2011 Sierra with 800 miles problem

I hope you will have your problem corrected I advice to take it to the dealer.


all the best

GMC mohammed
 
Zeke456,

Keep us updated. My dealer said they couldn't replicate the problem. They gave me a different 6 speed to drive for comparison. It clunked! They said they've done all they can. They also got very upset when I told the I spoke with GM.

Be prepared. They're going to tell you the clunk/thud is normal even if they can't replicate it! Does that make sense?
 
Just drive it and don't worry. By the time you have 10,000 miles on the truck you won't notice it anymore as your driving habits will adapt to the trucks idiosyncrasies.

These electronic 6-sp transmissions along with Active Fuel Management (shutting down of 4 cylinders) have some quirks and I bet this is just one of them.
 
Well Well........This is interesting........
i just bought a 2011 crewcab sierra 5.3 with the 18s. ive had this clunk happen to me a few times now but cant seem to get it to do it when i want. My truck has also had this very anoying driveline tremor since day 1(april 11/2011) its been in to the dealer 6 times for this problem and still no fix.
1- they said they couldnt feel it.(wow)
2- different dealer drives it and feels it(balances tires)........... still there
3- bring it back and they rebalance the tires..........still there
4- bring it back they say they changed the u-joints because one was ceased.....still there.
5-bring it back and they say they changed the driveshaft.........still there
6-bring it back and they say that its the brand of tire making my truck tremor.
REALLY R U KIDDING ME. So they say that they tried on a LTX tire and the truck didnt tremor....(THEY ALSO SAID IT DIDNT TREMOR ALL OTHER 5 TIMES TILL I SHOWED THEM IT STILL DID). So i get them to put on BFG rugged terrain tires on seing how its a 4x4 and me not wanting a highway tire to try to get up to the cottage(hence why i bought a 4x4)..........still there.

So now what?????????i called them today and im bring it in tomorrow for the 7th time.........when will they draw a line here and just give me another truck. Theres odviously something wrong here.
SO im thinking that my occational clunk i get must be whats casing this tremor........HMMMMMMMMM
 
Me too!

I'm experiencing the SAME problem with my 2011 Sierra Extended Cab - i.e., noticeable 'clunk' when the transmission downshifts approaching a stop light, or when climbing a steep incline (e.g., my driveway).

Called my dealer today, before I found this forum, who told me that it could be an electronic-related problem that a 'flash' upgrade might fix and to bring the truck in this week for diagnostics.

And by the way, I'm a very experience drive (67 years old) and baby my vehicles big time. There's obviously something wrong here - either electronic (I hope) or mechanical (I hope not).

Will post the outcome of my dealer visit after my dealership visit! In the meantime, if anyone out there has further ideas that can help us pinpoint/fix the problem, please post away!
 
Me too

I'm likewise experiencing transmission problems with my 2011 Sierra Extended Cab.

Seems that when I approach an intersection and the transmission down shifts, it does so with a loud 'thunk' and a bit of a jerk. Likewise, when going uphill and the transmission downshifts, it does the same thing.

I have 8000 miles on the truck and it's been doing it since I took the test ride around the block the day I bought it!

Taking it in to the dealership for diagnostics later this week and will let folks on the forum know the outcome; however, in the interim, if anyone has ideas, please post away.

P.S. Per my telco with the dealership today, they stated that it MIGHT be an electronic problem that can be fixed via a flash upgrade. Hope so!
 
well when i took my tk in i also had them check for updated programs for the trans and was told i already had the lastest program. Good luck let us know
 
?

Happy, per an earlier post re the thread-related issue (i.e., 04-19-2011, 08:49 PM ), unless I'm missing something, I think you stated that you haven't experienced the reported transmission problem. Have things changed since then and, if so, can you please describe the symptoms and the actions taken to-date to resolve?

Thx.
 
bob323@tds.net said:
I'm likewise experiencing transmission problems with my 2011 Sierra Extended Cab.

Seems that when I approach an intersection and the transmission down shifts, it does so with a loud 'thunk' and a bit of a jerk. Likewise, when going uphill and the transmission downshifts, it does the same thing.

I have 8000 miles on the truck and it's been doing it since I took the test ride around the block the day I bought it!

Taking it in to the dealership for diagnostics later this week and will let folks on the forum know the outcome; however, in the interim, if anyone has ideas, please post away.

P.S. Per my telco with the dealership today, they stated that it MIGHT be an electronic problem that can be fixed via a flash upgrade. Hope so!
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about this but I hope it’s an easy fix too! Let us know how it goes at the dealership.

Thanks,
Laura
GMC Customer Service
 
Laura, as the GMC Customer Service Rep on this forum, can you pls shed some light on what's been done to resolve this issue for others - BEFORE I go to the dealership tomorrow? Thx.
 
Hi again,

Every customer’s situation is different so I can’t comment on or diagnose the concern with your Sierra. That’s why I asked you to update me after you go to the dealership. I want to make sure everything is taken care of and that you’re happy with the outcome of your trip there.

Thanks,
Laura
GMC Customer Service
 
Laura, I don't want to be argumentative BUT if 4 or 5 customers experience the exact same symptoms with their 2011 Sierra 6-speed transmission (as the forum indicates they are), then it's likely not a 'unique customer situation' but rather a common vehicle problem that they are each experiencing - one that the diagnosis and resolution of (if it has been resolved) should be shared with the dealerships to avoid the effort of rediscovery, delayed repairs and customer frustration.

