NHTSA 6.2L Motor Failure Inquiry

[MNNJR69]

My sentiment is the VAST majority of people buying vehicles equipped with these motors aren’t on forums researching a “hack” to keep their v8 alive. I don’t believe GM published this in their owners manual either. You shouldn’t have to do all of this after 20’ish years of some variation of this problem…

Agree I've said it before and I'll say it again. We are blessed to have this platform to share all this information that would otherwise not circulate. I am extremely grateful for all of the active participants in this form and the information that has been shared. I definitely believe what I have learned here has helped to save this beautiful truck from catastrophe.

I am the type of person that wants to know everything I can possibly know about something I purchase, especially when spending $85k. I just wish I would have learned more before my purchase, so to have prepared myself better. I'm just coming up on 30k on mine and can't imagine what might have happened if I had not made the modifications and taken care the way I already have. I also believe that most manufacturers are deceptive in their maintenance schedules in that the intervals are not closer and can lead to other major issues. I believe they do it intentionally for the money, In a manner forcing most people to purchase again or pay dealerships for overpriced repairs and that's sad! On most items whatever the manufacturer recommends, I divide it in half and go by that schedule. That mindset has served me well and I absolutely love my truck.

 

[AXE]

I drove mine 30 miles today, never left L1-L3 and got 9.6 mpg. Drove it like I still had 12 months of warranty left and enjoyed listening to my Magnaflow exhaust over powering my weak ass Bose system blasting some Ozzy's Boneyard!

 

[MNNJR69]

Love these cold starts now that it's cooler here in Vegas. They rumble the walls and turn heads in parking lots

 

[8ball_99]

YouTube is going nuts over this issue now. I've seen many videos posted today. TFL did one, but they kind of downplay the significance. Read the comments, there's so many 6.2L failures it's hard to believe.

After seeing these comments, Reddit, and the ones on this forum it seems more prevalent and now I see why it's 3 months waiting for a motor.

This is going to affect resale a lot going forward. Nobody will want one of these time bombs.

Hopefully GM is forced to warranty them for 5+ years and 100k miles.

I think it's more common then most of us think it is. I was scared of my 1500. I took mine in for brake control problem and the guy sitting in the waiting room beside me got told he lifter failure on his. Was a 2019 1500 couple years ago. I was in several different GM groups and it just seemed like a lot of engine failures across the board. Youtubers always down play stuff because they depend on the good graces of the manufacturers for press vehicles and early access to information, ect.

I'm curious to see how many new failures get reported now with all the press. I'm sure lots never got reported. It's ridiculous that new vehicles are such a crap shoot. I watched a TV show about ICE engines the other day. Invited in like 1880. 140 years later and your engine might blow at 1500 miles, lol. Short of pure abuse 2-300k miles should be a given.

 

[AXE]

I think it's more common then most of us think it is. I was scared of my 1500. I took mine in for brake control problem and the guy sitting in the waiting room beside me got told he lifter failure on his. Was a 2019 1500 couple years ago. I was in several different GM groups and it just seemed like a lot of engine failures across the board. Youtubers always down play stuff because they depend on the good graces of the manufacturers for press vehicles and early access to information, ect.

I'm curious to see how many new failures get reported now with all the press. I'm sure lots never got reported. It's ridiculous that new vehicles are such a crap shoot. I watched a TV show about ICE engines the other day. Invited in like 1880. 140 years later and your engine might blow at 1500 miles, lol. Short of pure abuse 2-300k miles should be a given.

Yep, it's hard to imagine with modern materials/metallurgy, CAD, precision manufacturing/robotics/CNC, synthetic oils, etc. that we just can't have some reasonable reliability expectations. I think corporate profits, government regulations, and the endless chase for a marginal increase in performance has led us to where we are now........spending record $$ and complaining on the Internet.

