2025/26 L87 NHTSA Engineering Investigation... Recall Imminent?

[Sgt1411]

I saw this today as it appears NHTSA is investigating L87 failures in 2025/26 model year vehicles that GM said had no risk as they were built after the issue was corrected.

 

[CMoore711]

GM should just take them all out; put in L8T’s and be done with it.

 

[Scarey]

?

 

[2024 White Tahoe]

I saw this today as it appears NHTSA is investigating L87 failures in 2025/26 model year vehicles that GM said had no risk as they were built after the issue was corrected.

Any good written summary, as I hate watching videos?

 

[blanchard7684]

14 minute video rehashing the basis for the current recall and hypothesizing that some new lawsuits portend of a future recall for the L87.

 

[TrueAt1stLight]

These YouTube video titles and “summary collage memes” or whatever the hell they’re called are as cringy as it gets.

 

[Vladimir2306]

I already wrote that there were no changes to the L87 engine after July 1, 2024. The engines were and continue to be dead even after 2025. When they were opened up, everything was the same as the 2021-2024 engines.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

I already wrote that there were no changes to the L87 engine after July 1, 2024. The engines were and continue to be dead even after 2025. When they were opened up, everything was the same as the 2021-2024 engines.

I tend to agree with you, Valdimir. But, the changes GM announced they made were to the machining process on the crank shaft journals and the cleaning process.

The purported fail cause was:
- Poor Machining on Crank Shaft Journals
- Improper Cleaning, leaving sediment from the casting.

So, the change GM announced was to pull the crank shaft manufacturing back from the suppliers in Mexico, and put it in house at the Tonawanda, NY powertrain factory. One would expect additional quality assurance activity around the reported defects (machining to the proper smoothness, and proper cleaning). You wouldn't visually see smoother crank journals (but could measure them.) You might notice if there was absence of leftover casting sand (in the form of scratches, presence of debris, etc.)

Or, the other possibility is they changed absolutely nothing; but I am inclined to think something is different, they need to stop the bleeding of the $1B in warranty liability.

 

[Vladimir2306]

I tend to agree with you, Valdimir. But, the changes GM announced they made were to the machining process on the crank shaft journals and the cleaning process.

The purported fail cause was:
- Poor Machining on Crank Shaft Journals
- Improper Cleaning, leaving sediment from the casting.

So, the change GM announced was to pull the crank shaft manufacturing back from the suppliers in Mexico, and put it in house at the Tonawanda, NY powertrain factory. One would expect additional quality assurance activity around the reported defects (machining to the proper smoothness, and proper cleaning). You wouldn't visually see smoother crank journals (but could measure them.) You might notice if there was absence of leftover casting sand (in the form of scratches, presence of debris, etc.)

Or, the other possibility is they changed absolutely nothing; but I am inclined to think something is different, they need to stop the bleeding of the $1B in warranty liability.

However, the issue is not with the crankshaft or the connecting rod journals. On the other side of the world, we have extensively researched crankshafts, disassembling and analyzing them. The crankshaft on the L87 is identical in terms of level and quality of manufacturing to the crankshafts in the 5.3 and 6.2 engines of the previous generation. Therefore, all claims that the production and manufacturing of the crankshaft has been relocated are completely baseless. The part number of the crankshaft has not been altered, and the crankshaft itself has not been modified since July 1, 2024. And the gray earbuds functioned properly on the previous generation 6.2 engines. And the 0-20 oil worked well in the 6.2 engines of the previous generation.
The quality of the engines produced by General Motors is subpar. These engines are unlike any I have ever seen before. It feels like they were assembled in a makeshift workshop, with the feet rather than the hands.
The main issue with these new engines is the improper temperature gaps. They are smaller than they should be.
I have already shared my experience with engine replacement. Here is a photo of the scuff marks on the Teflon piston of my brand-new engine. The pistons on the new engine do not fit freely into the cylinders.
The new L87 was opened out of the box by the technicians, the gaps were drilled according to GM standards, which GM itself could not meet, and then reassembled on the old crankshaft.
Yes, they replaced my gray earbuds with red ones, just in case.
This is a low-quality build, resulting in production products that, if not removed, will cause damage to the liners and crankshaft through abrasion.
We currently have services that swiftly replace the connecting rod liners through the sump, but even this process is not effective without replacing the radiator, oil lines, and oil pump, as the red liners start to show signs of wear after 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
I am referring to the fact that nothing has changed since July 1, 2024. I had hoped that GM would gradually improve their technological process and restore the quality to its former level, but they have not done so. They have continued to operate in the same manner as they did with L87 in forest huts.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

