Read the symptom correctly
Documented problems and failure files.
Which cars it affects, what it sounds and feels like, what causes it, and how to check for it before you buy.
Major repair · 8 files
Sorted by repair severity, then by how many model years link to the file.
Turbocharger wear and failure
A turbocharger runs at very high speed on an oil-fed bearing, driven by exhaust gas. Its condition is tied directly to the engine's oil history, which makes service records more informative here than on most components.
Brake assist loss from the engine-driven vacuum pump
The pedal goes hard and the truck takes longer to stop. GM recalled 3,456,719 trucks and SUVs for this in 2019, but the recall remedy is a software change, not a new pump — the pump itself is covered by a separate programme that has an expiry date, and on a 2016 truck that date has now passed. Worth checking both before buying.
Timing belt: a scheduled part, not a wear item
On a belt-driven engine the timing belt is a scheduled replacement with a stated interval. On an interference engine — most modern ones — a snapped belt lets the valves and pistons meet, which turns a maintenance item into an engine rebuild.
CVT judder, slip and failure
A continuously variable transmission transmits torque through a steel belt or chain running between two variable-diameter pulleys. It depends on a specific fluid and on the clamping pressure between belt and pulley, which makes fluid condition central to its condition.
Dual-clutch shudder at low speed
A dual-clutch transmission is two automated manual gearboxes sharing a housing. It has no torque converter, so pulling away is managed by slipping a clutch — which is where the wear and most of the complaints are.
Hybrid battery cooling and capacity loss
A hybrid's high-voltage battery is cooled by a fan drawing cabin air through a filtered intake, usually behind a rear seat or in the trunk. That intake is easy to block and easy to forget, and battery temperature is one of the things that determines how long the pack lasts.
Low-pressure fuel pump impeller failure
A fuel pump supplied to several manufacturers has an impeller that can crack and deform, stopping the pump from delivering fuel. Because the part was bought in rather than designed by any one carmaker, the same failure was recalled by Toyota, Honda and others in the same period — the vehicles have nothing else in common.
Oil consumption on the 5.3L LC9 V8
One version of GM's 5.3L V8 burns oil through worn piston rings. It matters which version: this is the LC9, the Gen IV engine, and the settlement that resolved it names a specific and fairly narrow list of trucks and SUVs. The later Gen V engines in the same models are a different design and are not covered.
Moderate repair · 4 files
Air conditioning compressor failure
The compressor is the pump in the air conditioning loop. When it seizes it can send metal debris through the whole system, which turns a component replacement into a system job.
Carbon buildup on intake valves
In a direct-injection engine the fuel is sprayed into the cylinder rather than at the intake valve. Nothing washes the back of that valve, so deposits from crankcase ventilation and exhaust gas recirculation accumulate there over time.
Shudder and shift quality on the GM 8L45 and 8L90 eight-speed
GM's eight-speed automatic drew two distinct complaints: a shudder felt at steady speed, and harsh or hesitant shifting. Both were litigated together across nine GM models. The case is worth reading carefully rather than citing loosely — an appeals court described the symptoms on the record, then the same court threw out the class structure a year later.
Clutch and dual-mass flywheel wear
The clutch is a wear item on any manual car. What changes the arithmetic is the dual-mass flywheel fitted to many modern engines: when it is worn it is replaced with the clutch, and it is the more expensive half of the job.
Wear item · 3 files
Charging system: battery and alternator
The alternator charges the battery while the engine runs and powers everything electrical. Both are consumable parts with a service life, and on a used car at least one of them has usually been replaced already — or is due.
Suspension and steering noise
Bushings, ball joints, link rods and strut mounts are rubber and grease components that wear continuously. They rarely fail suddenly; they get gradually noisier and vaguer, which is why a test drive on a rough road tells you more than one on smooth pavement.
Brake rotor corrosion on hybrids and EVs
Regenerative braking slows the car with the motor, so the friction brakes on a hybrid or EV do much less work than on a conventional car. They last a long time mechanically, but rotors that are rarely brought up to temperature can corrode.
How often a problem occurs is deliberately kept out of these files. The numbers a reader wants come from NHTSA, per model year, and live on the vehicle file where they carry their own retrieval date.