NHTSA Complaint #11256466 — 2017 CHEVROLET SILVERADO

THE 8-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION EXHIBITS NUMEROUS ISSUES. 1) WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO UNDER 10 MPH, AS IF YOU WERE YIELDING TO TRAFFIC AND THEN PRESSING THE THROTTLE TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE, TWO ISSUES CAN OCCUR. FIRST, THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION CAN HESITATE BETWEEN GEARS, PROVIDING NO POWER TO THE WHEELS. SECOND, WHEN VEHICLE DOES SHIFT INTO A GEAR, THE VEHICLE CAN LURCH FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY AS IF YOU WERE HIT FROM BEHIND. THERE IS SOMETIMES AN AUDIBLE "CLANK" WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS. THIS ISSUE CAN PREVENT A DRIVER FROM SUCCESSFULLY ENTERING TRAFFIC DUE TO LOSS OF INSTANT POWER TO THE WHEELS. 2) DURING LOW-SPEED ACCELERATION, THE VEHICLE CAN HESITATE BETWEEN THE FIRST THREE GEARS, PROVIDING NO POWER TO THE WHEELS. IT HAS A SIMILAR FEEL TO A TRANSMISSION THAT WAS SLIPPING. THIS CAN CAUSE A DRIVER TO OVER-CORRECT THE DEFICIENCY IN POWER TO THE WHEELS BY APPLYING EXCESSIVE THROTTLE AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. 3) WHEN PROCEEDING SLOWLY IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE VEHICLE CAN SHIFT UP OR DOWN SUDDENLY, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY. THERE IS SOMETIMES AN AUDIBLE "CLANK" WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS. THIS CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STRIKE THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE, IN TIGHT TRAFFIC, IF THE DRIVER ISN'T PREPARED TO APPLY THE BRAKE WHEN THE EVENT OCCURS. 4) WHEN DRIVING NORMALLY, THE TRANSMISSION MAY HESITATE TO DOWNSHIFT WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS APPLIED AS WOULD BE NECESSARY WHEN TRYING TO PASS A VEHICLE. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE GEAR DEPENDENT. THE LOSS OF INSTANT POWER CAN PREVENT THE DRIVER FROM SUCCESSFULLY OVERTAKING ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE EVENT THEY NEED TO CONDUCT A PASSING MANEUVER.