Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the torque converter (8 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2016 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 33,000 and 66,456 miles, from the 29 reports that gave a mileage.

What owners wrote

“Truck has 8L90 transmission, has recently started shuddering at speeds from 65-75 and higher, I am experiencing issues with occasional hard shifts from 1st to 2nd gear, and 2 days ago experienced a very hard shift around 30-40mph when it slammed it made the tires chirp. 85k miles.”

Filed May 12, 2025 · 85,000 miles

“My transmission jerks randomly. It's done it since it's been brand new. When it does it, it is usually when it deaccellerates. I don't know if it's dangerous but I was hoping they had a fix for it by now.”

Filed Feb 26, 2025

“The transmission is almost banging into gear vibrating at high speeds the shifts can jerk the vehicle and cause an accident”

Filed May 1, 2023

“The torque converter jerks the truck and causes vibration. This does jerk the vehicle unsafely at times of stop lights. As I know this was a lawsuit at one point with GMC itself. It does nothing but get worse with pulling and jumping the truck going down the road.”

Filed Mar 29, 2023

Other problems on this car

• Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 106 reports