BREAKING: GM is officially recalling the L87

[DontTaseMeBro]

I am convinced all these "bandaid" solutions: different oil, DFM disable, etc are just that. GM has stated root cause is:
1) Out of tolerance crankshaft machining
2) Sediment in Oil galleys of crankshaft and on connecting rods

The ability to get longevity out of the crank if the machining is not to design is slim. Eventually it is going to lead to bearing damage and ultimately failure.
If sediment is present, and clogs an oil pathway, the results are obvious.
If sediment is present and causes premature bearing wear or damage, a thicker oil may help for a while, but again, longevity not on our side.

Original bulletin said the expected population defective was 3%; we don't know how GM arrived at this, but living my life in quality for my day job, I can conjecture it was by inspecting incoming cranks and rods for the known defect, then doing some math. This 3% fail rate may grow over time in the field; or it may be the real number.

We see the complaints here, but 3% * 577k = 17.3k projected failures. That would imply 560k of these 6.2's are out there running fine (so far.) Other defects may be discovered later too, but for now, based on most of the reported failures we have seen on this forum, it seems the fails are consistent with GM's admitted root cause; and in the realm of the 3% they have discussed.

Even @Vladimir2306's issue, well documented in the other thread, seems like it could be caused from either 1 or 2 above, although the crank contact w/ the block could maybe point to the thrust bearing?

It's already more than 3% since they(GM) identified 28,102 field complaints or incidents in the US potentially related to failure of the L87 engine. And that number is growing.

 

[Vladimir2306]

We have only one engine out of ten that does not require revision and refinement. 9 new engines out of 10 were made in violation of GM standards. So do the math yourself, most likely 9 out of 10 cars will break down. Moreover, I thought that my engine for 75,000 miles bored out clearances, but no. Even after a run of 75,000 miles, the piston moves in the cylinder with great effort.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

It's already more than 3% since they(GM) identified 28,102 field complaints or incidents in the US potentially related to failure of the L87 engine. And that number is growing.

"Complaint" does not necessarily indicate failure for the shown root cause...but I agree it is growing, and continues to do so daily.

 

[DontTaseMeBro]

"Complaint" does not necessarily indicate failure for the shown root cause...but I agree it is growing, and continues to do so daily.

Correct, however we both know that more than likely it’s because of the said root cause. Otherwise they wouldn’t have stated that figure during the recall announcement.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

Production ramp at Tonawanda Powertrain

https://gmauthority.com/blog/2025/05/gm-tonawanda-plant-to-work-overtime-to-build-more-l87-engines/

 

[nomech]

"EPA chief Lee Zeldin to kill car feature ‘everyone hates’"

"WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin hinted Monday that he’s preparing to roll back one car feature that every driver “hates.”

“Start/stop technology: where your car dies at every red light so companies get a climate participation trophy,” Zeldin tweeted Monday in a post that has since racked up more than 8 million views.

“EPA approved it, and everyone hates it, so we’re fixing it.”

The feature kills internal combustion engines at red lights and has been touted by proponents for being able to conserve fuel and cut down on pollution."

No information, yet, on how this will play out, but I would like to see an OTA update that has a settings option that allows this to be off by default. I'd say I'm 90% at remembering to disable right after I start my vehicle.

 

[WalleyeMikeIII]

Updated NHTSA recall notice published. Says notification and remedy for the 000 recall now will be phased between Jun 9 and Sep 30. PG 6, Recall Schedule. And so it begins…

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V274-1938.PDF

 

[23Seven]

I have been running my Tahoe in L9 since day 1 I hate afm/dfm and like to make sure all 8 are firing 100% of the time. With that said I’m 5000 miles in and have yet to see this rig burn a drop of oil. I also have friends with 5.3’s and 6.2’s burning oil regularly but they let dfm go through its motions.

The motors are designed to be V8’s, Chevy small blocks were bullet proof for a long time running as designed. I still think if you trash DFM and run 5/30 or 0/40 you are helping the situation. I mean just think of all the stress when only 1 or 2 pistons and rods are tweaking the crank while the other dead cylinders sit quietly by. True fix is dump the garbage lifters and replace with a regular lifters and a new cam. Run the intended weight oil and enjoy 200-300k of True V8 power before any rebuilding.

 

[BADRIDES]

Updated NHTSA recall notice published. Says notification and remedy for the 000 recall now will be phased between Jun 9 and Sep 30. PG 6, Recall Schedule. And so it begins…

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2025/RCLRPT-25V274-1938.PDF

They can have phase dates all they want but its parts they wont have

 

[griffin99]

Any ideas why a particular 2021-2024 Yukon Denali with the 6.2 isn't found in the GMC database? I thought it covered all 21-24s. I'm searching here: https://www.gmc.com/ownercenter/recalls

Thanks.