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8.1

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,650
Average Mileage:
83,200 miles
Total Complaints:
35 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (29 reports)
  2. new pistons, rings, crankshaft baffle, valve covers (5 reports)
  3. replace afm lifters to collapse (1 reports)
2008 Chevrolet Silverado engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Chevrolet Silverado Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #35

Sep 112013

Silverado LT 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My truck has always used oil, would use 3 quarts between oil changes. Then it burned oil. Found out it was the valve cover was allowing oil to pool at the PVC valve and sucking oil into the manifold. Replaced the valve and stopped the oil burn. Now at 165,000 miles it uses 5 quarts between oil changes. Must be burning it because I don't have leaks to speak of. Use WIX filters so filtration is good. a very ridiculous amount of oil to be consuming.

- Gene P., Yakima, WA, US

problem #34

Jan 202018

Silverado LTZ 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 185,000 miles

I've been a Chevy fan since I started to drive. On that note, one night I was driving home from work and started to hear a real bad tapping noise. I took a risk and drove the remainder home wasn't too far anyway, but got home that night, did some research and found out that there is Active Fuel Management system on the truck. Since I got the truck back in Jan. 2018, I had to do 2 complete tear jobs to replace the AFM lifters.

I wish I would have done my research beforehand. With both costing around $600 to $700 dollars to do, I would just delete the whole thing but that's gonna cost twice as much to do. I wish Chevy would have done something about it. Needless to say this probably be my last Chevy I own. I'm very disappointed.

- Tim S., Decatur, US

problem #33

Jun 032017

Silverado LTZ

  • Automatic transmission
  • 161,000 miles

Purchased my truck brand new in 2008. Started using oil at 60,000 miles. Mentioned this several times & GM says this is normal. Now, It is requiring at least a quart of oil to be added at 2,000 miles between oil changes. I've also had to change plugs & wires due to this. I have always maintained my truck & looks better than most out there. Trying to make a decision on what I should do. I feel GM should take care of this because it has been a known problem from 2007- current year with the trucks that have AFM. I currently have 3 GM vehicles & this may very well be my last one. So disappointed!

- Jennifer K., Vance, AL, US

problem #32

Dec 172016

Silverado LTZ 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 102,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I took the truck in because of excessive engine noise. I was told that was normal functionality. When I took it to have the oil changed it was close to 3 qts low on oil. - I thought perhaps the shop that changed the oil messed up until I changed the oil again and it was 3 qts low again.

- Charles G., Georgetown, IN, US

problem #31

Jan 282017

Silverado LTZ 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,000 miles

I'm currently trying to work with the dealership on this situation their answer is GM says that a qt every 2000 is an acceptable value. I call NO this is not acceptable. These are 30-40,000 trucks they shouldn't be loosing oil and causing motor damage, and GM shouldn't just say ok well not our problem, they obviously know there is a problem, and they need to fix it!

- Charles G., Georgetown, IN, US

problem #30

Jan 052017

Silverado LLX 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,000 miles

I have been a die hard chevy guy since I was working on the old square bodies in high school. The last chevy I had was a 93 1500 4x4 235k miles on it, only issue was the rear main was leaking a little bit and it was ugly. Went and finally got a newer one, a 2008 z71 90k miles on it. I haven't even put 5k miles on it and I am getting a low oil light, I did get a programmer for it to stop the cylinder shut off, looks like the damage is already done. This is only one of the few issues I am having with this truck, very disappointed in gm truck. There's an air bag issue with it that gm hasn't fixed yet, the speaker for the onstar has a lot of feed back noise all the time, driver side window makes a gosh awful noise when its cold, and it bounces little crazy going down the hwy, changed tires and shocks, no difference. Unless they do a recall and fix the main issues this will be the last gm product I will own. Very disappointed in these newer trucks.

- Christopher P., Cabot, AR, US

problem #29

Dec 152016

Silverado 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 95,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I BOUGHT MY TRUCK WITH 40K ON IT, NEVER HAD IT OFF ROAD, NEVER PULLED A TRAILER, NEVER HAULED ANYTHING. AROUND 60K HAD OIL LEAKS, THEN HAD REAR MAIN SEAL GO OUT. NOW MY TRUCK BURNS 3-4 QUARTS OF OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES (MAYBE THAT IS GM's WAY OF SAVING ME TIME ON DOING OIL CHANGES). I HAVE A 2001 LEXUS WITH 150K A 2008 ALTIMA WITH 100K AND NEVER HAD A DROP OF OIL ON THE PAVEMENT NOR HAVE I EVER BEEN LOW OR HAD TO ADD ANY.

