General Motors has issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) to address a water pump failure problem on certain examples of the Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 pickup trucks and the Cadillac CT4 and Cadillac CT5 sedans.
According to the TSB, the printed circuit board inside of the water pump on affected vehicles “may have been manufactured incorrectly, potentially causing a water pump failure.”
If this happens, the vehicle will display multiple warnings to the customer as coolant temperatures rise, the TSB indicates. The oil pressure gauge will also indicate high oil pressure and a notification will also appear on the dash warning the driver of reduced torque and power. If the customer continues to drive after these two warnings are sent, the vehicle will emit a warning chime, the air conditioning will be disabled and an additional message instructing the driver to turn off the vehicle will illuminate on the dash. If the customer still continues to drive the vehicle, the engine will eventually shut down and the vehicle will be undrivable.
To address this issue, dealers will inspect and replace the entire water pump assembly on affected vehicles. These repairs will be performed at no cost to the vehicle owner and should take around four hours to complete.
Vehicles powered by either the turbocharged 2.7L L3B four-cylinder or the turbocharged 2.0L LSY four-cylinder are the only ones affected by this problem. The following makes and models are included in the TSB:
This TSB went live on December 1st, 2020 and will remain in effect until December 31st, 2022, the document that was sent to dealerships indicates. Customers with vehicles that may be affected by the water pump failure issue can reach out to their dealership or to GM customer service for more information.
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Comments
Hummmmmmm where was the board MADE! ?
Most likely Mexico (NAFTA/USMCA)
Engineered by gringos.
Yep!
A better question is why something as simple as a coolant pump, something that has been reliable for at least 70yrs, now unreliable? Could it have to do with the fact that it is no longer a simple mechanical device? Could it have to do with the fact that it’s a computer controlled electric pump? Why would they take a very simple device and complicate it to the point of absurdity? Screw GM, after 9 vehicles I’ll never buy another new one. Older proven models, sure. But the new stuff is junk.
Where have you been in the last 10 years?? No one has mechanical pumps these days with the requirements for cooling needed at all situations with engines on or off.
My 2004 Pontiac GTO had false engine overheating warnings(really scary), chimes, speedometer and rpm dials going crazy. Dealer found nothing wrong. After out of warranty TSB came out said glitch in the instrument cluster. Became my Sunday car and it’s fixed.
Circuit board inside Water pumps—–” You Can’t Fix Stupid “
Will someone please explain to me why a WATER PUMP needs a circuit board in the first place?
it’s an electric pump, not belt or gear driven.
Thank you. I wondered…!
So it’s an electric water pump?
Yeah, needed for cars with auto-start-stop to keep the cabin heat running when the engine is stopped. You only get the full EPA start-stop mileage credit if you have one. Also saves a little bit in fuel mileage since they can vary the pump speed with demand.
If that’s the case, I could understand there being some sort of control system for it. But, mounted ON the pump? Why?
cheaper to produce an all in one part than to produce 2 separate parts.
Cheaper still to put the firmware into the engine control module.
Long wiring is an issue due to strict electromagnetic compatibility requirements in cars. You can’t have your engine go nuts and explode if you drive next to a radio transmitter tower. Additionally, motor stuff is high current and therefore you want to minimize lengths due to power losses. More wires = more things to go wrong as it ages due to chafing, which can lead to fire.
Ahhh, more GM problems !! Isn’t there enough of them ? What kind of quality control do they have ?
Every Manufacturer has TSB’s not a big deal. They are just letting us know of them. Most manufacturers will not announce them. German cars have used electric waterpumps for over 20 years. Yes they fail. Bmw uses an electric thermostat. They fail and have a recall on them. Not that big of a deal. Yall stressing over nothing!.
WERE NOT GERMAN!
German Engineering: 347 parts to do a 45 part job.
Electric water pumps have been around for a while, in auxiliary form of a secondary pump or main pump on race engines.
Subscribe to a professional mechanics blog or website and you will see all the tsb’s and recalls that go on , including those on fancy pants Bimmers, VW’s , Porches et al.
Why not just keep building something in a fashion like has worked for a long time? Electronics on vehicles is getting carried away.
Get Congress to stop increasing fuel mileage regulations, get OPEC to stop raising the price of gas, get EPA and California to stop making pollution laws, and get IIHS and NHTSA to stop improving crash safety.
no surprise all manufacturers are trying to make parts for pennies and then update them just enough to get through the warranty period the worst part though is they will not pay enough time for the technician to install it correctly so for every waterpump that has failed the tech will surely loose money as well
The quality control became the customer after 2008. Eventually people will get sick of this junk and once again the manufacturers will go to Uncle Sam for a handout because they can’t sell anything.
Or maybe made in China
TSB actually says only 366 vehicles are affected.
Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don’t do one.
