As it turns out, the lack of microchips is not only having a negative impact on new GM vehicle shoppers, but to current GM vehicle owners as well. We’ve been well aware of the fact that the ongoing semiconductor microchip shortage has been wreaking havoc on the automotive industry, stifling automakers’ ability to produce vehicles which has resulted in a high demand for both new and used models. Experts have warned that it could last into 2023, though in late September, General Motors president Mark Reuss stated that the global microchip supply is expected to begin to stabilize, albeit at a level lower than desired.
According to first-hand experiences sent into us by our readers, faulty ECUs are causing a major headache for existing GM customers. Service advisors have informed customers that the necessary parts have been on back order for months, leaving vehicles inoperable as they wait for parts to arrive.
I’ve been waiting on an ECU for my Silverado for the last 8 weeks. My truck is not drivable because of this. Even worse is that nobody knows (dealer, Chevy customer service, etc.) how much longer it will be.
Chris C. – Salt Lake City, UT
The computer that handles the tire pressure stuff needs to be replaced in my CT5. Dealer tells me that they ordered the part, but it’s on back order and has been that way for the last 3 months. Dealer and Cadillac reps don’t know when the part will be available. I guess I’ll drive with the tire pressure warning message going off every time I drive the car. How’s that for luxury?
George S. – Rochester, NY
No ECUs in stock for the last 9 weeks and none expected until the end of the year. I guess I have no other choice than to keep paying the note on my Traverse which is now a big brick sitting in my driveway. Dealer has no loaners. GM needs to step up and do something. I would take a Spark loaner so long as I have transportation.
Mikael R. – Miami, FL
With GM’s build-shy strategy soaking up the majority of microchips as they become available, it’s tough to say when the parts will become available. Our sympathies go out to customers who have paid – or are continuing to pay for – their GM vehicle that is effectively inoperable.
Fortunately, the industry is at least attempting to work towards solutions, with microchip companies suggesting that electric vehicles come equipped with silicon carbide or gallium nitride components, rather than the traditional silicon chips widely used now. In addition, General Motors recently signed a deal with Hertz to provide more loaner cars to dealerships.
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Comments
How typical of Mary Barra-run General Motors. Rather than take care of Customers that have already plunked-down their dollars and purchased GM products and need replacement “chips”, instead, she diverts all acquisitions of new “chips” to new vehicle production so she can sell more vehicles and ignores previous customers who are then left swinging in the wind. This CEO has got to go…..!
billj598
Worse than the chip shortage is people whining about the chip shortage. Mary Barra is making the best of a bad situation.
If your car needs a chip. Try looking at totaled models at junk yards.
What’s worse then that is you suggesting she should be the pope of a church that touches kids and believes and worships a fake god. That alone tells me what kind of a nasty person you are.
Hey Jake,
It’s a free country. You are free to be a militant atheist if you want. When you’re older, and want to start a family. You are free to marry a godless woman, and raise godless children.
When you get old, will your godless children come visit you in your godless nursing home.
I choose to believe because I don’t want to live in a godless world.
How many kids has your priest touched so far?
Jake you seem to be obsessed with this subject. Get help before you hurt a child.
Oh, and BTW I’m not Catholic.
The only person hurting a child is you. Filling your kids heads up with these crazy lies about people getting swallowed by whales and burning bushes talking to them. I didn’t realize they had acid way back then, must of been some good stuff.
Careful there jake peters magic man might strike you down.
Yes Rick, I believe in a supreme being. Much like much like many atheists believe their significant others won’t cheat on them.
We may all be fools, but I sleep easy at night.
Lol ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
Hey Mike. We know about the virus already. Get a shot, mask up and then get some common sense. It’s about STUPID decisions. Fire Mary Barra!
Can you tel me the long term side effects of the vaccine please? Anytime I ask someone this they get really angry about it and tell me to shut up and just do as I’m told. It’s just a question and I feel it’s an important one.
The long term effect is that you wake up from this delusion that everyone is out to get you. And 85-95% protection from serious illness.
