Some 2021-2024 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size trucks are included in a safety recall issued by General Motors. The recall refers to a problem in which the 6.2L V8 L87 engine has manufacturing defects that can lead to loss of propulsion, engine damage, and engine failure.
GM’s decision to issue a recall follows a series of lawsuits, investigations, and engine replacements regarding consistent problems with the 6.2L V8 L87 engine.
The automaker provided us with the following statement: “GM will voluntarily recall certain 2021-2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV models equipped with 6.2L L87 engines to resolve manufacturing issues affecting some engines. The safety and satisfaction of our customers are the highest priorities for the entire GM team, and we’re working to address this matter as quickly as possible.”
The problem: GM notes that the connecting rod and/or crankshaft engine components in affected vehicles may have unspecified manufacturing defects.
The hazards: affected engines with manufacturing defects in the connecting rods or the crankshaft can lose propulsion and ultimately lead to engine failure, increasing the risks of an accident.
The fix: Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra units affected by the recall will be inspected for manufacturing defects. Vehicles that pass inspection will receive an engine oil and filter change, this time using high-viscosity 0W-40 Mobil 1 Supercar oil. The owner’s manual for L87-equipped trucks calls for 0W-20 oil. The oil fill cap will also be replaced (to reflect the new oil type). It’s unclear what happens if an affected truck does not pass inspection, but an an engine replacement is likely.
Affected components:
- Connecting rods
- Crankshaft
- Engine oil
- Oil filter
- Oil fill cap
Affected vehicles:
- 2021-2024 Chevy Silverado 1500
- 2021-2024 Chevy Tahoe
- 2021-2024 Chevy Suburban
- 2021-2024 GMC Sierra 1500
- 2021-2024 GMC Yukon/Yukon XL
- 2021-2024 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV
Number of affected vehicles: 107,244 Silverado 1500 units and 153,630 Sierra 1500 units are affected by the recall. That’s in addition to 79,747 Escalade units, 46,280 Escalade ESV units, 22,162 Suburban units, 44,802 Tahoe units, 82,832 Yukon units and 60,933 Yukon XL units, for a grand total of 597,630 vehicles impacted in the U.S. They are all with the 6.2L L87 V8 engine. Models listed above powered by the 5.3L V8 L84, turbocharged 2.7L I4 L3B, 3.0L I6 LM2 turbodiesel Duramax and 3.0L I6 LZ0 engines are unaffected.
Owners should: GM will notify owners of affected Silverado and Sierra trucks. Additionally, The General has placed a stop sale on affected pickups currently in dealership inventory, meaning they cannot be sold, delivered, used in demonstrations, or traded to other dealerships until they’ve passed inspection and received the appropriate oil change. The trucks that do not pass inspection cannot be sold or delivered to customers.
Owners or dealers can contact Chevy or GMC directly if they have further questions. The toll-free customer service numbers below can be used. The recall number referenced below is necessary to identify the issue.
Contacts:
- GM recall numbers: N252494000, N252494001 and N252494002
- Chevrolet Customer Service: 1-800-222-1020
- GMC Customer Service: 1-800-462-8782
Comments
Time for General Mediocrity’s corporate bank account to suffer bigly.
10+ Billion wasted on Cruise
Nearly as much on stock buybacks.
Mary Mediocrity Barra can either resign or GM can enjoy Stellantis level suffering going forward.
Is there something wrong with you mentally?
Just another reason we should go electric none of these components in an electric vehicles.
But the motors wear out and are very expensive. there are recalls on some GM EV’s as well. Buying any vehicle today is a roll of the dice. If it still works, don’t replace it. Repair it.
Battery replacement ends up mechanically totaling EV’s who’s depreciation is already higher than ICE vehicles. Not to mention the toxic nature of lithium batteries and the slave labor used to mine lithium in China.
Yeah only the $20,000 batteries every 7 years need to be replaced. No big deal at all.
