My beloved Avalanche (2013 100k mile 60 month warranty) with only 69,000 miles indicated the ABS BRAKES where not working as well as traction control. When I pulled the codes they indicated cylinder 7 misfire… Took the car to the dealer and was informed that # 7 plug was so fouled that there was no longer any gap. Dealer said there was a special service bulletin relative to this problem with a 3 step solution. Step 1 change driver side valve cover gasket Step 2 replace PVC (?) valve and Step 3 replace pistons and rings at cost of $5100 thank you very much. The truck was 14 weeks out of warranty with less then 70,000 miles! I am going through an oil consumption test with periodic visits to dealer over a period of 3000 miles to determine rate of oil consumption. Dealer says GM may offer some mitigation on shared expense to fix problem. Truck has been serviced at only authorized Chevy Dealers and never missed a service or oil change.
My position is GM should have been monitoring the potential problem and certainly should have checked for issue on last oil change while still in warranty.
Mechanic tells me they have rebuilt several engines under warranty and some out of warranty with factory paying part of cost. I think this a GM problem not an individual owner issue.
Any ideas or experiences
I’m sure they have.
But did he explain how these malfunctions caused a fault code on the ABS system and the traction control system? I’ll bet he didn’t.
I’d recommend going to a reputable independently owned and operated shop, tell him the whole story, and let him give you a second opinion. Post back with the results.
I wouldn’t upset the apple cart at this point, your vehicle’s warranty has expired and the dealer/GM is making an attempt to correct the problem.
Dealer technicians aren’t permitted to go “fishing” for problems to repair under warranty and most vehicle owners wouldn’t be happy to see a tech removing spark plugs, sort of snooping around during an oil change.
When your vehicle has an engine fault the ABS and Traction control systems will be disabled, the warning light will be on, that is normal.
When the warranty is up the warranty is up. If GM offers anything you should consider it a gift from heaven.
The problem here is that if GM gives you a new engine gratis then the point that could be that GM should make an exception for anyone no matter the problem and no matter the length of time after the warranty period.
If GM does that they will be in bankruptcy court and no one would get anything.
Hopefully GM will help pay but generally deadlines are deadlines. I did have the Buick dealer warranty a front cover and seal for me at slightly over the 50,000 mile warranty so sometimes they will work with you. The only other thing I would add is if there is a possibility that the emissions warranty could possibly cover, although if you are over five years and not in California, probably not.
Sorry you are having this irksome problem OP. You’ll probably have to bring a GM rep into the mix on this, not just the dealership. I imagine if you are persistent you’ll get some relief from GM at least. Next time you buy a new vehicle, suggest about 6 months prior to the warranty expiring to take your vehicle to an inde mechanic and have them do a pre-warranty-expiration inspection service. As part of that they should look through the list of recalls, customer interest bulletins, and all the technical service bulletins outstanding on the vehicle at the time, so they’ll know what to look for.
I have owned 2 Avalanches, a 2002 and my current 2004. The '04 has 132,000 miles and doesn’t use a drop of oil. Not sure what happened to your '13 but the 5.3 liter engine is generally known to go beyond 300,000 miles with few problems. If it were my truck, I’d install a used engine from one with less than 50,000 miles. They are plentiful in wrecking yards and priced low since no one needs them.
As for the ABS/TC problem, it is not related at all to the engine issue. have the dealer run the error codes for the ABS and see what they say. A failing wheel bearing can cause this as can a failing ABS sensor.
Do a google search and you’ll find a host of complaint of premature engine problems for this generation Avalanche