Hi,

My 09 3500 4x4 Ext Cab single rear wheel truck has pulled HARD to the left on a left hand crowned road since mile 1. It steers correctly on a right hand crowned road.

It has been to 4 dealers for a total of 6 weeks of repairs including 10+ alignments and a new steering box.

The latest is they have it aligned it with 0 caster and by the way the alignment rack reads it should be pulling to the right but it almost steers correctly (but still tends to go more left than right and it kind of floats on the road).

If they align it within "specs" it dives to the left.

I contend that if I ever need to get it aligned again, it must be tuned by feel and they agree it isn't right. I also wonder how it will wear my tires long term.

Should I hire an attorney to get rid of this thing? I've put 19k miles on it in the 5 months I've owned it and it's never been right and was in to the dealer at 2k miles, 6k miles, 11k miles and now 19k miles. The only reason for the time between the work done is because I need it for my proprietary business.

This truck is my livelihood.

I have a 5" exhaust and an Race Edge on it which of course has nothing to do with the steering but I wonder if they try and loophole me or something. I altered the truck only for mileage, not performance.

Any input is appreciated

Thanks,
Rudy

My father had the same problem on his truck which was year 7.5. The dealer could not fix it so he took it to an independent which found a broken bolt. I am not sure which bolt it was but it made it impossible to keep the alignment and go straight. He took it back to the dealer and had then fix the bolt and all is good. I think there was a TSB on it but not sure.

Thanks. Three of the dealers have worked directly with GM engineers so I'd like to think if their was a TSB they'd have dealt with it.

Bad tire ? Did they try swapping the front tires to see if it made a difference ?

Bad tire ? Did they try swapping the front tires to see if it made a difference ?My 02 Suburban did that, then changed the tires and found I had a shifted belt. Caused a hard pull.

It could be a tweaked frame. If it was towed by a tow truck and pulled down hard without being evenly tied down, it would pull one side harder than the other and take it out of alignment.

Thanks...The tires have been flipped, flopped rotated, changed and so on. The frame was measured and found to be straight.

I am less interested in trying to fix it for them after this many weeks and hoping more to find out about whether I need a lawyer to lemon it or if someone knows anything about the process.

I would try taking it to an independent wheel/frame shop for their evaluation.

I have gone through the lemon law process, no fun, long drawn out process but worth the hassle in the end.

I would read up on the lemon law for your state. The BBB and Consumer Affair Office should be a big help. I did not hire a lawyer, but I did contact a friend of mine and he gave me some good advice...Detail, detail, detail, document everything.

In GA, where I live you had to have the vehicle in during the 1st 12 months/12,000 miles...and after the first repair was attempted the rest of the attempts had to be within the next 24 months/24,000 miles if I am not mistaken. GM tried to offer small settlements along the way, but I held firm and was taken care of.

Read over the Ohio's state laws for this type of thing, then read some more. Keep all your ecords, and take pictures, write down phone conversations, everytime you speak with the dealer, everything.

Like mentioned above, read up on your state's Lemon laws and dump the truck, its never going to be right and down the road its going to cost you in repairs and tires. What happens when you stomp the brakes? If it dives one way another this could cost you more than $$ some day.:(

Even though their shop is saying it is straight, it could be slightly out! Take it to someone who doesnt have to eat the bill if they screwed up.

Thanks guys....

Pulpit:

How many weeks (hopefully not months) did it take you to lemon your vehicle? Did you get another or take a buy out?

Regarding going to another shop. GM agrees the truck isn't right. They just don't know how to fix it and I am tired of being without my truck.

Lower the caster on the right hand side, or bump up the caster on the left hand side if possible. Caster doesnt wear tires, should be able to make it go any direction you want with the right adjustments. Camber and toe usually only cause tire wear.

This makes me worried.....my 2010 has pulled to the left since the first day too....been in 2x's already and goes in for the 3rd on Tuesday. For the pull and the strange vibration/wobble I have in the rear. I'm not waiting .... 3 strikes and their out here in NY...especially when I bought it 3/5 and it only has 1400 miles on it............ I didn't buy a new truck to have it spend time after time in the shop. My 08 1 ton was flawless..... and who says some trucks aren't built on a Monday ????

Let us all know what you find out/ how it all works out for you......

Fedup.... I hear you and that is what they have been playing with as of late and they got it close...but it still goes left a bit AND it's out of spec, which means for the duration of the ownership of my truck, every future alignment has to been tuned in by feel.

I debated throwing up my hands and accepting it but it still pulls left on a left crowned road and goes straight on a right crowned road. I often drive 1000 miles in a little over a day pulling a trailer and it wears on you.