 

[HHHDhunter]

This specifically states the bearing failure, not the lifter issues.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gm-facing-safety-probe-into-870000-suvs-and-pickups-how-bad-is-it-184430468.html

GM is potentially facing a large warranty issue as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a preliminary investigation into engine fa...

It doesn't seem to mention the 24 Silverado HD ZR2

 

[MNNJR69]

Well they do have about 900,000bad ones so far...yep probably lots more now that this has come out

 

[MO_ZR2]

It doesn't seem to mention the 24 Silverado HD ZR2

Correct as it’s a completely different motor w/ no cylinder deactivation, etc.

 

[8ball_99]

It doesn't seem to mention the 24 Silverado HD ZR2

The Gas HD isn't effected. That's why I traded to one, lol. No DFM or autostop/start on the HDs. It's pretty rough when they trade a few percent better fuel economy for a higher percentage of engine failure. Cylinder deactivation has been a problem since GM started doing it. This investigation is main bearing failure. But I bet it's related to DFM.

 

[44sixpack]

These engines have an oil pump that cuts pressure when the DFM is activated. of course that could be contributing to bearing failure.

Word was up to 2023 there were improper tolerance issues on the main bearings. that may or may not be part of this .

Deactivating the DFM and running better oil will absolutely improve the chances of trouble-free miles on these engines. will it cure all the problems? I doubt it. should GM be forced to stand behind the problems? of course. is the 6.2 the only engine on the market with problems? hell no. so I'm not going to crap my pants I'm going to do what I can to prevent a failure and enjoy the pickup that's so far had no issues whatsoever. and hope GM does what they should.

 

[TKO-ZR2]

i'm actually tickled shitless my '24 6.2 imploded and left me setting along the interstate a 2 a.m. on a warm june night. if that hadn't happened, i wouldn't have the '25 diesel with a couple more options (tech package, multiflex tailgate) which was made possible by the lemon law suit settlement.

guess i'm out on any class action suit since i had to sign an agreement indicating i wouldn't come back after GM should something else go wrong with that truck. that, and the fact that i own it no longer.

good on GM finally being called on the carpet for those boat anchor chunks of shit.

 

[44sixpack]

if you don't think the diesel's have problems too you haven't owned very many . I won't own one off warranty.

 

[MO_ZR2]

As you stated they all have issues but if you think they have these types of issues you’re fooling yourself my friend. Just look at the threads on this tiny forum with major diesel issues vs the 6.2. Data doesn’t lie.

 

[AXE]

i'm actually tickled shitless my '24 6.2 imploded and left me setting along the interstate a 2 a.m. on a warm june night. if that hadn't happened, i wouldn't have the '25 diesel with a couple more options (tech package, multiflex tailgate) which was made possible by the lemon law suit settlement.

guess i'm out on any class action suit since i had to sign an agreement indicating i wouldn't come back after GM should something else go wrong with that truck. that, and the fact that i own it no longer.

good on GM finally being called on the carpet for those boat anchor chunks of shit.

I think anybody that had warranty work or a replacement vehicle wouldn't be covered in the class. The exception might be any payments that get negotiated by the lawyers for downtime, which will be minimal.

Keep in mind, there is no settlement agreement and won't likely be for many years. GM could just agree to extend warranty and cover it like any other parts failure and then there won't be another remedy. These class action lawsuits are always bullshit. If you get $100, that's $50 more than anyone else. The only winners are the lawyers.

 

[rwBrooks]

It doesn't seem to mention the 24 Silverado HD ZR2

I wonder how many of those vehicles are "OUT" of warranty when the engine goes belly up. Each time I drive mine, I wonder if this is going to be the time. Mine is a 23 with only 3700 mi on the clock. I want to take it to So-Cal to visit family But I get the chills just thinking about being stalled out on highway 40 in the middle of nowhere waiting to be towed to the little town of BFE's local garage to have Gomer Pyle say "I can fix anything"

 

[AXE]

I wonder how many of those vehicles are "OUT" of warranty when the engine goes belly up. Each time I drive mine, I wonder if this is going to be the time. Mine is a 23 with only 3700 mi on the clock. I want to take it to So-Cal to visit family But I get the chills just thinking about being stalled out on highway 40 in the middle of nowhere waiting to be towed to the little town of BFE's local garage to have Gomer Pyle say "I can fix anything"

You're over thinking it! If you have a catastrophic parts failure, you're never gonna predict it or prevent it. Any vehicle can go to hell at any time.