Wait until we all see how hard it is to find 0w40 oil and how expensive it is! I did a quick check and it’s not good 🙁
Supplier issue? Sounds like weak bearings. Did the supplier screw up the chemistry causing inferior toughness? If the actual con-rod was weak I’d think it snap.
Now I know if I see a used 6.2 for sale, I’m checking the oil fill cap for that 0-w40 print.
Wait until we all see how hard it is to find 0w40 oil and how expensive it is! I did a quick check and it’s not good 🙁
The inspection: any rods protruding from the sides of the block or oil pan.
Probably not, likely it’s inspecting for rod knock. If it’s weak bearings, as long as the bearing is still the right size, it should last a good while with the thicker oil. Remember older engines used to run off 10w30 or strait 30/40. We’re in new territory with 0w20. A 0w40 I would think would be very similar to a 10w30 just with a flatter graph. That would compensate for bearings with chemistry similar to the older lead-babbit mixture.
Anyone can send in oil for a chemical test (Blackstone test, for example). If the components are beginning to wear prior to a breakdown, it will show in the oil. This was common with my Porsche and M3 that had common IMS bearing and rod wear issues. A Blackstone test let you know trouble was imminent. Do it, it’s cheap insurance.
An oil viscosity change to correct manufacturing defects? Is that wishful thinking and hoping to get these engines past the warranty period?
Oil change to fix a manufacturing defect is a whole lot of nonsense.
I suspect that “inspection” will be of the block casting number and casting date, plus the build date of the engine. Not a full tear-down for wear inspection.
I suspect the 0W20 oil spec is driven by former EPA fuel economy issues, no more, no less. BUT NASCAR has been using that oil viscosity for several years! If all of the EPA validation runs were made on that oil, no problems there.
There will be some differences in the 0W40 Supercar oil formulation as to additive package and such, as I recall Lake Speed, Jr talking about in one of his YouTube videos. That oil is a more expensive oil, too! FWIW More research needed to see what the REAL causes are, rather than just conjecture!
NASCAR Cup engines are built to last 1000 miles, not 200,000!
You know, Ford is offering employee pricing to all right now. Just sayin.
Yeah, so I can have the turbo go out a thousand miles after the extended warranty like my coworker.
At least your friend’s Ford made it that far!
Ford has their own set of problems.
Man, these engines shouldn’t be having problems like this. Especially in this day and age with all the technology we have.
Or maybe the technology is causing people to become lazy, complacent, and non-caring…….just saying
Generally somewhere along the program someone saw an opportunity to save a dollar on a critical part and now its going to bite them in the arse . After working for GM for 40 years i have seen this happen many times , im a loyal GM vehicle owner but its unfortunate that this happens and the customer has to get caught in the mess , Its the same with Ford and all the rest ,its just got caught this time.
where’s all the people that say they change their oil every 500 miles and never had a problem
Right here, but I change mine every 10,000 miles. Every one of my vehicles is over 100K, 2 over 200K.
But are any of them the 2019 -2024 GM 6.2L ?
timely oil changes is not going to fix or delay a bad wrist pin issue. Which is what this recall is about
I change every 5000 with Mobile 1. No problems here but I don’t have that engine, thankfully.
So do vehicles that pass the checking of components and get the oil change with the new viscosity oil and the replacement oil cap are we getting any additional power train warranty?
So how are they going to check engine components???
Lower case gm is embarrassing right now. Why cant they build a durable reliable V8 anymore? WTF is wrong with them? Are cost cutting measures impacting product again?
I experienced a loss of power (70mph to zero) on the side of a highway. 500 miles shy of my 60k warrantee. They are waiting for a new engine that is on backorder )6 weeks so far). Hope the replacement engine is not from the same lot as the original !!
Oh its the same junk.
Should have gotten the 3.0 Duramax.
As much as it makes me wanna puke to say it, GM’s best 1/2 ton truck engine currently appears to be… the 2.7 turbo.
….the 2.7L turbo and the Silverado EV / Sierra EV are GM’s best 1/2 ton trucks.