I think I want to make sure it's right.

talk to the dealer who has done the repair about a trade-in. Mybe he can give you a good deal on a new one! Let them deal with the truck wether they sell it or auction it or scrap it. Just move on make it easier on yourself. Just a thought!

Check in to that broke Bolt idea....you never know. I had a GM car that 4 motor's before the car would run right. Kept having catastrophic failures. I guess I shouldn't have drove it like a stole it. LOL

I lemoned a 96 Chevy. Each State has it own Lemon law. You have a good case with several repeat problems. Also, with the first problem at 2K, you will not be charged much for mileage, when the case is settled. Each state typically has it own mileage rates for miles driven until the first incident.

Find a Lemon Case lawyer. GM pays his wages, when the case is settled in your favor. A good Lemon Lawyer will take the case on contingency. If he is asking you for $s up front, he is probably not the right guy. At the very least he is not confident in your case. A good Lemon Lawyer will not take the case unless he knows he can win. So you know right up front you are either going to win or the case is risky.

Act fast to initiate the case. The truck has to still be under warranty, in most states.

GM has a voluntary arbitration process. You are forced to go through it. However, when they offer their B.S. settlement, you can reject it and go to court. Their mileage rate is typically 3 times higher that most state's.

After it was all said and done, I came out ~$600 ahead, somehow. Also, I got back all the principle and intrest I paid on the laon, etc.

GM will not settle until you go to court. My case took almost a year. GM settled the day of the trial. GM delays settlement betting that you will allow it to be repoed or smash it up.

I lemoned a 96 Chevy. Each State has it own Lemon law. You have a good case with several repeat problems. Also, with the first problem at 2K, you will not be charged much for mileage, when the case is settled. Each state typically has it own mileage rates for miles driven until the first incident.

Find a Lemon Case lawyer. GM pays his wages, when the case is settled in your favor. A good Lemon Lawyer will take the case on contingency. If he is asking you for $s up front, he is probably not the right guy. At the very least he is not confident in your case. A good Lemon Lawyer will not take the case unless he knows he can win. So you know right up front you are either going to win or the case is risky.

Act fast to initiate the case. The truck has to still be under warranty, in most states.

GM has a voluntary arbitration process. You are forced to go through it. However, when they offer their B.S. settlement, you can reject it and go to court. Their mileage rate is typically 3 times higher that most state's.

After it was all said and done, I came out ~$600 ahead, somehow. Also, I got back all the principle and intrest I paid on the laon, etc.

GM will not settle until you go to court. My case took almost a year. GM settled the day of the trial. GM delays settlement betting that you will allow it to be repoed or smash it up.

Apparently your mileage may vary as they say.

Things have evidently changed since '96...at least in my case.

I lemoned my 2006 using the BBB arbitration process. Settled in less than three weeks; GM could not find a replacement truck as it was model year end, so they allowed me to order a 2008 equipped the way I wanted it.

It was one of the first 08's off the line, paid $1600 difference because I ordered options the 2006 didn't have.

Call BBB first and initiate the process. It is non-binding arbitration so you can back out at any time. It is free, and worth a shot IMHO...

Good luck.

Each state has its own law and they typically are somewhat different. GM uses BBB Arbitration. In Michigan, you are forced to go through this. But, you have the right to reject the BBB offer and go to court. But, you can not reject it until you go through it. Not all states' Lemon Laws are as good as Michigan's. For example: ...

The mileage rate in Michigan is 10 cents per mile until the first "Lemon Qualifying Incident." Mileage rate from BBB was, if I recall correctly, 30 cents a mile until the truck was turned in, which was 79K. So, I would have been making a bad decision to accept the BBB's arbitration offer. A lot of states do not have their rate set at 10 cents per mile to the first incident.

One just has to know the applicable State's law and what your options really are. That is where the Lemon Lawyer comes into play. He told me right up front we were going to be rejecting the BBS yet to be made offer. Like I said, I came out ~ $600 ahead, somehow. :)

Thank you to all of you for taking the time to share your experiences and input.

I'll be contacting a lawyer and will post the results.

Rudy

It took 8 months from the first time truck was in the shop to the time I got a new truck. It was a few weeks to actually get the truck once the arbitartion process began.

Shasta is right on with his information. I had to pay a bit...actually difference in sticker prices because my new truck had a few more options. What I paid was all due to what the law states with regard to BBB and lemon law. I did have to pay some in mileage as well. It was well worth it.

I felt it was a fair deal for me, and to be honest, a fair deal to GM.

My only experience with the Lemon Law was way back in 84. I went through the BBB in New Jersey, it took almost 9 months but I got back all of the money that I put down. I did lose all of the money that I paid in the monthly payments though.

