How Reliable is the GMC Sierra 1500?

Toss another lawsuit onto the ever-growing pile of GM Vortec oil consumption cases.

The Missouri based class-action is the latest in a series of suits saying the 5.3L Vortec engine churns through oil because of defects in the low-tension piston rings. The problem is compounded by GM's questionably designed oil life monitoring system which doesn't warn owners when oil levels get dangerously low.

In fact the system doesn't monitor oil levels at all, just the quality of the oil itself. So while the engine may be dry and on the verge of collapse, rest assured that last quart of oil is still in tip-top shape. 👍🏼…

A lawsuit says a failed vacuum pump in GM’s brake boosters can make the brake pedal extremely hard to push

, leading to longer stopping distances and accidents.

While investigating a rear-end collision involving the lead plaintiff ”GM told her she should read the manual to understand how the brakes worked.” Nothing says “we value our customers” like accusing them of not knowing how brakes work. GM promised to fix the plaintiff’s bumper in exchange for confidentiality. Obviously this didn’t go over well.

A lawsuit regarding the GMC Sierra’s “inadequate” headlights is still burning bright in a California court.

The plaintiffs allege GM made changes in the bulbs, assemblies and operation of the headlights … GM allegedly changed to projector-style headlights with single bulbs, smaller reflectors, two lenses each and shutters to switch between high and low beams that work from a single voltage source.

The lawsuit was filed back in 2015 after owners started questioning GM’s headlight redesign for the 2014 and 2015 model years.

Look – if you saw one of these trucks driving in the oncoming lane at night, I wouldn’t blame you if you confused it for a pair of mopeds with weak batteries. It’s that bad.

Plaintiffs in the case regarding excessive oil consumption in GM's 5.3L Vortec 5300 engines have switched gears.

The original case was tossed out by a judge last year, but the plaintiffs were given a chance to ammend their complaints. So they've switched their focus into a potentially defective oil pressure warning system that doesn't properly monitor oil levels and can lead to early engine failure.…

The judge looking into last year's Vortec excessive oil consumption lawsuit does not seem to buying claims that the engine is defective.

The case has been tossed out. Concerning owner-reported complaints, the judge found those owners talk about excessive oil consumption but they don't specifically say what is causing the oil consumption. As for the bulletin sent to dealerships, it doesn't say anything about the oil rings and sending the bulletin doesn't mean GM believed the Vortec engines were defective.

So ... the judge says the plaintiffs don't specifically say what's causing the problem. But in the next breath, the judge says there's no mention of the plaintiff's claims of defective oil rings in TSBs sent by GM to dealerships.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.…

A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of certain 2010-2013 GM owners with 5.3L V8 Vortec 5300 engines.

According to the plaintiffs, changes to the engine design allow oil to enter the combustion chamber, leading to excessive oil consumption and premature engine failure.

The lawsuit says GM 5.3L oil consumption problems are caused by defective piston rings, PVC systems and "active fuel management" (AFM) systems that cause the spark plugs to wear out prematurely and the engines to experience all kinds of malfunctions.

The problem may be due to low-tension oil rings and a new PVC system, both of which are allowing too much oil to enter the combustion chambers to burn off early.…

GM isn't arguing against claims that the 2014-2015 GMC Sierra has some terrible headlights

, just that the lawsuits against them don't prove it. GM argues truck owners don't allege the lights malfunction in any way, so the case should be dismissed because other lawsuits have been dismissed because of similar claims.

The plaintiffs are worried ineffective lights will lead to more nighttime crashes, but GM says they have no data to back it up. If the automaker actually needs data for that, then I'm not sure which is dimmer --- the headlights or GM itself.