Help, Need Guidance. 5.3L engine failure with no brakes

[Doubeleive]

Dude-I am not looking for some speculative analysis. At the end of the day, my Tahoe in the middle of a winter storm was not braking and steering as its supposed to and the dealer indicated they have no idea what could have caused that to happen. I have had the entire engine go out and numerous other repeated issues where the entire infotainment system has gone out. Either I have a really bad individual Tahoe or this is what to expect with GM products in general. I am on here seeking guidance on how prevalent this most recent issue is and if others have had a particular Tahoe that seems to have continuous catastrophic events which requires the vehicle being towed away. I do not trust driving this current vehicle anymore and either need to work with the dealer to try to get a new Tahoe at hopefully a discounted price, or purchase a non-GM SUV and be done with GM forever.

knowledge is power, when you get it back take whats been offered here as far as brake operation and test it by driving somewhere off the beaten path throw it in neutral, shut off the engine and apply the brakes, you will not have any power brakes and the pedal may in fact go the floor "the first pump" but subsequent pumping will operate the brakes in some fashion, not like having power assist but there will be braking.
go forward knowing that in the rare event of a engine shut down that you will still have some limited braking power & steering, if it happens on a freeway or roadway know that you will be subject to increased stopping distance, react accordingly.
know that things like the hydraulic brakes and a steering linkage still work even if the infotainment/cluster or whatever turns off.
if the screens go out it's not going to explode or kill you, just continue driving until you either get home or can be somewhere convenient to get it to the dealer

all that being said, good luck with your T2 I won't be buying one myself

 

[Antonm]

Dude-I am not looking for some speculative analysis. At the end of the day, my Tahoe in the middle of a winter storm was not braking and steering as its supposed to and the dealer indicated they have no idea what could have caused that to happen. I have had the entire engine go out and numerous other repeated issues where the entire infotainment system has gone out. Either I have a really bad individual Tahoe or this is what to expect with GM products in general. I am on here seeking guidance on how prevalent this most recent issue is and if others have had a particular Tahoe that seems to have continuous catastrophic events which requires the vehicle being towed away. I do not trust driving this current vehicle anymore and either need to work with the dealer to try to get a new Tahoe at hopefully a discounted price, or purchase a non-GM SUV and be done with GM forever.

You are "on here seeking guidance" well,,,,The issue is you don't understand how your vehicle works and as a result don't know how to drive it when all its systems aren't working perfectly. In plain English, the reason the vehicle didn't stop was you.

Your "fear" and "lack of trust driving this current vehicle anymore" is an irrational emotion driven response to something you perceived that didn't really happen (the brakes were still working, you just weren't applying them with enough force because the power assist was gone). There is your guidance, take it for what its worth or keep playing the victim, your call.
...

 

[homesick]

Dude-I am not looking for some speculative analysis. At the end of the day, my Tahoe in the middle of a winter storm was not braking and steering as its supposed to and the dealer indicated they have no idea what could have caused that to happen. I have had the entire engine go out and numerous other repeated issues where the entire infotainment system has gone out. Either I have a really bad individual Tahoe or this is what to expect with GM products in general. I am on here seeking guidance on how prevalent this most recent issue is and if others have had a particular Tahoe that seems to have continuous catastrophic events which requires the vehicle being towed away. I do not trust driving this current vehicle anymore and either need to work with the dealer to try to get a new Tahoe at hopefully a discounted price, or purchase a non-GM SUV and be done with GM forever.

Dude- until someone finds and repairs the issue, speculative analysis is ALL you're gonna get.

joe

 

[KMeloney]

I am on here seeking guidance on how prevalent this most recent issue is and if others have had a particular Tahoe that seems to have continuous catastrophic events which requires the vehicle being towed away. I do not trust driving this current vehicle anymore and either need to work with the dealer to try to get a new Tahoe at hopefully a discounted price, or purchase a non-GM SUV and be done with GM forever.

The answer is that it's not prevalent AT ALL. In fact, no one here (nor your dealer, it seems) understands how you could have [temporarily] completely lost your brakes and steering whatsoever.