My Aunt had a 06 VW Bug that had nothing but problems with the Power Top. Finally a VW Company Rep looked at it and told her to pick a New Car out. They did not have one in the color that she wanted so he told the dealer to order her one. Long story short she got a new 07 just like she wanted for no money out of her pocket. I wish all of these companies would treat their customers this way.

Good Luck and as has been said keep VERY good records and keep fighting.

Have you tried driving another similar truck for comparison?

I did the lemmon route in 93 here in WA. it took about 6 months and we got all our money back:) one thing I will caution you on that bit me was it was a company truck and it had been fully depreiciated off in the first year, when it was bought back by GM we owed the IRS for the amount it took off our taxes. So check with your accountant to make sure you are ok.

I have now driven 2 other 2010 trucks and determined they all pull to the left....badly...on a left hand crowned road

My truck is almost all highway miles and as I had said before, I will drive 1000 miles in a 24 hour period.

Pulling the truck out of oncoming traffic for 15 hours makes you aware of it as you kind of fatigue after awhile.

I expect most folks driving on 2 lanes or city driving will never notice this as the roads crown to the right.

Summary:

I drove 2 new (2010) trucks having the same issue

It seemed lemoning it was just more hassle and it leaves me no better off

The value of my truck is somewhere around $38 to 40k and having them buy it back clearly wasn't going to work out

I had another alignment shop work on it and made it "different". I think better but not right. Time will tell and we'll see how the tire wear goes

I asked GM for $1000 for me to go away and they said "ok"

So it's another $1k less I have in my truck

I'm left thinking "eh" Enough headache and frustration.

I'm taking a 3k mile drive starting tomorrow. If I hate it, I'll sell it and buy a Ford or see if I can find a good low mile LBZ.

Rudy

My truck does the same thing and I really only notice it when on a highway, left hand lane. It seems to force me back into the right hand lane. I guess I will take it in next time I need to get get some warranty work done.

Thanks for the update.

Had a 2001 chevy 3/4 ton with a 6.0 that had a misfire in the engine,after 9 months of ownership and numerous trips to the service department I contacted the BBB Autoline and submitted a claim.Three months later Chevy got the truck back and I got the purchase price plus taxes and paid no mileage fees.An arbitration date had been set and chevy bailed at the last moment.Of the six GM trucks I have purchased new only the last two D/A did not need an alignment from the factory.A new truck that can not be aligned to factory specs and track down the road properly should have a 4/wheel alignment check,somethings wrong!

Summary:

I drove 2 new (2010) trucks having the same issue

It seemed lemoning it was just more hassle and it leaves me no better off

The value of my truck is somewhere around $38 to 40k and having them buy it back clearly wasn't going to work out

I had another alignment shop work on it and made it "different". I think better but not right. Time will tell and we'll see how the tire wear goes

I asked GM for $1000 for me to go away and they said "ok"

So it's another $1k less I have in my truck

I'm left thinking "eh" Enough headache and frustration.

I'm taking a 3k mile drive starting tomorrow. If I hate it, I'll sell it and buy a Ford or see if I can find a good low mile LBZ.

Rudy



:duh:

Rudy,
Have they checked the rear axle for correct alignment? Maybe one of the spring pins have sheared off and have let the axle move forward/back on that leaf spring? Loose u-bolts on the rear axle?

Rudy,
Have they checked the rear axle for correct alignment? Maybe one of the spring pins have sheared off and have let the axle move forward/back on that leaf spring? Loose u-bolts on the rear axle?

He says every 2010 GM truck he drives (2 others) did the same thing. The only constant is Rudy - maybe it's in the driver.

:confused:

I have an 08 GMC now. Only because I Lemon Lawed my 04 Ford 6.0L, I had it for five years and had 63K miles on it. The warranty was up at 36K, the engine warranty was up at 100K. I had so many problems that Ford extended the warranty for another two years and 200K miles. But after the "remanufactured" engine that they put in at 62K, I was towed home from vacation at the tune of $1200 and that was with AAA premium! At that time I was about three months into my lemon lawsuit, it took a total of six months to complete and that was exactly what my lawyer said the time frame would be. After all was said and done, I ended up with with the same amount I paid for it in 2004. Ford wanted to charge me $2200 for mileage over the 36K but my lawyer got that down to $1100.

Personally if I were having the problems you are having I would pursue the lemon law and get rid of it and pick up that low mileage LBZ or even an 08. I'm not sure of the lemon law in your state but here in Cali it only goes until 36K and when I drove mine to the dealer to turn it in it had 63K on it. My lawyer was worth the money and six months it took to get my truck returned. I say give it back to GM.

racinrudy, if you are interested in my Lawyer's number PM me. He is in San Diego and if he can't help you he might be able to direct you to a lawyer in your state that can help you.