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GMC Yukon - Engine Noise

The Yukon is one of the trucks GM has been quietly buying back because of engine noises that experts say are "piston slap," one of those things that only gets worse with time.

George of Wichita KS (6/5/03):
In August of 2002, I purchased a new 2002 GMC Yukon from the Scholfield Dealership in Wichita, Kansas. Within a day or two I noticed a knocking noise coming from the engine. I was at the dealership signing some papers and told the business manager, Chris, about it. He went to the back and had a service tech meet with me. I cannot remember his name, but I would recognize him.

The service tech told me that the knocking noise was “normal” for the 2002 engines and that it did not affect the performance in anyway. He gave me some kind of technical explanation and said it should get a little quieter with time. I waited a while and it actually started to get louder.

I still had a form I received in the mail from GMC (a “GMC Purchase Satisfaction Survey”). On December 8, 2002, I called the GMC Customer Assistance Center at: 800-462-8782. I spoke with a lady named Kimberly Chin (?) about the knocking noise. She said I should call Mark Mitchell, Scholfield’s Service Director. On December 26, 2002, I called Scholfield and spoke with Mitchell. I told him the knocking noise was louder and that I was concerned. He gave me a 5-minute description over the phone about the 2002 engines and why they knocked. He also said that there was nothing for me to worry about — “they’re all like that.”

He then told me to ask if there were any new solutions to the problem the next time I was in for service. On my next service appointment, I asked Graig McIntosh, the Service Manager, about the knocking noise. He said nothing new had been done. He explained that this was a problem with the 2002 engines and drew a picture of the pistons to explain why the noise occurs.

I was very happy with my sales person, Tammy Howell, but she did not mention the engine noise problem to me. This is especially troublesome when it seems like everyone at Scholfield and GMC know about the engine noise. Everyone I have been in contact with at Scholfield have been very nice and helpful, except for the curious silence about the engine noise.

I have three major objections with all of this:

1. The problem (engine knocking) should have been explained to me so that I could decide whether or not to purchase the vehicle?

2. Why is this my problem and not GMC’s & Scholfield’s?

3. I cannot believe that GMC or Scholfield would allow one of its Yukons to be on the road sounding like it has got a rod going out. I really enjoy the Yukon but absolutely hate the knocking of the engine. Almost everyone that hears it says something is definitely wrong and mentions a rod going out.

Yesterday, my neighbor told me I had better check my oil. He said it sounded like it was low. I am actually embarrassed for anyone to hear my Yukon. Furthermore, I am equally worried about the mechanical soundness of it. I cannot be more unhappy about driving a $45,000.00 vehicle that sounds like it has a bad engine, not to mention the fact that I owe almost $35,000.00 on a vehicle that I bet I couldn’t sell or trade-in without taking a huge loss! I can hear a car dealer saying, “Oh, you have one of those knocking GMC engines.”

At this point, GMC and the dealer are saying that they will TRY and fix the problem. However, the vehicle is brand new and they are wanting to remove the engine (completely) and replace the pistons, which are essential mechanical parts. This would be ok in a different situation (e.g., an older vehicle, or a newer vehicle that required non-essential work). Anyway, my confidence in this vehicle has been seriously diminished and I am very worried about possible resale problems.

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