My opinion, of course.

Thx.
 
what happens with mine maybe more that i don't like it not that there is something wrong.
What mine does is when it's cold and you let off the gas at about 30 to 35 mph and trans is in 4th gear (i belive) it down shifts to 3rd causing itto clunk and slow down then after about 4 secs it up shifts. But only when cold and only in the same spot enery day can i get this to happen. other than that i only had one other thing happen. I was towing my boat with the trans in tow mode and i was going down a hill and instead of just coasting the trans down shifted being my rpms up to 4k. Did this till i steped on the throttle then upshifted. Again this only happen one time and i tow my boat every weekend.
 
Hi again Bob,

I totally understand your point of view, however I am unfortunately not able to provide technical advice to you or to the dealerships. If I see a common concern with customers I will pass it on so that more people at GM see it, but in my position I’m not allowed to assume that your case is exactly like the others’ because I don’t have that technical training. Thanks for your understanding.

Laura
GMC Customer Service
 
As I feared ...

Per my dealership, they took the position (as has apparently GM) that the clunking is normal for this transmission. In fact, I was handed a GM document (ID: 2653927) entitled, #99-04-20-002G: Information on Driveline Clunk Noise when Shifting ... - (May 6, 2011). In it, to quote a few bits of wisdom:
- "Customers of vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions may comment that the vehicle exhibits a clunk noise while driving when the accelerator is quickly depressed and then released"
- "Note to Dealer: Compare this complaint vehicle to a like vehicle. If the results are the same, this is a normal condition!"
- "Whenever there are two or more gears interacting with one another, there must be a certain amount of clearance between those gears in order for the gears to operate properly. This clearance or freeplay (also known as lash) can translate into a clunk noise whenever the gear is loaded and unloaded quickly, or whenever the direction of rotation is reversed. The more gears you have in a system, the more freeplay the total system will have."
- "In service, dealers are discouraged from attempting to repair driveline clunk conditions ..."

Soooo...., one can draw the conclusion that GM knowingly and willingly designed a 'clunky' transmission!

I wonder if Ford, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, etc designed their transmissions to avoid the clunk!

I'm going to watch this situation closely and if the condition persists, or gets worse, I suppose I'll have to go the escalation route which I feared I was going to have to do in the first place!
 
Not true ...

Maybe with some brands, but I've never experienced a 'clunk' with my Mercedes or Toyota vehicles - each and everyone of which have had auto transmissions (including 4-wheel drive)!

In any event, think about it - if we on this forum thought the clunking was an ok situation, then why would we have joined this thread and posted our concerns in the first place!

Thx, and I'll keep you guys posted of progress, or lack thereof, as time progresses.

P.S. And FYI, maybe I'm a bit more skeptical than others on this forum, as I've had very bad experiences in the past with GM automatic transmissions - the worst was having to have 5 replacements in my '80 Buick and then 2 in my '86 Buick. After that, I left GM for 20 plus years but decided to come back this year and 'buy American' - hoping that transmission issues would be a thing of the past.
P.S.S. And don't get me wrong, other than the transmission 'clunk' issue, I absolutely LOVE my GMC Sierra!
 
I am reminded of a vehicle we had at work about 6-8 yrs ago. It was a F150 4x4 ext cab. We were a GPS survey team that traveled doing DOT projects and we often drove over 100 miles a day just to get to our GPS control points. We each had a vehicle and they were various makes, years 2-Fords, 3 Dudges and 1 Chevy (mine). Steve, a friend was was assigned this F150 new, I had the subruban and they only allowed us one of those per team. He complained and complained about that F150 XL, trans is no good, brakes suck, steers funny and so on as the complaining never ended. They one day they tell us they are replacing one of our 6 vehicles, the oldest. So the boss (to shut Steve up) tells him to pass on his F150 to Dave (who's truck was to go) and take the new truck when it get here in a week or so. We never any idea of what kind of truck it will be till it arrives, its bought in large fleet purchase which includes all makes (govt contract)! Monday I show up at regional office to meet the boss for a staff meeting on next project and the new truck was there, a red Dudge Ram K2500 e cab.

Ok, I will get to the point. Steve got his new truck (he was a Dudge man as he owned 2 of them) and Dave got stuck with Steve's old truck (actually only 2 yr old model year wise) had complained about for a whole year and then some was a pos . Dave drove the F150 for another 4 yrs all over the state and well over another 100,000 miles and would always say, I don't know why Steve hated that F150 because its a good truck IMO.

So all the problems Steve had with it, Dave did not have. Maybe that's the problem here.
 
I believe that this was your initial posted position on this thread - correct? :)

In any event, I'd love to hear back from Zeke456 who I believe started this thread since it appears he was having the same issues as I currently am.

Zeke456?

Thx.
 
You're Not The Onlly One

Hi Bob,

Bob,

I'm a 2011 Sierra owner. I have similar issues. Clunking, banging, slam/slap, lag, choppy ride etc. They started right away. First few days of "ownership".

I've had the same repsonse as you from the Dealer and at the Corporate level. After you speak with them a few times, they're more concerned with making "calculated" replies than they are about solving the problem.

In addition to this site, check edmunds.com. They have a similar Forum section.

The transmission issues are usually at or near the top of the list for popularity.

I'm 45 years old. Never "complained" about a car before.

The driveabiltiy of this truck is lousy. Tranny even slips if I step on it the wrong way.
 
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