Strange days indeed!
I have the 2.7 in my Colorado ZR2, 11,000 miles and I’m still loving it.
You shouldn’t puke, gm actually did their homework with that engine and strengthened it for durability and capability. Dont know what the heck they are doing with the bread and butter 6.2L V8 though. The fools at gm need to focus on product reliability and durability.
Yeah really disappointing especially for an engine thats been around forever lol
I’m in the exact same boat except I had 25 miles left. 2025’s are blowing with 5k on them. We are beat!
I hope GM notified Mobil of this, That Super Car 0w40 was originally designed for the supercharged Camaro & Corvette 6.2 cars. Mobil is going to have to ramp up production for that many vehicles. I am in the auto parts business and the local dealer has already called looking for 120 cases. I only had 4! My supplier is already out and the oil is on backorder from Mobil. That stuff is expensive also, nearly $10 per qt.!!
Any 0w40 or 5w40 Euro spec oil that’s API SP will do. A great choice would be Quaker State 5w40.
Lol to all these down votes I’m getting on my original comment. Their must be a lot of people with misinformation in their heads about what oil does and doesn’t do. Mobil1 0w40 Supercar oil isn’t magic and isn’t the only oil you can run in the car. My original comment stands, any euro-spec oil that ALSO meets API SP and ILSAC GF-6A is fine to run. All GM did here is spec a higher viscosity oil and their steering you towards Mobil 1 Supercar becuse Mobil 1 is the only Multigrade oil that’s a summer 40 weight that’s paying for GM dexos licensing. I never said use a Euro oil that only met the ACEA Euro spec, I specifically said API SP. And then this just goes back to the whole Dexos argument. PENNZOIL ULTRA Platinum and Valvoline restore and protect are NOT dexos licensed but they meet or exceed dexos specs but the oil companies don’t feel like paying GM a fee to have the dumb logo on the bottle. Quaker State 5w40 would be a perfect substitute for this application.
Joshua,
If your 6.2 engine is still under warrantee , you’d be a damned fool use a non-gm specified/Dexos oil. You can take it to the bank that gm would refuse to honor the engine warrantee on any failed 6.2 that showed up with non-approved oil. That alone would void the warrantee regardless of whether the oil you suggest fell within gm’s specs. They would fail it in a heartbeat if the oil was non-Dexos. Keep in mind that there’s been a number being reported of possible replacements that gm may be stuck that is over 877k. I am not a bean-counter but that could possibly take gm bake into bankrupt territory for the THIRD time!
Montana Bob
So 2025 model year has a different 6.2L motor thats not affected?
same motor, just that they fixed the wrist pin issue that is causing the 6.2 to blow up in the 2025’s
What are you talking about?? They didn’t fix it
I haven’t seen anything definitive that says they did. Looking for a new truck this year. Still worried about spending so much money on a truck that could blow up on me.
No mention of extending the warranty on these engines? That’s a load of bullsh!t. Changing the oil viscosity and brand won’t solve a manufacturing problem. They should be extending the powertrain warranty to 100K+ miles if they don’t find any “deficiencies.” These engines have been blowing up at random mileage for 4 + years.
0-20 weight oil should probably be limited to colder parts of the country. It’s too light for 4 cylinder turbos as well but gm just wants your car to last past the warranty. Then you will have to buy a new battery car. Mary is a genius!
How can you tell if your 6.2 is the L87 engine?
Found the answer. Under the hood, look behind the LEFT Headlight. There will be a silver sticker in that hole about the size of your hand. That’s where I found mine. It was clearly stated.
Scan the QR code on the sticker located on drivers side door jamb. This will give you the RPO codes. L87 will be on that list of RPO codes if you have this engine.
Sticker on the back of the driver side head. L87 will be in the top left corner of the sticker. Also note the bottom number, 2nd and 3rd numbers indicate the year of the build and the 4th,5th, & 6th number is the day of the build year. Ex: N1240444GMPX indicates the motor was built on the 44th day of 2024. Day 163 is May 31st 2024; anything prior to this day is inside the recall.