- Brandan S., Leavenworth, KS, US

problem #28

Dec 052016

Silverado 3.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 137,000 miles

I just got this Truck 3 months ago from a dealership used but it had just had an oil job. Less then 1,000 miles later I have a low oil pressure warning come on telling me to turn off my engine. I took it into a shop and they told me I only had 1.5 quarts of oil in my truck with no leaks at all just massive oil consumption which is a well known problem for these Engines that run an active fuel management system. The shop also told me they can do an overhaul of some of the offending parts with updated chevy designs that will take care of the problem. So Chevy knows they have an Engineering problem with these engines and they came up with the solution but want me to pay another 1,500$ for it to be fixed? Recall and pay for the fix!!!

- jimmyhoffa3, West Richland, WA, US

problem #27

Dec 092015

Silverado LTZ 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 160,000 miles

THIS 2008 CHEVY SILVERADO REALLY SUCKS. OIL NOT ON STICK AT 3000 MILES OF USE. A WORD TO THE WISE........NEVER BUY A GM PRODUCT. GM SHOULD FIX THESE PROBLEMS OF OIL CONSUMPTION AT NO CHARGE!!!

DON'T FORGET. NEVER BUY A GM PRODUCT

- Henry P., Akron, AL, US

problem #26

Nov 052015

Silverado LT Z71 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles

Greetings,

My name is Otis Johnson and I was in touch with a representative in regards to my truck having a damaged piston in cylinder 1. STRAIGHT TO THE POINT, THE TRUCK BURNS OIL. The compression test rating is at 0, due to lack of lubrication of the cylinder. I am disappointed because I have no faith in Chevrolet.

Despite me having every maintenance record, me sitting countless hours in Jersey City Chevrolet for maintenance, having differential oil changes, buying my own module to fix my cruise control, Chevy has really screwed me over. Even my father has a product, brand new, already with recalls, and two busted door locks for your top of the line LTZ model. Even a good family friend, 2008 Chevy Avalanche, with a replaced motor, and now malfunctioning catalytic converter, which is not covered under warranty, and the cost is reaching $1,000. Chevy, you have really dropped the ball on this issue, and it is disgusting that you will not recognize the issue, and for your owners having to pay out of pocket for your negligence and poor engine manufacturing.

Your loyal customers such as Mr. Bruceton from West Virginia, Mr. Mackey from New Jersey , Mr. Michael from Michigan, Mr. Brad from North Carolina, Mr. B from Maine, Mr. Hurricane from Utah, Mr. Swansea from Illinois, Mr. Corey from Virginia, and if you think this letter is just a ramble of people who got the bad end off the stick, then it makes sense how you do not care for your customers. I am tired of drivers bring told, “Oh, these things burn oil, its normal.”

Let me tell you something, my family has a 1999 Ford F-150 with 156,000 miles on it, all city driving, which brings more stress on the motor, and I will even give you a video account, that the 4.6 Triton motor is running 100 times stronger than my Vortec 5.3. Even with a leaking engine seal, IT DOESN’T BURN OIL. How awful are you Chevy? It is sicking, and just the fact that you would just dishonor the American pickup truck as being a dependable and reliable truck, but I guess you do not care. I was offered $1,000 towards another new Chevy by GM, because I was so dissatisfied with the resolution to fix my truck. I DON’T WANT A NEW CHEVY, I WANT MY TRUCK! The one where I worked nights and it kept me warm, the one where I traveled through blizzards with my family to get home, the one where I helped flooded motorists and pushed their cars to safety, the one where I can go to the jersey shore with my girl friend and enjoy a day at the beach, the one where I watched the NYC skyline in the back bed with blankets and pillows with my girlfriend and we loved every minute of time with one another.

How dare you insult me with money to get another Chevy. That truck can never be duplicated. So, instead of running this like a sham, how about you run this like a business. Take responsibility for your actions, and fix this problem. It seems that you can take a page out of Volkswagen. So Chevy, I am very sure that you have had many people contact you about this issue, and before your customer service reps on the phone tell me, “Oh I’m sorry sir, I have never heard that issue before,” well you will be hearing it now. Also, take 5 minutes to look up 2008 Chevy Silverado on Carcomplaints.com and tell me the fascinated statement on how sorry that this unfortunate circumstance has inconvenienced me. So you have my email address, and I do check them regularly, please let me know how I can be of assistance to you.