Now, I take it you DO know that the 6.2L has a recall out on it, and that that failure is prevalent enough for there to have finally been a recall on it to begin with, yes? That failure makes sense, and most everyone here is aware of the potential for that situation to occur. But no on understand this brake/steering failure.

Personally, if I had a catastrophic engine failure, and then had my electrical system go out, and then later still had my steering and braking going out, I'd probably get rid of THAT truck. Whether or not you go with another GM truck is entirely up to you.

 

[NT1978]

The answer is that it's not prevalent AT ALL. In fact, no one here (nor your dealer, it seems) understands how you could have [temporarily] completely lost your brakes and steering whatsoever.

Now, I take it you DO know that the 6.2L has a recall out on it, and that that failure is prevalent enough for there to have finally been a recall on it to begin with, yes? That failure makes sense, and most everyone here is aware of the potential for that situation to occur. But no on understand this brake/steering failure.

Personally, if I had a catastrophic engine failure, and then had my electrical system go out, and then later still had my steering and braking going out, I'd probably get rid of THAT truck. Whether or not you go with another GM truck is entirely up to you.

The dealer indicated there was a battery discharge issue but they don't know what caused it. I have all the diagnosis codes as I called On Star and they ran an immediate report so there really were errors despite what a silly poster claims did not happen. Its really sad that someone comes here for help and there are pathetic posters (not you) who minimize the issue or shift blame. The Service Manager himself said the errors have been fixed but he is worried they have no idea what caused it to happen and he understands why I would not want to drive the Tahoe again.

My engine that failed was the 5.3. I did plenty of research on the engines and chose the 5.3 as the 6.2 was the one with more history of having problems. Even with that in mind, my 5.3 engine still failed. I do want to get rid of Tahoe but it stinks I paid so much for it and now am out a bunch of money. I am pursuing legal action but just hate that it will take so much time and energy

 

[KMeloney]

The dealer indicated there was a battery discharge issue but they don't know what caused it. I have all the diagnosis codes as I called On Star and they ran an immediate report so there really were errors despite what a silly poster claims did not happen. Its really sad that someone comes here for help and there are pathetic posters (not you) who minimize the issue or shift blame. The Service Manager himself said the errors have been fixed but he is worried they have no idea what caused it to happen and he understands why I would not want to drive the Tahoe again.

My engine that failed was the 5.3. I did plenty of research on the engines and chose the 5.3 as the 6.2 was the one with more history of having problems. Even with that in mind, my 5.3 engine still failed. I do want to get rid of Tahoe but it stinks I paid so much for it and now am out a bunch of money. I am pursuing legal action but just hate that it will take so much time and energy

Whoa. Your 5.3 failed? Oh my. Yeah, that truck is haunted at best.

Good luck with your next steps. Hopefully you can recoup your costs and maybe get a new, problem-free Tahoe.

 

[NT1978]

Whoa. Your 5.3 failed? Oh my. Yeah, that truck is haunted at best.

Good luck with your next steps. Hopefully you can recoup your costs and maybe get a new, problem-free Tahoe.

Thanks for your kind words. My current Tahoe LT has 23,000 miles on it and they are only giving me $50K for a trade and want me to pay 70K for a 2026 Tahoe with the same exact specs as my 2024 Tahoe. I think it's ridiculous for them to expect me to pay an additional $20K after I just spent nearly 70K last year on the original Tahoe. I have escalated to the national GM line and they have said there is not much more they can do so I am looking at hiring an attorney and going down the path of a buyback/lemon. If the dealer would get the difference down to around 10K I would be open to it but they don't want to seem to budge.

 

[clogan2]

Only one thought I can add: when driving on ice-covered roads (or parking lots), it can certainly feel like brakes and steering don't work if you happen to be on an icy patch.

I can sympathize with the OP's shock at prices. I bought my '16 LTZ new in 2016. A similarly-equipped 2026 Tahoe today would cost me more than TWICE what I paid only nine years ago. So, not only do you get hit with depreciation of your old unit, you also get hit with inflated prices on the new unit. Double whammy.

