2018 Premier w/transmission issues.

conquer1 said:

I bought this 2018 Tahoe Premier in August of this year, w/94k on the odometer. The Chevy dealer gives a lifetime warranty on engine and transmission on all vehicles under 100k.

Carfax showed that the previous owner had the transmission replaced in June of this year. So I figured with the new tranny and lifetime warranty, I shouldn't have to worry too much about transmission issues, if any, for a while. Well last week (with 101k on the odometer now), I started to get the dreaded "shudder". Felt like I was driving on rumble strips at times, and the transmission would shift a little hard sometimes.

I made an appointment to see the dealer. Appointment is 2 weeks out.

So I was driving it yesterday, and it seemed like it was back to normal. No issues. Then it started to have a hard time changing gears. Then it got stuck in a gear and wouldn't change at all. Called tow truck and had it towed home.

Is there ANOTHER new transmission in store for this Tahoe, or do you think it's a smaller problem (torque converter)?

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NickTransmissions said:

Converter failure typically leads to transmission overhaul or replacement. If the trans and converter is under warranty, you should be fine insofar as direct monetary impact; vehicle down time is another matter.

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conquer1 said:

It's definitely under warranty, so I'm not worried about the monetary impact. We also have several other vehicles to drive while this one gets fixed, so that's not an issue either.

After buying it, and joining FB groups and this forum, I found out how prevalent the transmission issues are. My main concern right now is how reliable is it going to be in the future. The entire transmission was replaced in June, just 2 months before I bought it. Am I looking at replacing either internal transmission parts or the entire transmission multiple times?

It's bad enough that an engine with 90k miles needed a brand new transmission. For that brand new transmission to fail in 6 months is just awful.

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NickTransmissions said:

What transmission do you have? 6L80/90 (six speed), 8L90 (eight speed) or 10L90 (ten speed)?

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conquer1 said:

I've got the 6 speed

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NickTransmissions said:

Visit my 6L80 Information thread for details (link is in my signature) but long story short, you need to install an upgraded torque converter with at least a .050" converter clutch (my TC builder uses a .070 thick Borg Warner high energy clutch). The factory installs a .22" woven style POS that, when combined with all of the hydraulic circuity issues in those transmissions, is a receipe for failing early and often.

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conquer1 said:

The transmission has a lifetime warranty, as long as I own the vehicle. I keep vehicles FOREVER. So, unless it gets totaled (which has happened a few times to me) I'm going to always have it. I don't want to spend money on something that's going to be covered.

I doubt if the dealer will upgrade the TC, but I can always ask. But if they want to keep either replacing the TC or entire tranny for years to come, they're welcome to do so! I'm definitely not going to spend extra on it, though.

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NickTransmissions said:

Then get used to the periodic down time with the vehicle for the same reasons. If you want to know what the underlying drivers are behind these recurring problems, check out my 6L80 Info thread. Apart from that, good luck with it.

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