Yours Truly,

A customer who sadly test drove a foreign car to replace their domestic truck, O. Johnson – New Jersey

Update, so I get a message from Chevy customer service care and they tell me to send in my vin and they will look into it. At this point, I have as much hope as a Zebra walking around in crocodile infested waters. So while looking on Chevy’s page, and I see some more customers who has been plagued by GM’s “Dependable” cars and trucks, so since I haven’t seen the media update us on the situations of poor vehicle manufacturing, I will do it for us…THE PEOPLE

These are statements that I have found about many people’s poor customer service and terrible vehicle design. These have been edited to fit the page and portions to get straight to the point.

1. Walter J Hendrix III I will never ever buy another Chevrolet Suburban again. I had a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 and had absolutely no major problems with it. I decided that I wanted to get a new model (bad move) so I traded in the 2003 for a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban z71. Almost immediately I began having problems. This vehicle had been in the shop in the neighborhood of thirty times (I have all documentation) for numerous different issues before I finally just quit taking it in. These problems included but weren't limited to the following: 1) Electrical issues 2) Headlight/Running light malfunction 3) Rear window defroster 4) Bad transmission 5) Oil consumption All of the above issues required multiple visits and uses of warranty and extended warranty, rear window replacement, two recalls were issued for the oil consumption issue, and 2/3/5 still have not been resolved. However, the main issue now is the oil consumption. This vehicle is now have 1-2 quarts of oil added about every 500 miles (I've been tracking the oil consumption with a spreadsheet for about two years now). I first reported the issue about three years ago and was given several different "reasons/excuses" for the problem; including also telling me that adding about three quarts of oil (at the time) between oil changes was "normal consumption." The problem is now exponentially worse and an identical problem is being reported by tens of thousands of people all over the country. GM/Chevrolet refuses to acknowledge the problem, let alone correct it and no recall has been issued as of today. 2. Justicee Page Those of you with cruze what problems are you having? My dealer is saying that while I'm at a complete stop with my foot completely down on the break my car is pulsing at idle , which they have admitted is happen but said "it's a normal feature in a 2013 cruze ltz rs " what a joke! 3. Pam Catron My car is scheduled to be going in for yet another recall tomorrow, something to do with the Emissions, they are going to have alot more to deal with than that given my brake issues since December that they were supposed to have fixed, now the engine light is on, the sensors are a constant problem, in idle the car runs like crap and wants to die, now it's messages on my screen of the car about the traction and had the car hooked up to see why the engine light was on, guess what? An issue with the Turbo on it now, SO OVER THIS CAR!!!!!!! Mine is a 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco, when I called the Dealer he acted like he knew nothing about the brakes but if you look it up THERE ARE RECALLS FOR THE VERY ISSUE I'M HAVING WHICH ALMOST CAUSED US TO REAR END A TRUCK LAST WEEK. The car has 63,000 miles on it and only had 30,000 when I bought it. It should not be having all these freaking problems!!!!!!! Beyond peeved!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4. Valeen Sean Masterson Can you explain how it's safe for my wife to drive her only car that the power steering can just fault out? With my newborn child and 2 other children in the car and offer no rental and there are no parts for it ( CHEVY CRUZ) 5. Gary Bordogna After getting jerked around by Chevy when my maintained by Chevy 2010 Silverado's motor locked up, my "New Road" was to a Toyota dealer. Without a truck for over a month, Customer Care said they would call within 48 hours, all a load of BS.

So Chevy, can you explain this? Explain the poor manufacturing, and to the extent that it would cause the lives of your customers? So, this is not about me, this is about the millions of gm drivers that you are messing over. I am still waiting for a more, “heart to heart” response. Please don’t treat me or your other drivers as pawns or numbers. Fix your mistakes

- Otis J., Newark, US

problem #25

Apr 012010

Silverado LT 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 31,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Truck started using oil around 30,000 miles have 72,000 miles on it now. Uses two quarts of oil between oil changes. It's not leaking or burning it so where's it going???

- shawjl, Bruceton Mills, WV, US

problem #24

Aug 202015

Silverado LS 5.3L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 146,202 miles

The fact that when I got my oil changed at 3,000 miles and there was NO OIL IN THE TANK....that is a huge issue! I will never buy another GM vehicle.

- Michael E., Bay City, MI, US

problem #23

Aug 152015

Silverado LTZ 6.0L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 137,000 miles

Just search for Silverado oil consumption with AFM. Apparently this is a huge issue with Active Fuel Management. Google it before ever buying a GM/Chevy product with AFM.