What are you smoking? When did I say everyone is out to get me? I asked one question and that was what are the long term side effects and you fly off at the mouth with some delusional everyone is out to get you. I don’t believe in conspiracies so please don’t respond to me again. Besides your response still doesn’t answer the initial question.
Aww James got offended that this person didn’t do exactly as they were told lol. Good boy James good boy now let me whistle to call you over and give you a treat.
The side effects include but are not limited to: heart disease, heart attacks, strokes and unusual blood clotting. Consult an honest doctor before taking any emergency use authorization based medication
Me and all of the eligible members of my family (kids 12 and under are not allowed) have gotten it and bin pretty much fine. However the side effects some of us did experience were; almost fainting for about 15 minutes after the shot, dizziness for a couple hours after the shot, muscle soreness in the shoulder they got the shot, being extremely tiered for a couple of days after the shot, head aches the first and second days after the shot, chills the first night, and general flu symptoms for a few days after the shot.
I and about half of my family had no side affects from the vaccine, but if/when you get the vaccine try to go in will rested because the family members who went in well rested had less side affects.
At this point the Pfizer vaccine has bin normally approved for use meaning it has past all the normal requirements. That is what gave me faith in the vaccine.
That usually doesn’t work as those ECMs and computers are vehicle ID number specific and usually do not interchange. We tried doing that and are out $250.00 for used computer and $250 for labor to try to reprogram it at a GM dealers shop! It didn’t work!
Feeling threatened by a woman in power… surely there must be a reason you aren’t CEO of a Fortune 509 company?
You shut your mouth!!! I’m the only one who gets to call people women haters on here not YOU!!!!
It’s high time to start manufacturing them a lot more in this country.
The problem is that GM uses a lot of older chips because rewriting and testing code for newer ARM processors is expensive and time consuming. So even if manufacturers build lots of state of the art factories, GM will still run into trouble trying to get enough 15 year old Atmel processors to build ECUs.
GM operated a chip foundry in Kokomo, IN, but in a press release in 2016 said they would start winding down and close the facility in 2017. Bet there are some GM executives who regret having signed off on that decision.
I will think twice before buying a new GM product agin electric or fuel powered. Why are they not making these chips in Silicon Valley instead of Taiwan? You will never see these chips they are preparing for war with China good luck getting these chips also the world form is trying to stop gas vehicles from hitting the market so everyone changes to electric. We should have chips by now factory can make thousands a day.
You do understand it’s not just GM, so saying you’ll think twice before buying a new GM product is just absolutely pure stupidity. This issue is effecting all manufactures of electronic products, not just GM and other auto manufactures.
While it is unacceptable that we are in this situation because US manufactures as a whole moved production entirely outside the US. Now we are forced to rely on other countries to manufacture essential items we need and use to keep this country moving forward.
It is good business to not buy from GM as they have a track record of computer failures for the last 12 years or so. They have not attempted to improve or change to better type control units in these years. It is good business to have their vehicles fail in 10 to 12 years so they can sell replacement autos that will need to be replaced in another 10 year time frame! Planned obsolescence I think they call that!
My chevy Volt and the one of my friend at work are not operable since two months. GM let us down to priorize theire new custommers. Its inacceptable. No one can pretend to be a great US company and act like that.
I’m in the same boat with my Volt. BECM is going out and makes the car unpredictable to drive, but it’s fine to drive according to the dealership.
Ahh of course the old trustworthy dealership said it’s ok so that settles it then.
GM has failed with protective critical parts inventory to protect late model sold products.
Cry me a river. Covid-19 is still doing a number on the world. Be happy you’re not one of the 700,000 in this country. Boo Hoo.
Covid or no Covid you take care of existing customers over prospective customers. Mary Barra has no clue how to do that? She should be fired over her terrible decisions she has made. I ordered a new CT5 with Super Cruise last April. They say I could. maybe see it by June 22. What a joke GM Is. I got online and ordered a Polestar 2 and will have it by November 1st. Great to do business with GM. They really know their customers. All truck buyers.