What people don’t understand is almost every engine issue manufacturers have is due to trying to meet strict emission standards. They built these pumps with variable speed control to get the engine to operating temp quicker which helps control pollution. Along with disabling cylinders and direct injection. These systems aren’t built for the long haul no matter what manufacturer they come from. They will break and they can always be fixed. Do your maintenance and take care of your vehicle and it will take care of you.
first of all why would anyone want a full-size truck with a 4-cylinder motor I don’t care if it’s turbocharged supercharged, whatever to me it just doesn’t make sense. Once again general motors is making substandard parts what a surprise! I’m being sarcastic, bean counter Barra it’s constantly cheapening every brand of general motors cars,and remember not too long ago you got more than one free oil change when you bought a GM vehicle, electric vehicles will get all the attention at general motors now.
It’s been well over 5 years that a recall for the Takata air bag was issued. To this date the GMC Cadillac dealer has no parts to make the repairs. It’s great that they own up to the problem, but if they do nothing about it then they are full of B.S.
Ray G
Granite bay, ca.
LOL cylinder count means nothing today. 4 cylinder engines are just as powerful and more efficient than ever.
Stop being stuck in the past when that actually meant something.
I worked for gm. Seen how the fakeass tecks worked on cars and trucks. I see why they keep commin back. The new duramax was always in for repairs due to coolant issuse. All junk. Buy a 1st or 2nd gen cummins.
My wife purchased a new 2016 GMC Sierra and it’s been a total nightmare. Injector problem, transmission rebuilt, lifter replacement and still operates horrible. I’ve been a GM purchaser for the pass 40 years but after this and what I’ve seen and heard in the last four years, I’m totally done with GM.
All I know is my 2011 chevy Silverado 1500 5.3 and only 84500 miles the water pump is now making noise . I am very disappointed in my truck and in chevy .
I used to be a life-long buyer, started when l was 14 and bought used 73 Buick Century. I grew up to buy 2 Camaro’s, 3 Pontiacs, 2 Chevy S10’s, and 2 Chevy Cobalts etc
I’ll just say that the older GM products served me very well. The last few turned me away from GM forever. I couldn’t keep giving them a chance and then be disappointed all over again.
I can only imagine the number of of vehicle buyers that GM itself forced to leave, by their constant promises and failure to deliver.
I’m not a very picky person either. I don’t expect perfection from a machine that contains thousands of parts. I actually expect minor issues.
But enough was enough!
I’ve purchased new Chevrolet vehicles but I’ve seen a decrease in reliability. I recently walked away fromna Chevy dealer and went to Ford for a 2020 5.0L F150 STX 4 X 4 I have to admit Ford does offer more your money. Very pleased with Ford.
I have bought general motors cars and trucks all my life.. but my last Silverado pickup was such a POS, that I couldn’t take it anymore… I went out and bought a new Honda Ridgeline, and that was the smartest move I ever made… it runs and runs and runs.. has never left me sitting once… and gets really good fuel mileage also…
Entire family has been GM and Chevy for as long as I can remember. On the farm we use duramax diesels, everyday drivers are 1500s. Only problem I’ve had is transmission rough shifts in 2018 1500 6.2. But do have a 6 inch lift and 35s. Never had any other issues. We tried ford once, horrible exp. Dodge half tons couldnt handle towing and hauling, rearends going out. At least they are fixing the problem.
I have been a mechanic for 35 year it don’t matter what kind of vehicle that you have they all have issues i can point out something about every make and model and you cant make evryone happy i love my 2020 silverado
SO…. since NOONE is gonna mention the ONLY thing that matters in this article-
Tell me I’m not the only one who wants to know more about that caged rally-looking CorvetteC2 in the main photo? What is THAT badass-lookin machine!?
Well as a mechanic. People need to realize that it doesn’t matter who makes the vehicle. Its mechanical and I guarantee you will have issues sooner or later. I have been a Chevy man for a ver long time. I have worked on all makes of vehicles. GM is the easiest to work on by far. Also remember the components these companies put on their vehicles are made by another company. Car manufacturers just hope they are good as they say they are. So for all the people that really have know idea, just keep your comments to your self because they just show how stupid you are. Really. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Me too i was a Tech for over 20 years. You nailed it ! I feel the same way!.
That C2 vette looking like a snack lol
I just bout my truck 2020 silverado 1500 z71
Got call my dealer for a check up on my truck
Does this “writer” make a living regurgitating TSBs and calling it an article?
And we will see more and more of this crap as complication keeps rising on new cars and trucks due to unrealistic demands by the government to fix problems that are out of there control. It has come to the point where buying additional warranty coverage will be as mandatory as auto insurance.
Hello I have a 2020 Silverado 1500 and I just went to dealership to get oil change and they told me that my water pump needs to be replaced, not very happy that I have a 45,000 truck with only 10000 miles and it’s already going under the knife 🤦🏻♂️ Let me know if anyone else has gone thru this
We have a 2020 Acadia SLT turbo that just had a water pump failure that only has 56,000 miles on it. Did this recall include Acadia?
Does anyone know if GMC honors covering the cost for this water pump failure repair? I have a 2021 Chevy Silverado and it just went out, will cost me thousands and apparently there is no hope in the future to even get the part as it’s on back order for who knows how long. Any input or advice would be appreciated.