However, the issue is not with the crankshaft or the connecting rod journals. On the other side of the world, we have extensively researched crankshafts, disassembling and analyzing them. The crankshaft on the L87 is identical in terms of level and quality of manufacturing to the crankshafts in the 5.3 and 6.2 engines of the previous generation. Therefore, all claims that the production and manufacturing of the crankshaft has been relocated are completely baseless. The part number of the crankshaft has not been altered, and the crankshaft itself has not been modified since July 1, 2024. And the gray earbuds functioned properly on the previous generation 6.2 engines. And the 0-20 oil worked well in the 6.2 engines of the previous generation.
The quality of the engines produced by General Motors is subpar. These engines are unlike any I have ever seen before. It feels like they were assembled in a makeshift workshop, with the feet rather than the hands.
The main issue with these new engines is the improper temperature gaps. They are smaller than they should be.
I have already shared my experience with engine replacement. Here is a photo of the scuff marks on the Teflon piston of my brand-new engine. The pistons on the new engine do not fit freely into the cylinders.
The new L87 was opened out of the box by the technicians, the gaps were drilled according to GM standards, which GM itself could not meet, and then reassembled on the old crankshaft.
Yes, they replaced my gray earbuds with red ones, just in case.
This is a low-quality build, resulting in production products that, if not removed, will cause damage to the liners and crankshaft through abrasion.
We currently have services that swiftly replace the connecting rod liners through the sump, but even this process is not effective without replacing the radiator, oil lines, and oil pump, as the red liners start to show signs of wear after 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
I am referring to the fact that nothing has changed since July 1, 2024. I had hoped that GM would gradually improve their technological process and restore the quality to its former level, but they have not done so. They have continued to operate in the same manner as they did with L87 in forest huts.

You may be 100% correct, I was only referring to what GM shared publicly. None of us will ever know, unless we have an insider, exactly what the company did or did not do to attempt to mitigate the failures.

 

[DontTaseMeBro]

However, the issue is not with the crankshaft or the connecting rod journals. On the other side of the world, we have extensively researched crankshafts, disassembling and analyzing them. The crankshaft on the L87 is identical in terms of level and quality of manufacturing to the crankshafts in the 5.3 and 6.2 engines of the previous generation. Therefore, all claims that the production and manufacturing of the crankshaft has been relocated are completely baseless. The part number of the crankshaft has not been altered, and the crankshaft itself has not been modified since July 1, 2024. And the gray earbuds functioned properly on the previous generation 6.2 engines. And the 0-20 oil worked well in the 6.2 engines of the previous generation.
The quality of the engines produced by General Motors is subpar. These engines are unlike any I have ever seen before. It feels like they were assembled in a makeshift workshop, with the feet rather than the hands.
The main issue with these new engines is the improper temperature gaps. They are smaller than they should be.
I have already shared my experience with engine replacement. Here is a photo of the scuff marks on the Teflon piston of my brand-new engine. The pistons on the new engine do not fit freely into the cylinders.
The new L87 was opened out of the box by the technicians, the gaps were drilled according to GM standards, which GM itself could not meet, and then reassembled on the old crankshaft.
Yes, they replaced my gray earbuds with red ones, just in case.
This is a low-quality build, resulting in production products that, if not removed, will cause damage to the liners and crankshaft through abrasion.
We currently have services that swiftly replace the connecting rod liners through the sump, but even this process is not effective without replacing the radiator, oil lines, and oil pump, as the red liners start to show signs of wear after 10,000 to 15,000 miles.
I am referring to the fact that nothing has changed since July 1, 2024. I had hoped that GM would gradually improve their technological process and restore the quality to its former level, but they have not done so. They have continued to operate in the same manner as they did with L87 in forest huts.

I guess our only hope is a class action lawsuit that’s supposedly on the horizon. That and the extended warranty I guess. I for one don’t see myself keeping our Yukon past 150k miles. Drive up to 10k miles year. Will be in something else once some of my older kids start driving.