GM bulletin 17-NA-281
What it saysThis service bulletin provides information on RDM Axle Ratios for AWD Vehicles for Vibration Diagnostics When Using the Pico Scope. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
GM filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 6, 2023, received Sep 29, 2023, about the power train. It names 97 model years across Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac (2016–2024). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Chevrolet · GMC · Buick · Cadillac.
Get the next GM bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis service bulletin provides information on RDM Axle Ratios for AWD Vehicles for Vibration Diagnostics When Using the Pico Scope.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17-NA-281 | Service bulletin | Sep 6, 2023 | 10242934 | PDF, 66 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themChevrolet 29 model years
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2016 Chevrolet Captiva; 2017 Chevrolet Captiva; 2023 Chevrolet Trax.
GMC 18 model years
and 4 more on this site: 2019 GMC Terrain, 2018 GMC Terrain, 2017 GMC Terrain, 2016 GMC Terrain.
Buick 36 model years
and 27 more on this site: 2016 Buick Enclave, 2024 Buick Encore, 2023 Buick Encore, 2022 Buick Encore, 2021 Buick Encore, 2020 Buick Encore, 2019 Buick Encore, 2018 Buick Encore, 2017 Buick Encore, 2016 Buick Encore, 2024 Buick Envision, 2023 Buick Envision, 2022 Buick Envision, 2021 Buick Envision, 2020 Buick Envision, 2019 Buick Envision, 2018 Buick Envision, 2017 Buick Envision, 2019 Buick LaCrosse, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, 2017 Buick LaCrosse, 2016 Buick LaCrosse, 2020 Buick Regal, 2019 Buick Regal, 2018 Buick Regal, 2017 Buick Regal, 2016 Buick Regal.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2020 Buick Lacrosse.
Cadillac 14 model years
and 5 more on this site: 2017 Cadillac XT5, 2019 Cadillac XTS, 2018 Cadillac XTS, 2017 Cadillac XTS, 2016 Cadillac XTS.
Also filed against model years this site has no page for: 2020 Cadillac XTS.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
Email me new GM bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when GM files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 92 model years this bulletin names have filed 10,676 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 1,960 of them name Power Train — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2017 GMC Acadia, the 156 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 36,128 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2016 Cadillac Srx. The contact stated that there was an extensive clunking noise coming from the transmission. The dealer stated that two of the gears may not have enough clearance, which could be the cause of the noise. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and was to follow-up with the dealer.
2016 Cadillac SRX · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jun 19, 2019 · ODI 11221209
Second time in less than a month on a 2018 Buick Enclave that air conditioning unit/evaporator in vehicle is not working and vehicle is blowing hot air only. This occurs whether vehicle is in motion or stationary. This happens when vehicle is first powered on or over an extended drive (45 mins). Does not oscillate with change in speed.
2018 Buick Enclave · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Oct 14, 2020 · ODI 11364327
Transmission dropped complete out of gear while driving. Got vehicle moving again. Took to dealership. Found complete internal transmission failure at 6779 miles. Transmission replaced with new unit. New transmission has erratic / hard shifts. Found replacement transmission leaking fluid due to front pump / porous case at 14800 miles.
2024 GMC Terrain · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Feb 2, 2026 · ODI 11714938
In depth: 2018 Chevrolet Equinox transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2019 Chevrolet Traverse transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2018 Chevrolet Traverse transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2019 GMC Acadia transmission and drivetrain problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the power train
Source: same model, same component group100 other manufacturer communications filed against these GM models under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Chevrolet list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| N252502890-01 | Service campaign | Aug 20, 2026 | Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the internal differential nut was cross threaded or missing during assembly. Dealers will rev… |
| N242471460-01 | Service campaign | Aug 20, 2026 | Certain vehicles may have been built with an Electric Drive Unit mounting bolt that is too long, causing damage to the Drive Unit case. Deal… |
| PIE0814B | Service bulletin | May 7, 2025 | This engineering information (EI) closure ends the need for requesting further information from technicians in regard to the Service AWD Lam… |
| PIP6036A | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2025 | This Preliminary information communicates diagnostic aids for a surge or fishbite concern |
| 25-NA-001 | Service bulletin | Mar 13, 2025 | This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of a transmission fluid leak. |
| PIE0814A | Service bulletin | Mar 12, 2025 | This engineering information (EI) is requesting information from technicians to perform the check list provided and contact the engineer lis… |
| 24-NA-232 | Service bulletin | Mar 7, 2025 | This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Metallic Noise from Rear Differential on Acceleration. |
| PIP5966A | Service bulletin | Mar 2, 2025 | This Preliminary information communicates Diagnostic aids for a no start or DTC'S following a transmission replacement |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is GM 17-NA-281 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 17-NA-281 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every GM warranty extension on file lists the ones GM has filed.
Which vehicles does 17-NA-281 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 97 model years across 4 brands (Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac): 2024 Buick Enclave, 2023 Buick Enclave, 2022 Buick Enclave, 2021 Buick Enclave, 2020 Buick Enclave, 2019 Buick Enclave and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.