This doesn’t help if there are no parts or engines available. All this just GM acknowledging that there are issues and problems with these engines.
interesting that this was released just about a week after GM Authority published information about a Class action suit on the GM 6.2L engine.
According to the Service Bulletin, they are looking for code P0016, sync between camshaft and crankshaft fault.
Service Procedure
1. Inspect/Check for DTC P0016.
1.1. If DTC P0016 is NOT SET, continue to step 2.
1.2. If DTC P0016 is set, DO NOT proceed with the rest of the service procedure, quarantine vehicle and
submit labor op 9107915. Vehicles that DO NOT PASS the inspection procedure contained in this bulletin
cannot be sold or delivered to the customer. Additional information will be provided by General Motors in the
near future.
2. Drain engine oil and install new filter. Refer to Engine Oil and Oil Filter Replacement in SI.
3. Fill engine with NEW 0W-40 Oil listed in the parts table.
4. Replace the oil fill cap with the NEW 0W-40 oil fill cap listed in the parts table.
5. Print the appropriate language Owner’s Manual Insert(s) for your service area.
6. Locate the Owner’s Manual or Essential Operating & Safety Information (EOSI) Manual.
7. Install the Owner’s Manual Insert(s) into the Owner’s Manual or EOSI Manual.
Well, finally somebody did some research instead of speculating. And it still got downvotes. What’s wrong with you guys?
Well. we had a 2017 gmc 6.2 with miles
Started Picking bad. Dealer said most likely cam shaft is wearing to a point that lifters are lose. Being a Mechanic for 60 Years made sense. The dealer ship changed components for 7500. Gm refunded me 1500. dollars for a defective engine. Out of Warranty. 50000 warranty. Would never trust them again.
I have an 2025 Yukon with 6.2. How do we find out if there any changes or is this the same junk?
Great question.
My lease is up in a few months on my 2022 2FL with 2.7L.
Wanted to look into a High Country with 6.2 L. Might need to look into the Duramax. I like the V8 sound and feel.
I lost one 6.2 in a 21 Denali XL, 3 more in a 24 Denali XL and gave up..sold the 24 and lost my A**…The last 6.2 ran 98 miles and locked up. I hired the “Lemon Law Group” because GM customer service would not even return my calls. Settled for a $19K check, not even close to what I lost…The first 6.2 in the 24, waited 92 days for a 6.2 replacement. Only good part was they were paid for..
Should have gotten the 3.0 Duramax. It shows poor judgement that you continue to buy the 6.junk.
The Duramax is beginning to have problems as well. It’s a crap shoot to purchase a new vehicle today. I own 4 vehicles with a 6.2L. Have only replaced the lifters and camshaft in my 2015 Silverado at 188.936 miles. I expect to have to do the same to my 2018 Silverado as it is approaching 180, 000 miles. I also own a 2024 Tahoe that I just received the recall notice for. They were kind enough to let me know that my vehicle is being recalled but there is no remedy yet.
What about the 6.2 in other GM vehicles like the Corvette, Camaro, Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade ,etc?
Corvette and Camaro are fine. Everything else is a risk.
They don’t use the L87 engine.
Ouch. These ultra light oils designed for max fuel economy will be the death of all engines 7-10 years down the road. Only reason for them is to fool the EPA on their dyno emissions/ economy tests. My Ford’s all call for 5w-20. Screw that. It’s 5w-30 full synthetic all times 316k collective miles on them with zero issues.
GM is weaseling its way out of a broader recall. I know several people who had the 5.3 and they had the same engine failure as these 6.2’s!! I’ll go a step further, my parents own a 2024 GMC Terrrain with 10,000 miles and they just had to replace the engine for the same thing. Imagine that! Even GM’s 4 cylinder engines are having the exact same parts failing! And before you Crown the 2.7 engine as the “best” engine, do some research. There are so many people who had their engines fail at ridiculously low miles. This is an across the board issue with all of GM’s motors except the Duramax engines and the 6.6 gasser.
