Posted on 08/24/2026 2:29:21 PM PDT by DFG
The 6.2-liter V8 found in certain Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade models has been recalled for more than a year now, but the remedy may not be to the government's satisfaction. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced it would investigate the recall after receiving complaints from owners who had experienced engine failures even after their trucks and SUVs had been repaired according to GM's standards.
Problematic Machining And Lubrication
The original recall of the 6.2-liter V8, codenamed L87 and also found under the hoods of some Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 pickups, pertained to machining flaws to the crankshaft and connecting rods, as well as foreign material that would clog oil passages and contaminate rod bearings. In extreme cases, affected vehicles would exhibit rod knock, losses of power, and complete engine failure.
GM traced the problem back to a supplier and worked out a solution to build the engine components to tighter standards, then issued NHTSA Safety Recall 25V-274 in 2025 for 597,000 examples of the company's full-size, body-on-frame SUVs and half-ton trucks. The recall inspection involved inspecting for excessive wear on the bearings and rods, with passing vehicles getting a higher-viscosity oil for better lubrication and failing units receiving entirely new engines.
Fixing A Fix Till It's Fixed
However, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received nearly 500 complaints from 6.2-liter V8 owners who alleged their vehicles suffered from engine failure even after successfully carrying out the manufacturer recall. Furthermore, ODI says that GM itself has received 6,900 such reports, although consolidating duplicates brought the total number of claims down to 6,050. As a result, the office opened an engineering analysis and recall query into GM's supposed remedy.
Making matters worse for Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC, the complaints don't just apply to the 2021–2024 models that the companies initially recalled. Newer SUVs and trucks not subject to the initial 2025 campaign (and theoretically built with the new component design) have also reported engine failures, meaning the solution might be more complicated than GM and its suppliers initially thought. The total number of vehicles covered by ODI's investigation totals 997,743 trucks and SUVs from the 2021 to 2026 model years, 400,000 units more than the company recalled last year.
The engineering analysis is still under way, so it's possible that the post-recall engine failures are related to something else entirely, whether that's driver error or some other mechanical issue. We'll reserve final judgment for when we hear more from either ODI or GM.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Long known for its steadfast reliability and flexibility, GM's small-block V8 has suffered a bit of a black eye as a result of these pesky 6.2-liter engines. And it's all the worse that many of the six-two's current customers are driving around in some of GM's most expensive vehicles, like the Escalade and Yukon Denali. Although the automaker wouldn't admit to anything, we suspect that the new 5.7-liter L76 and 6.6-liter L78 engines found in the 2027 Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 are an attempt to distract customers from the unfortunate reputation of the current engine (while also boasting improved power and capability over their predecessor). Here's hoping for a speedy solution for all current 6.2-liter V8 owners.
isn’t using thicker oil akin to bananas that stuffed into shaky read-end differentials in “The Grapes of Wrath”?
Isn’t it the type of oil now used like SAE 0W-20 full synthetic oil that are the cause of more engine wear?
Thank you for the reply, I have a couple knock-offs bookmarked. I’ll try one when I get back to my truck. Good advice about the battery drain. I have heard that referenced before. Thanks again!
Except for when they spit out their spark plugs, aluminum head threads and all.
Article should have included Ford’s bigger engines also. Just about every engine 5 litres and above have lubrication issues, internal part failures due to either poor design or poor quality material, fuel management sub-systems, etc. DuraMax, once known for bullet-proof engines now is being dragged into the muck because of internal part failures.
Big Auto seems to be trying to hit the sweet spot where they produce a vehicle that will last just until the warranty expires and then service department cash starts to roll in as design and quality failures are fixed using the customer’s money.
I never heard of a 363.
I’ve got a 6.2 LT1 in my 2019 C7 GS. Added an AFM delete module so it runs on 8cyl all the time. Only 8500 mile on it but it runs strong and still gets 25mpg and that’s around town. Not bad for 460hp.
Could not meet smog regulations, did not make near enough power for modern market conditions. Late ones were made on tired old tooling.
The LS based engines that replaced it were actually even more reliable and are the engine of choice for swaps and builds.
It’s called a torque wrench. Get one.
No. Ford 4.6 and 5.4L V8s and the 6.8L V10. They planned a V6 version and toyed with a V12 but neither materialized. The Modular motor family’s current development is the Coyote 5.0L V8 found in modern Mustangs and F-trucks.
351W is a Small Block Ford or “SBF”.
The “Vortec 5.7” is an old Chevy 350 with a sticker on it. The “Vortec 5.3” is a LS-series that only shares the bore centers with it.
About half of those aren’t on the S-10 chassis. They put that body on the Ford Ranger chassis and that’s the last development of the old Pinto motor powering them.
Problem wasn’t the aluminum head threads, the problem was the early ones didn’t have enough length of thread. Later fixed.
Independents have taken failed Toyota TTV6s apart - it actually is insufficiently cleaned machining swarf causing the failures. It’s getting in hard to clean out places during manufacture.
No, that works fine. For fuel economy, lots of makers are using 0W20, 0W30, 5W20, etc. oil.
Yes power iron rods and crankshaft beer can block = Anchor
Not to mention replacing the iconic 283 with the dog 307....
Now do Duramax.
And the 20 weight oil. Now Toyota is pushing 0W-8 oil now in vehicles. GM pushes 0W-40 oil in Corvettes and now wants trucks on it because Trump has eliminated CAFE penalties. You buy an LS Chevrolet engine for aftermarket use, they say “Use Exxon Mobil’s Supercar 0W-40 oil” (or their ESP X4 that’s used for Porsche and Mercedes). 4-cam flat-plane Corvettes require 5W-50 oil.
Now you see 2000cc turbo 4’s running family cars. This is to meet the CAFE that Biden signed into law. And the Obamites would seize opponents, which is the lesson we learned.
Get rid of the Democrats’ 1973 and 1977 laws. They are taxes on cars designed to get us into what they want.
The GM problem was with the 0W-20 requirement put in 2014. That was under Obama CAFE standards. It makes you wonder why the push against 40-weight oils when European automakers use it. I put 0W-40 in my Traverse with the 3.6 that’s also used in the Camaro. Chevrolet said in 2018 Camaros go to the 0W-40, and that includes the 3.6. Since my car has the same engine, why not use the same requirement and disobey CAFE rules.
It is time GM stole some technology from the Japanese. ;-D
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