- Brad G., Charlotte, NC, US

problem #22

Jan 022012

Silverado LT 4door 4.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles

I can't believe I have put up with this for the past three years. If I new then what I know now, I never would have purchased this truck. I have been told like every one else that this is normal for a Chevy, Bull sh*t. No vehicle should use this much oil. Its unacceptable G.M. needs to step up and make good on this one. Not to mention all the other B.S. stuff, this truck had 48000 miles on it when I purchased it in 2012 and its been one thing after another. Cruise control, door locks, power windows and door speakers don't work WTF!!! Can't keep oil in it, no leaks and its not burning it???!

Never again

- berube170, Auburn, ME, US

problem #21

Nov 212014

Silverado LT 5.3L V8

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,500 miles

Sometime after 65,000 miles, the truck started using oil between oil changes. No signs of leaks and research tells me that the cause is carbon buildup on the piston rings due to the Active Fuel Management system. I've read that disabling the AFM using an aftermarket tuner will reduce the problem. I currently use approximately 2 quarts between oil changes if I follow the computer guideline for changing oil. It will use a quart every 2500 miles on average but it is not uniform in the consumption. It seems to drop fairly rapidly at random but only after the oil has been in the vehicle for a few months. I will get rid of my truck if disabling the AFM doesn't fix this one.

- flatlandcoug, Wichita, KS, US

problem #20

Apr 212015

Silverado LT 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 65,000 miles

Same as the other people on here. I've had this truck for 7 months and got it with only 60,000 miles on it. Today I hear ticking under the hood and first thing I did was check the oil. NOTHING was on the dipstick. I changed it only 3,000 miles ago with Valvoline full synthetic oil. Seriously? My 89' full size Blazer with a rear main leak used less oil. Last Chevy I'll ever own.

Update from Apr 24, 2015: After emptying the rest of the oil that was in the pan, I then found out that I had just over 2 quarts of oil running through my motor. I'm even more peeved off about this issue and I don't have the variable cylinder shut down thing on my truck. So, where's my oil? Wow I guess the maintenance cost is going to be higher than what it really should be for sure. Chevy should fix every last one of these trucks on their dime for sure.

- Errick D., Hurricane, UT, US

problem #19

Feb 212015

Silverado LT 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,000 miles

I am the original owner of this truck. I've had oil pressure issues since the 3rd year that I owned it. Now it is finally using oil and is now out of warranty. I called the Chevy dealership and he went on about how using 2qts. of oil in 3000 miles is totally normal. After about a 30 minute phone call he was finally going to let GM know and see if they will make this right. Well see what the outcome is. I think its sad. This is the 3rd Chevy that I have owned and it will probably be the last.

Update from Feb 25, 2015: This truck has also had the door lock issue on all 4 doors and the dash is cracked just forward of the upper compartment on the passenger side. The locks did get fixed by GM for $200.

- Steven B., Swansea, IL, US

problem #18

Jan 122015

Silverado LT 5.3L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,000 miles

So Chevy's 4 cylinder mode is causing these engines to use oil and have piston failure when the rings get carboned up. My truck was a quart low between oil changes, maybe not to bad, but still shouldn't be low. I put a device on the obd2 that keeps it in 8 cylinder mode to hopefully avoid oil consumption. I notice my rear main seal was leaking around 40k miles, so it may just be losing it there.

- jst, Bedford, IN, US

problem #17

Feb 012011

Silverado LTZ 1500

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,000 miles

I started to notice the problem when there was oil missing at my first oil change in 2011. After that every 3000 miles I was adding two quarts of oil between oil changes. So from now on I'm adding a quart of oil approximately every 1000 miles, that's a serious problem. That is why I want this report and now I'm going to the Chevy dealer today to see if others have had this problem and I'm sure they have had. I know others have had engine replaced or rebuilt to correct this problem Chevy has created.

- Corey C., Williamsburg, VA, US

problem #16

Jul 012013

Silverado LT Lc9

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

This is not the only problem I have with the truck. Door locks don't work, had a random miss that never went away, was told replace injectors, broke 3 axle shafts, hub assembly, oil pump went out so motor needs to be rebuilt and replaced even though it ran. Window switches stopped working, 4 wheel drive actuator went out. Spent thousands of dollars fixing this truck and now it is out of commission and it's not even paid off.

Truck is a piece of crap, will never buy another Chevy. Dealer mechanic told me he replaces pistons and rings in almost all Chevy models 3 times a day.

- Cade P., Eads, TN, US

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