If you want to ease your mind a bit, get your oil sampled and analyzed and if the wear metals are normal then there's nothing more you can do.

If you haven't done your first oil change your 2000 miles past due. Change your oil early and often.

 

[rwBrooks]

You're over thinking it! If you have a catastrophic parts failure, you're never gonna predict it or prevent it. Any vehicle can go to hell at any time.

If you want to ease your mind a bit, get your oil sampled and analyzed and if the wear metals are normal then there's nothing more you can do.

If you haven't done your first oil change your 2000 miles past due. Change your oil early and often.

Well, when it comes to oil changes, I know I am good on that. I have had three all ready. One to get rid of the initial break in oil and the rest as a precaution.
I am aware of the risks of travel, It is up to me wither I want to deal with the risks.

I also have a opinion for what it is worth on the cause of the failures based on what has been reported. At 1st it was lifter failure, but if the bearings are failing, that is a whole new ball game. The failure is causing bearing material to contaminate the oil system and getting to the lifters causing them to fail. If that is the case, GM could be using substandard bearings imported in, or maybe to tight of bearing clearances set at the engine plant ie. somebody not paying attention to what they are doing during assembly. Who knows? I do not, I am just guessing. I like my truck and am very happy with it. It is cleared and paid for, it has the full extended warranty. I did not pay 72K in cash for it not to be reliable with proper upkeep and maintenance.

 

[AXE]

Well, when it comes to oil changes, I know I am good on that. I have had three all ready. One to get rid of the initial break in oil and the rest as a precaution.
I am aware of the risks of travel, It is up to me wither I want to deal with the risks.

I also have a opinion for what it is worth on the cause of the failures based on what has been reported. At 1st it was lifter failure, but if the bearings are failing, that is a whole new ball game. The failure is causing bearing material to contaminate the oil system and getting to the lifters causing them to fail. If that is the case, GM could be using substandard bearings imported in, or maybe to tight of bearing clearances set at the engine plant ie. somebody not paying attention to what they are doing during assembly. Who knows? I do not, I am just guessing. I like my truck and am very happy with it. It is cleared and paid for, it has the full extended warranty. I did not pay 72K in cash for it not to be reliable with proper upkeep and maintenance.

When you hit 5k miles, pull a sample on that oil and send it in for analysis. See what it looks like. Then repeat at 10k.

I think the bearing failures are catastrophic due to poor quality materials or manufacturing. Not sure you'll know unless you smoke one. Some go early, some later. Not sure why some survive and others don't.

 

[Jrod]

When you hit 5k miles, pull a sample on that oil and send it in for analysis. See what it looks like. Then repeat at 10k.

I think the bearing failures are catastrophic due to poor quality materials or manufacturing. Not sure you'll know unless you smoke one. Some go early, some later. Not sure why some survive and others don't.

I haven’t looked yet on here or anywhere else. What would be the ball park in just changing out the bearings and or lifters? Again, I have the expended warranty, so might not do it until later, but when I get close I’m just curious if it would make $$ sense to change them out with better quality to keep the truck for even longer.

 

[AXE]

I haven’t looked yet on here or anywhere else. What would be the ball park in just changing out the bearings and or lifters? Again, I have the expended warranty, so might not do it until later, but when I get close I’m just curious if it would make $$ sense to change them out with better quality to keep the truck for even longer.

I have no idea, but there's a lot of motor rebuild companies. Probably be $5-7k installed. If I was going that route, I'd go to a performance or race shop. I don't think I would chase it preemptively.