Frustrated 2015 Denali XL Owner

dcole21

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Purchased 2015 Denali XL last May and had a rattle in the dash that the dealer could not fix after 8 trips lasting anywhere from 3 - 10 days per visit. I can tell you they tried almost everything possible to fix but just could not find the rattle. The good news is that the Denali was totaled in a head on collision (no injuries and not at fault) late January and I got a brand new 2015 Denali XL last month after all the insurance hassle.

The new 2015 (2nd generation) Denali does NOT have a dash rattle that was a great relief! However the new Denali, which has the new 8 speed transmission (First one had the 6 spend transmission), and has a Whine noise that sounds like a siren when in 3rd and 4th gear or when traveling 25-28 MPH when both accelerating and de-accelerating. Dealer service advisor and technician said sounds standard to them so I asked them get an new 8 speed Denali from sales to test drive. Along with the service manager, we went for a ride in the new off the lot 8 speed and all sounded normal with gear and transmission drive train noise. We then got in my Denali and the service manager agreed there was noticeable whine and told the service advisor to check my car back in. After 10 days at the dealer ( did have a loaner) , they concluded that they could not determine where the noise is coming from and said to come pickup the vehicle and continue to drive it to see if gets any worst, after all they said it has a 100,000 mile warranty. They further stated that since there appears to be no other complaints registered with GM and since they could not determine where ( rear-end, transmission, or transfer case) the noise was coming from, there was really nothing they could do and get GM to authorize a repair. It's clear to me its the transmission. The noise is only in 2 of the eight gears in the transmission and goes away when slowing down when the transmission shifts below 3rd gear.

This is just unbelievable and very frustrating when paying over $70,000 for this vehicle.

Anyone having a similar issue?

Any suggestions on what I should next?

Don
Alexandria VA
 
Purchased 2015 Denali XL last May and had a rattle in the dash that the dealer could not fix after 8 trips lasting anywhere from 3 - 10 days per visit. I can tell you they tried almost everything possible to fix but just could not find the rattle. The good news is that the Denali was totaled in a head on collision (no injuries and not at fault) late January and I got a brand new 2015 Denali XL last month after all the insurance hassle.

The new 2015 (2nd generation) Denali does NOT have a dash rattle that was a great relief! However the new Denali, which has the new 8 speed transmission (First one had the 6 spend transmission), and has a Whine noise that sounds like a siren when in 3rd and 4th gear or when traveling 25-28 MPH when both accelerating and de-accelerating. Dealer service advisor and technician said sounds standard to them so I asked them get an new 8 speed Denali from sales to test drive. Along with the service manager, we went for a ride in the new off the lot 8 speed and all sounded normal with gear and transmission drive train noise. We then got in my Denali and the service manager agreed there was noticeable whine and told the service advisor to check my car back in. After 10 days at the dealer ( did have a loaner) , they concluded that they could not determine where the noise is coming from and said to come pickup the vehicle and continue to drive it to see if gets any worst, after all they said it has a 100,000 mile warranty. They further stated that since there appears to be no other complaints registered with GM and since they could not determine where ( rear-end, transmission, or transfer case) the noise was coming from, there was really nothing they could do and get GM to authorize a repair. It's clear to me its the transmission. The noise is only in 2 of the eight gears in the transmission and goes away when slowing down when the transmission shifts below 3rd gear.

This is just unbelievable and very frustrating when paying over $70,000 for this vehicle.

Anyone having a similar issue?

Any suggestions on what I should next?

Don
Alexandria VA


Firstly, glad the Yukon saved you from injury! I bought mine mainly for its size and safety features. I think its still the only brand w a CENTER air bag between both front row occupants!

My buddy had a BMW 535 (told him to buy Caddy CTS!!) and the Sirus XM radio would just cut out at certain speeds and areas! He showed them and they tried 4 times to fix it. NOTHING worked. He hired a Lemon Law attorney and after 3 months he had a choice of new car of 2700 refund. He took $$ and bought CD's!! This was in NY. Each state has diff Lemon Laws. Sorry to reccomend this but its not right to hear such in this ride! My 6 speed is great but I've heard of another 6 speed that whines when cold only!

If possible, try another Dealer first. Not every hospital uses the same doctors!!

Best of luck!

SD
 
Ask for a new transmission under warranty, if any problems get a hold of the regional manager and file a complaint.
 
Wrote an email to GM customer service and got a call within 4 hrs. What a surprise! They stated that a senior advisor would be in contract with me within 3 days. 3 hrs later got a call from the senior advisor another real surprise and thought something was going to happen. They stated that they will follow-up with the dealer and they or the dealer would get back to me in 3-4 days. Well after 9 days, customer service called me back and stated that dealer Service Manager stated that my noise was normal transmission noise and that nothing can be done. Not sure how he knows this and obliviously did not want to take the time to have me come back and go for a ride and observe the noise for himself. Don't really call this acceptable service. The GM customer service senior advisor could sense my frustration and stated that there was nothing they could do at this point and I was free to go to another dealer. The burden is clearly on the consumer and that GM has no control or authority to ensure the dealer provides quality service to the customer.

My options now are to take my 2015 XL Denali to another dealer for an assessment. This is a huge inconvenience but I guess I have no other options. Still very frustrated....
 
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$70+ grand and it "sings" to you? Take mine or Steves advice. A lawyer got their attention FAST when filing Lemon law case in NY, for firnds "ultimate driving machine"! They paid for lawyer too!!

Best wishes. I love mine. (2015 6 speed)
 
That's sucks man. You should really go to another dealer. They seem so incompetent.
 
Went to another dealer and they quickly informed me that there is a bulletin #15178 for all dealer to check inventory for the whine is 8 speed transmissions and they are to immediately repair before being sold. They called Tech Support and I have a new transmission being sent to the dealer. Bulletin # 15178 GM PIP520 F indicates the transmission should be exchanged for existing customer complaints. Does not seem they will be doing a recall so anyone else that has this whine in gear 3-5 or between 1000 and 2000 RPM should talk with their dealer.
 
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Transmission Whine Bulletin #15178 and PIPS 5200F

Everyone needs to check for the Whine as the bulletin has all dealers checking inventory before being sold and replace the reaction/output carrier assembly.

In my case they are replacing vs repairing based on PIPS 5200F and discussion with Tech Support.
 


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