Chris I think your mixing up different problems with different components on different vehicles. Regarding the 2.7T in the trucks, Cadillac, and the brother 2.5T in the 3 row crossovers, there have been far, far fewer problems with these engines then even the Duramax.
@Chris nobody’s “crowing”. But when High Country 6.2’s can’t keep an engine together while lowly WT 2.7’s just work with far few issues… Houston we have a problem.
This just might eclipse the 5.7 diesel disaster of the 1980’s; at least GM didn’t sell that as a premium feature in their top vehicles. GM needs to make this right (thicker oil isn’t making it right) or they’ll be looking at a market loss also unseen since the 1980’s.
I hope GM really suffers with this new engine problem. They stuck it to all the Duramax LML owners with the bad HP fuel pump. And to top it off even after they were sued only the owners in certain states would qualify for any money. Quality is not in their vocabulary. Ram was the only company to do right by their owners and replaced the defective CP4 pump before it trashed itself. Ford and GM said basilary screw you owners we got your money.
One thing for sure, thicker oil is what they’re counting on to make a defective engine run longer. And that’s all the proof you need when it comes to these 0-20 oils. Subaru was known for oil burning with there use of 20wt oil. I ran 5-30 and never had an issue.
My 2005 2500 HD Silverado
Still has trans issues with 4L80E. The LS1 still running well. All your issues with the
New trucks breaks my heart
As a 60 year GM car Guy….
GM needs John DeLorean
Back…
I fixed my Silverado troubles. I traded for a 2025 Tundra.
So now you have Toyota recalls to deal with.
So, the cost of an oil change for these affected consumers will be substantially higher !
I’m glad I got the 3.0 diesel.
Please be aware that this is dealer inventory only for now. GM sent us the notification today. Customer vehicles has not been given the green light yet.
explain why people who own 6.2 can go on GM site and enter VIN and see that their vehicle has this recall that needs completed? Yes, customer vehicles have been given the green light for this recall to go out to them.
I asked my local dealership and they said there is no remedy given by GM so my vehicle would just sit.
It’s very disappointing to hear about the engine issue GM is having. Right or wrong it’s obvious that GM is pointing to a lubricant issue. Thinking outside the box, I want to know how many of these vehicles sat in rail yard fields for long periods of time. Just seems odd to me that GM would have design issues as my 5.3 has close to 400K with only regular maintenance. Just saying.
It’s not a lubricant issue, it’s a main bearing issue
* sat in rail yards and fields during Covid
This is what happens when a huge, conglomerate manufacturer sources cheap suppliers.
First time GM owner, my ’21 Denali 6.2 with 65k miles just started making a bad knocking yesterday, day after this recall. Called dealership, they said they will diagnose it and then it will sit since there is no ‘remedy’ from GM (a new motor, duh).
They won’t even offer a buyback since it has a recall.
Super unimpressed by GM and probably won’t consider it again once I get out of this mess I’m in.
I’m keeping my existing Silverado indefinitely even though I’m ready to write a check for a new one. I’m not ready to chance getting a lemon.
It would be interesting to know if the affected engines were produced in Mexico.
2017 Chevy Suburban with 5.3. Transmission blew and paint was fading with less than 100k-trade it out. Now with 24 Ford 250 7.3 engine is the best option right now.
Sounds like if you have one of these affected trucks you should go ahead and start making the oil viscosity switch now yourself since you’re going to be waiting awhile for a service appointment. You can be in and out at Valvoline this afternoon.
So much for not buying a non turbo engine. The real risk, as proven, is the normally aspirated V8.
This sounds like suborn Mary to push EV,s and sabotage ICE ..
They should look into the new Traverse next. Loads of issues including loss of oil pressure without any warnings as well as major transmission issues. Typical “just get it out, we’ll fix it later” approach.
