NHTSA Complaint #11130954 — 2011 GMC SIERRA 1500

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND LOST POWER. ALSO STARTED TO HEAR TAPPING COMING FROM ENGINE. HAD IT CHECKED BY MECHANIC. FOUND CODE P0306 CYLINDER 6 MISFIRE. CHECKED GM TRUCK WEB SITE AND NOTED SERVICE BULLETIN NOTING VALVE LIFTER FAILURE, BUT NO RECALL. BULLETIN STATES THAT LIFTER CAN FAIL CAUSING MISFIRE AND TAPING IN MOTOR. ALSO STATES DURING REPAIR TO CHECK CAM SHAFT FOR SCORING & DAMAGE. ALSO CHECKED SEVERAL GM & CHEVY CAR FORM WEBSITES, AND NOTED MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT SAME ISSUES AS WELL AS SEVERAL NEAR ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING. THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF ISSUES WITH THIS MOTOR AND VALVE LIFTER FAILURE. THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE CYLINDERS SHUT DOWN DURING CRUISING. LIFTERS THAT FAIL HAVE A SPRING ATTACHED THAT FAILS CAUSING THE MISFIRE AND SCORING TO CAM SHAFT. GM IS AWARE OF ISSUE BUT FAILS TO ISSUES A RECALL FOR REPAIRS TO THIS MOTOR. THIS IS A HAZARD AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. REPAIRS SHOULD ALSO BE COVERED BY GM AS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MOTOR AND THEY ARE AWARE OF IT WITH THEIR IN HOUSE SERVICE BULLETIN TO SERVICE MANAGERS. THIS ISSUES CAN HAPPEN AND BE COVERED BY SERVICE WARRANTY, BUT NOT COVERED WHEN OUT OF WARRANTY. BULLETIN ALSO GOES ON TO STATE HOW TO WRITE IT UP IF COVERED BY POWERTRAIN WARRANTY.