I have a 2016 Silverado with only 56000 miles that developed a valve lifter tapping. But only in V8 mode (AFM). It's out of warranty by time, not miles. GM will not cover the repair. I used a stethoscope to isolate it to cylinder #4, which is one of the AFM cylinders. Now, the lifter stopped tapping, the engine runs rough, and the DTC is flashing P0304 (cylinder misfire on #4). So my stethoscope guess was right. I'm assume the lifter not making noise anymore signals a complete valve lifter failure. ON AN ENGINE WITH ONLY 56,000 MILES! I am reading this is a common problem....so why hasn't GM recalled these. It's a ripoff of the public. Now I'm facing likely over $3500 in repairs on basically a new engine. This is a travesty.

 

Theres currently a class action lawsuit addressing the issues but its still on going. The suit is looking to get GM to recall the following vehicles:

• 2014-present Cadillac Escalade
• 2016-2019 Cadillac CTS-V
• 2014-present Chevrolet Silverado
• 2014-present Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• 2014-2019 Corvette
• 2014-2016 Chevrolet Avalanche
• 2014-present Chevrolet Suburban
• 2014-present Chevrolet Tahoe
• 2016-present Chevrolet Camaro
• 2014-present Camaro SS
• 2014-present GMC Sierra
• 2014-present GMC Sierra 1500
• 2014-present GMC Yukon
• 2014-present GMC Yukon XL

 

Thanks for the information. I assume this involves anything with AFM. Since my original post, the dealership pulled the valve cover and found broken push rods. Do you have links to the lawsuit? I'd like to join if I can. Right now, I'm going to be out $3750. Really pissed. A young engine with 56,000 miles should not have suffered with this. I also blame the government for mandating fuel economy, pushing car manufacturers into exotic unreliable solutions to save a few MPG. Years ago, I had a Suburban with a 5.3L engine with the 2-4-8 cylinder deactivation. I think this was their first attempt. They deactivated the ignition, leading to cylinder vacuum on the downstroke. This would pull oil up past the rings leading to premature oil usage. Used to have to add a quart every 3000 miles. I bought a Range Tech OBD override module and the oil usage stopped. It was a **** show then, and it still is now.

 

Maybe ask dealer to push corporate to help you out? Or go up the food chain and contact Chevy directly?
Good luck - lots of threads here on how folks have handled this, with various levels of success/help from dealer or Chevy

 

From my original post: "GM will not cover the repair." Car is too old.

 

Heres a link on how to join the lawsuit. https://lemonlawexperts.com/how-to-j...ction-lawsuit/
Hope it helps. Thankfully my 2016 hasnt had any issues "yet", so we'll see.

 

Thanks for the info, it might help others. But I live in Minnesota and this lawsuit appears to be for Calif. residents.

 

Welcome to the GM family of cratered AFM engines due to the afm lifters. I myself have experienced this twice on two different trucks. A 2008 5.3 ,two failed lifters and a damaged camshaft at 61000 on the odometer.Stealership wanted $4500 to repair. I pleaded my case to GM and only paid for parts. 2008s had a 6/60k warranty. Currently have a 2017 Silverado 5.3 . At 31K miles had a fuel injector fail and #4 AFM lifter failure. No damage to the camshaft . I pitched a fit to GM about Californians had a 100K miles warranty on fuel injectors. GM covered everything Lifter was under warranty. I'm currently outside of the 5 year on my truck now. Have just about 52K miles on the odometer. Had the 8 inch touchscreen display developed ghost touch. Replaced the touchscreen myself. Stealership wanted to replace the whole head unit.
Now have water intrusion on my sharkfin GPS antenna, so I currently have no navigation system. Stealership wants 1500.00 bucks cause water has intruded in the rf cable connector and corroded the connector pins. I think someone is tryingvto start a class action for this antenna issue.

 

You are correct that the silence of the tapping combined with a flashing P0304 (cylinder #4 misfire) typically signals that the Active Fuel Management (AFM) lifter has completely collapsed or mechanically "locked up," preventing the valves from opening and effectively killing that cylinder. This is a notoriously common issue caused by the complex oil-locking pins in the AFM lifters failing, often leading to bent pushrods or even camshaft damage if the lifter roller seizes. The reason GM hasn't issued a formal recall is that federal recalls are strictly mandated for safety-related defects (like fires or brake failure); since a failing lifter usually just results in a loss of power and a rough-running engine rather than a catastrophic safety risk, GM has opted to handle it through TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) and "goodwill" repairs on a case-by-case basis. Given your truck is only at 56,000 miles, I highly recommend contacting GM Customer Assistance directly to open a case for a "Goodwill Component Coverage" request, as they sometimes split the cost with owners who are barely out of warranty and have maintained the vehicle well.

 

I suppose I should have had the patience to go through GM Customer Assistance, but I didn't. I bought a Car Shield extended warranty, but the 2016 Silverado didn't make it past their initial mileage exclusion. I got stuck with the whole $3500 repair. I needed the truck and didn't feel like Customer Assistance would do much since I had a bad experience with them on our 2020 Suburban running board failures. Also, the truck is 9 years old so despite the low miles, I didn't think they would help me. Speaking of safety failures, those running boards should be a recall since the elderly or handicapped depend on them. If the running board isn't there, people can be unable to get in the vehicle, or worse, fall getting out if they don't notice it didn't deploy. Yet no recall. It's criminal, really.


Back to the AFM lifters. In my case, I had a broken lifter, and a broken pushrod. Fortunately, the camshaft was fine. I bought an AFM disabler for $50 on Amazon for both the Silverado and the Suburban, hoping that will prevent future failures. The mechanic who fixed my Silverado has an AFM disabler on his own Silverado. The price on those have come down a lot, they used to cost around $250 from Range Technology, but competition has taken over thankfully. I received a letter from some lawyer about a class action lawsuit for the lifters, which I ignored. I'm sure I'd get $20, or a notice my truck was too old even for that. Speaking of safety, what if a lifter fails while towing a camper? The significant loss of power would cause the truck to stop. GM's assessment to not recall due to it not being a safety issue hasn't considered all the scenarios!