My truck is affected by this recall. I got the notice in myGMC app. Funny this is, I called my GMC dealer in Lafayette, IN today and they said “yes there is an open recall for loss of Propulsion for your truck but GM has not issued any fixes for it. Until they do I cannot schedule your truck for inspections or repairs. As many of you, I too have read the recall and what the dealers steps are to “resolve” it, so I’m not sure why my local dealer is telling me this. (although I’m sure we all can agree putting heavier oil in the engine to mask a bigger problem with the mechanical parts to get it out of warranty is not a fix).
Same thing I was told this morning on mine.
Same here- scheduled recall inspection last week after seeing recall notification in the app. Dealer calls me yesterday to tell me they can’t do anything bcs there’s “no fix yet” from GM. Zero help, zero info. I asked if they would notify me when it was available- answer was no, I’ll get a letter from GM… useless.
I have a 2018 Gmc in shop now with cam and lifters out with 71 thousand miles. Always kept truck serviced and this still happened. Will be looking at different make at trading time.
Sounds like GM used the same supplier Toyota used for Bearings for the Tundra V6. Both engines have had bearing failures. Maybe cheap china metal.
Well damn.. .i have a ’23 6.2 Ult : ( … I wonder if I will get notified. Wish there was a site I could just plug my VIN into.
I got noticed this morning, my engine was impacted. Well, I called the Dealership and they said there is nothing they can do because it’s listed as “Incomplete, Remedy not available”. They told me to call back in a few weeks and hopefully they will have solution because without remedy there is nothing they can do.
Bought my 22 Tahoe in May 22 and had the problem of lost propulsion twice before I had it towed in July of 22. Initially it was thought to be a lifter problem but then found out it was crankshaft shavings in oil pan and engine was replaced in a 3 week period under warranty of course. Have had no more problems at this point. Checked and see that my vehicle is listed on this new unrepairable recall. I also see that ow20 oil still being used.
What advise can anyone give me at this point. Should I assume the problem was taken care of? Thanks for any replies.
I wonder if they were getting their parts at the same place Honda and Toyota was getting theirs. It seems kind of strange the have very similiar issues. Yes I know GM issue with lifters too but, the bearings might be the whole issue with a lot of these recalls. Honda is basically doing the same inspection GM is doing on their trucks that honda is doing on its 3.5 V6
The old throw in can of STP fix trick. The people who have already torn them down say the #3 rod is side loaded to a point of ejecting the wrist pin clip. Even if it doesn’t fail completely, it has to be generating allot tramp metal. Is it a centerline bore error relative to the crank journal design flaw; a crank grinding error; or a rod flipped so the insert hits the corner radius. This serious mony and may be the death of a once great corporation. Very sad.
It’s the fuel. 91 octane premium Twelve dollars a tank, vs 87 unleaded. That is a lot of money. Consumers like to save money. I cannot blame them. Who decided that the L87 was ok for 87 octane unleaded gasoline. Premium 91-93 octane was required, the cost I had to weigh when I bought a 2023 GMC. It was stated 87 octane could be used with reduced performance. I can handle reduced some of my 420HP. Compression ratio of 10 1/2 to 1 87 unleaded 11 1/2 to 1 “racing engine” lots of HP, Definitely 91 minimum. No wonder they are failing. Everyone who uses 87 unleaded is beating the main and rod bearings to death as well as breaking connecting rods, with detonation. The oil passages are being clogged with engine bearing debris. No oil, engine seizure and or connecting rod failure. The ECU can only do so much to retard the timing. Whoever changed the fuel rating to regular cost GM billions. Fuel check every tank of a vehicle that comes in with a blown engine, and I believe you will find regular fuel. The NHTSA site is a good reference recall number 25V274. There you can find the engine numbers effected. Date of manufacture number is a bit of a neck twister on the rear of the drivers side head. Mine is on the replacement list. June 9 2025 GM will start sending recall notices. We will see if mine blows up. Good luck