 

[NT1978]

Only one thought I can add: when driving on ice-covered roads (or parking lots), it can certainly feel like brakes and steering don't work if you happen to be on an icy patch.

I can sympathize with the OP's shock at prices. I bought my '16 LTZ new in 2016. A similarly-equipped 2026 Tahoe today would cost me more than TWICE what I paid only nine years ago. So, not only do you get hit with depreciation of your old unit, you also get hit with inflated prices on the new unit. Double whammy.

Agree and SUVs depreciate the most in the first 2 years which is why I never trade in within that timeframe. I typically keep my vehicles 5 to 8 years.

The parking lot had been cleared so it was not slick thankfully.

 

[KMeloney]

Only one thought I can add: when driving on ice-covered roads (or parking lots), it can certainly feel like brakes and steering don't work if you happen to be on an icy patch.

I can sympathize with the OP's shock at prices. I bought my '16 LTZ new in 2016. A similarly-equipped 2026 Tahoe today would cost me more than TWICE what I paid only nine years ago. So, not only do you get hit with depreciation of your old unit, you also get hit with inflated prices on the new unit. Double whammy.

You lost me at “only 9 years ago.” lol I think car years are like dog years.

 

[Miami-Dade]

This thread keeps going sideways.

 

[Miami-Dade]

@NT1978 Re-opened this thread. If you have nothing positive to contribute to this thread DO NOT not post a comment.
Thank you.

 

[NT1978]

@NT1978 Re-opened this thread. If you have nothing positive to contribute to this thread DO NOT not post a comment.
Thank you.

Thank you Miami Dade! I am in a difficult situation having new expenses with a son at college and just trying to figure out the best navigate this situation. There is so much I love about driving the Tahoe that I wish the dealer or GM would make a reasonable offer.

 

[Miami-Dade]

@NT1978 In case you have not called you might want to try calling GM Customer Service. It might not go anywhere but see what happens.

800-462-8682
800 222 1020

 

[olyelr]

Thank you Miami Dade! I am in a difficult situation having new expenses with a son at college and just trying to figure out the best navigate this situation. There is so much I love about driving the Tahoe that I wish the dealer or GM would make a reasonable offer.

Im sure their offer is fairly reasonable, it just hurts. They are trying to make a living, so they cant pay you what they can sell it for. If you buy a brand new vehicle, you are gonna instantly take a huge depreciation hit just simply driving it off the lot. Now that you have a few years and 20+k miles on it, im sure its probably worth like 20k less than what you just bought it for. Thats just the way buying a new vehicle goes.

 

[NT1978]

@NT1978 In case you have not called you might want to try calling GM Customer Service. It might not go anywhere but see what happens.

800-462-8682
800 222 1020

Yes I have called GM and worked with an adviser. I am now going to pursue the buyback option as I think it's crazy to have the engine go out, the radiator had to be replaced and most recently the brakes and steering went out. I am hopeful I have a case to get a buyback. Does anyone know how much I would get in a buyback situation?

I am also going to talk with the head of the local auto group that owns GM and several other manufacturers. We have 3 cars purchased from them and were planning to buy a 4th. If he is not willing to make this right I will walk away from his family brand permanently.

 

[Miami-Dade]

You might want to check out Morgen&Morgen. They do Lemon Law. Since they have over 100 Lawyers and over 3K employees I would touch base with them if you purse the lawsuit. But that is just me.

 

[NT1978]

You might want to check out Morgen&Morgen. They do Lemon Law. Since they have over 100 Lawyers and over 3K employees I would touch base with them if you purse the lawsuit. But that is just me.

Ok thanks. Are they a national firm? I have not heard of them but will do some research.

 

[Doubeleive]

brakes and steering did not go out, if they did they would have been replaced and you would have the paperwork to show it.
loss of power is a different story....

 

[Miami-Dade]

Ok thanks. Are they a national firm? I have not heard of them but will do some research.

Yes..When you get a chance just google them up.