Thanks for the depressing news. I ordered a similar CT5, with Supercruise, in February. The dealer keeps saying it is being built. My code apparently is 3400, but no one can give me a definitive answer. I wonder if I will ever see the car. Not very professional on gm’s behalf. They seem to have no concern for clients who buy sedans. Trucks and SUV’s take priority as well as their EV plans.
Oct. 27th. Apparently 2021 car is built, being held back for “inspection and approval”. No idea when it will be shipped. This according to GM customer service. They arrogantly referred me back to my selling dealer, who knows less than I do about this. If it weren’t so frustrating, it would be funny.
Cry me a River people died because of a virus boo hoo
Unfortunately Covid 19 hasn’t done enough because you are still here.
This is not just GM it is every auto manufacture in the world having trouble with chips.God you people must live under a rock?
Bill this website is called gm authority I know it’s very confusing since it’s called gm authority not every car manufacturer authority that people would discuss gm here and not the others. See bill the thing is with a name like gm authority that means most of the articles will be about gm vehicles not everyone else. I hope this helps you comprehend why people don’t always talk about other manufactures.
Real smart GM close down Delco Electronics in Kokomo. Where chips was made !!
Bill you must be a GM employee. Take care of the existing problems before you create more. All the chips are going to their high profit trucks. You mean to tell me they make no profit on a $70,000 Cadillac. Give me a break. Whine about waiting a year for the vehicle? Again, Mary Barra should be fired!
We ordered our Chevy Colorado on March 23, 2021. It was “produced” on Aug 19, one week before the 2022 was being made. It ha been sitting in Missouri on a parts hold. I don’t know who is getting the necessary chips, but it’s not the people who ordered vehicles. Disgusted with the whole process, but what can you do?
There are solutions out there, namely: used modules. Automakers have however made it increasingly difficult to use modules between vehicles. In the name of “security” automakers have consistently made it harder and harder to use aftermarket solutions. This is why right-to-repair is so important and in cases like these, actually help automakers from losing credibility during these unexpected supply chain burps. I can buy modules for $50 at junkyards but there’s only 3 guys in the state with the knowledge and tooling to perform the service. If anyone’s in this situation waiting for parts, try calling shops and ask for a mobile auto programmer who can source modules.
Where’s the largest number of past GM customers? At Ford or KIA!!!
I work for general motors and you guys crack me up with these comments….we and other countries literally had to be put on holt because of covid 19 and all these people who were dying….let me guess you were all home sitting on unemployment for how many weeks but now GM and Ford and etc. is the bad guy because unfortunately the bounce back on this product is taking longer time….This lady wants a brand new loaner….how the hell can we give you a brand new loaner if we cant even get a chip for your old car to use….lmao like common sense…..LMAO
Let me give you a Violin ,so you can play ,when you tell us about you wage and benefits that you get.
Who’s we you are nothing but an employee who sits on a assembly line lol. You aren’t important so you need to take we out of your statement you don’t matter to gm and you make no decisions either you do exactly what your told to do there. Let me guess you were sitting at home to I know a liar when I see one and you sir and full of it. Now if you wanna keep shilling for gm then please continue
You work for government motors? Lmao keep that to yourself why would you even try to brag about such a shameful thing?
Aww look guys the assembly line worker wants to feel important like he makes any decisions LMAO.
My solution is to resuscitate my “73” C30!! No computerized anything and super easy to do anything to. And no Commiefornia biannual smog ripoff either. There’s been to much electronic horse manure put into automobiles. They are now like the fighter jets I dealt with in the USAF stationed in the desert. Heat and vibration kills electronics. After every sortie an aircraft received hundreds of man hrs of maintenance to keep it flying. And was constantly connected to AC while parked to preserve the electronics. Just drive down any road and you will see old beaters belching smoke but still running. And the new vehicle’s are riding the tow truck to the shop.
I think that there are many fine men and women that work on the factory floor and offices at GM. I just don’t understand the llogic in corporate on how they treat buyers of their vehicles. I see TV adds of Cadillac promoting Super Cruise and yet they can’t provide it on new vehicles nor can they say when they will have it.
They now say they will have Ultra Cruise in 23. I’ll believe it when I see it. I canceled my CT5 order with super Cruise and will wait on the Ultra when ready.