’m wondering if there is any update on this? I’m having the same issue. 2021 Yukon at4 with 9k miles, had it for about 9mo, went to drive in slightly below zero temps (after warming up for about 30 min) & had suspension failure almost immediately (with 2/3 kids in my car). It was not a fun situation.
Front end was pretty much on the ground.
Had it towed to dealership immediately & still no one has an answer or a solution. They also have no loaners.
This has been over 3 weeks!!!
Last week they reached out and said “GM is aware of the situation but they have no solutions. So you can pick it up, drive it and if it happens again bring it back”.
Are you kidding me??! Yea, no. I’m not jeopardizing my family’s safety.
I have been trying to contact someone for a rental at least. We cannot be without a second vehicle any longer .
Has anyone on this forum had any luck at all? Any progress or solutions? What are they offering you if they can’t fix it??
Very frustrated over here.
Thanks in advance!!
Sorry to hear about your trouble - it is shocking and ended my lifelong support for the brand - more than ten yukons or 'burbans in total for me - most were new. I too was sent home the first time only to have it collapse completely and start the from tires wearing in an unsafe manner. Update that you request - about three weeks into waiting for a long list of parts (with no loaner), I gave up and sold my '21 AT4 to the GM dealership that is now attempting to repair it - different dealer than the selling dealership and my sale had nothing to do with lemon law for what that it is worth. Because of the bizarrely constrained world we live in, I literally got more $ for it than what I paid new, a year ago after 11k miles, even after accounting for lost sales tax - maybe that's a route for you - check the KBB values. Because my "old" Yukon still sits near a road on my way to and from work, I can see that they must still be waiting on parts in the same spot - that's about a six week wait (probably enough for the applicable lemon law to be relevant if I still had it) though I do see that many of the other units in the same "deflated" condition have now moved from the graveyard and maybe that means a fix is in the works for others??? My research before I sold: most northern tier (cold) dealers were without parts; most of the needed parts are made in Mexico; some northern dealers had failures as the units were unloaded from the transport and had yet to even hit the lot; and finally, some service writers were more open than others and shared that the fixes being recommended were deemed temporary to them. As for a rental, GM (via customer care) will cover ~$50 per day if you can find something but it won't be a $75,000 SUV. As for my research into alternatives, sadly, I am waiting for German engineering to solve all my troubles (joke) as I ordered a '22 Mercedes GLS 450 that should arrive in a month. Sorry this isn't much help for you.
 

GoNoGo

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I wish the temperature described on the NHTSA alert was more defined rather than broadly described as "very cold"..

Never mind, I didn't read the NHTSA article all the way through.. :happy3:


.
 
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WalleyeMikeIII

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I wish the temperature described on the NHTSA alert was more defined rather than broadly described as "very cold"..

..because to someone from Buffalo NY that's like 20 below zero, whereas the wifey here in Georgia thinks 20* is very cold :happy3:


/
It is, it says below 0F (-15C) in the document

1672857896539.png


For us MN folks, thats just a normal day in January/Feb
 

GoNoGo

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Thanks, dunno how I overlooked those specifics, and I shouldn't have any worries living in Georgia :thumbsup:



.
 
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Punteh

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Found this info on nhtsa.gov, apparently there is possible issue w/ the seals in cold temps:


That bulletin seems to identify the 2021 and 2022 models and I'm assuming it identifies the parts to supposedly fix the issue. Do you think that means they used proper seals on 2023 models to hopefully avoid the issue all together? I've been wanting to get an air ride equipped Yukon but then reading about the issues that people have had with air ride in cold weather and living in Northern Ontario has got me second guessing it.
 

WalleyeMikeIII

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That bulletin seems to identify the 2021 and 2022 models and I'm assuming it identifies the parts to supposedly fix the issue. Do you think that means they used proper seals on 2023 models to hopefully avoid the issue all together? I've been wanting to get an air ride equipped Yukon but then reading about the issues that people have had with air ride in cold weather and living in Northern Ontario has got me second guessing it.
Who knows, one would think they would make an engineering change to incorporate fixed seals if that is the problem. I’m in Minnesota and have a 2022. It’s soaked for 10ish hours at -10 already with no issues. About 11.5k miles on the rig. Owned it 11 months now. Was built 1/6/2022. I’d not sweat it and order it up.
 

Punteh

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Who knows, one would think they would make an engineering change to incorporate fixed seals if that is the problem. I’m in Minnesota and have a 2022. It’s soaked for 10ish hours at -10 already with no issues. About 11.5k miles on the rig. Owned it 11 months now. Was built 1/6/2022. I’d not sweat it and order it up.
Like with any vehicle it's one of those things that some vehicles will have issues with and others will be issue free
 
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