NHTSA Complaint #10073026 — 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

WE PURCHASED OUR 2001 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 NEW. RIGHT AROUND THE 15,000 MILE MARK WE NOTICED A SLIGHT TAPPING IN THE ENGINE. THIS SEEMED TO ONLY OCCUR ON START UP AND MOSTLY IN THE MORNING WHEN COLD. IT WOULD TAP FOR SEVERAL SECONDS AND THEN DISSIPATE. INITIALLY WE THOUGHT IT WAS A LIFTER, BUT WE HAVE SINCE COME TO FIND OUT IT IS NOT. THE OVERALL DIAGNOSIS IS GM PISTON SLAP. THIS OCCURS WHEN THE PISTONS ARE ILL FITTED TO THE CYLINDER WALLS, AND HENCE YOU GET THE NOISE. WE WERE TOLD IT WAS NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT. GM KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM (WELL THEY DON'T CALL IT A PROBLEM), BUT REFUSE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY SAY THEY HAVE TESTED THESE ENGINES THOROUGHLY AND THE PISTON SLAP CAUSES NO LONG TERM ENGINE PROBLEMS. THE NOISE NOT ONLY BEGAN TO GET LOUDER, BUT ALSO BECAME NON STOP. IT DID NOT GO AWAY, AND NOW WE HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT ALL THE TIME. AFTER REPEATED TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR RECORDING OF THIS PROBLEM, WE STILL HAVE NO RESOLUTION. AND THEY HAVE NOW PUT US OFF LONG ENOUGH THAT THE FACTORY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. I MUST SAY THAT GM KNOWS HOW TO GIVE YOU THE RUN AROUND. THERE IS EVEN A WEBSITE DEDICATED TO THIS SUCH PROBLEM. HTTP://WWW.PISTONSLAP.COM GO VISIT, IT IS SOME INTERESTING READING. NON THE LESS,GM WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT THE PROBLEM, SO WE ARE STUCK WITH A VEHICLE THAT EMBARRASSES US EACH TIME WE DRIVE IT. WHAT A SHAME, BECAUSE I REALLY DO OTHERWISE LIKE MY TRUCK. *AK