GM bulletin PIP5966
What it saysThis Preliminary information communicates Diagnostic aids for a no start or DTC'S following a transmission replacement NHTSA’s full summary ↓
GM filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 23, 2024, received Mar 18, 2024, about the power train. It names 88 model years across Chevrolet, GMC 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 · Cadillac.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationThis Preliminary information communicates Diagnostic aids for a no start or DTC'S following a transmission replacement
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIP5966 | Service bulletin | Feb 23, 2024 | 10251715 | not found |
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 41 model years
and 1 more on this site: 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD.
GMC 26 model years
and 18 more on this site: 2022 GMC Sierra, 2021 GMC Sierra, 2020 GMC Sierra, 2019 GMC Sierra, 2018 GMC Sierra, 2017 GMC Sierra, 2016 GMC Sierra, 2018 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2017 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2016 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2017 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2016 GMC Sierra 3500HD, 2020 GMC Yukon, 2019 GMC Yukon, 2018 GMC Yukon, 2017 GMC Yukon, 2016 GMC Yukon.
Cadillac 21 model years
and 13 more on this site: 2020 Cadillac CT4, 2018 Cadillac CT6, 2017 Cadillac CT6, 2016 Cadillac CT6, 2019 Cadillac CTS, 2018 Cadillac CTS, 2017 Cadillac CTS, 2016 Cadillac CTS, 2020 Cadillac Escalade, 2019 Cadillac Escalade, 2018 Cadillac Escalade, 2017 Cadillac Escalade, 2016 Cadillac Escalade.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 88 model years this bulletin names have filed 14,776 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 3,689 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 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, the 106 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 15,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
On July 5, 2024 while traveling and towing our 5th wheel (7,200lbs) with our 2017 GMC 2500 6.0L GAS engine (with the 6L90 transmission) and without any previous warnings or signals the check engine light illuminated and approximately 10 mins later the vehicle went into limp mode with "Transmission Hot.....Idle Engine" warning, causing us…
2017 GMC Sierra 2500HD · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Jul 16, 2024 · ODI 11602719
I bought my car in sept. 2016 after the first couple of months at random times the transmission makes a boom sound when slowing down from speeds over 55 MPH or during acceleration from stop and go rush hour traffic it's as if the transmission has to catch up with the accelerator. I get monthly diagnostics and nothing shows up as an issue
2016 Chevrolet Camaro · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 19, 2018 · ODI 11080158
On or about november 26, 2020, at 1:30 AM while driving on I-30 westbound in texarkana, tx traveling at the posted speed of 75 MPH in a 2018 Camaro zl1. The transmission blew out while in cruise control and all systems that transmit power from the engine or propulsion device to the wheels were lost and the vehicle had to coast onto the…
2018 Chevrolet Camaro · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Nov 29, 2020 · ODI 11376919
In depth: 2017 Chevrolet Camaro transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2019 Chevrolet Colorado transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2018 Chevrolet Colorado transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2017 Chevrolet Colorado 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 group181 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| N262567720 | Service campaign | Sep 17, 2026 | Certain vehicles may have received transmission mounting bolts that do not meet expected hardness specifications. Loose or failed bolts may… |
| N252502891-01 | 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… |
| 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… |
| N262556930-01 | Service campaign | Jun 17, 2026 | Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the transfer case drive chain sprocket is cracked. Dealers are to replace the transfer case. |
| N262560680 | Service campaign | Jun 10, 2026 | Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the bolts for the transmission control valve body may be loose or missing. Dealers will retor… |
| N262556930 | Service campaign | Jun 2, 2026 | Certain vehicles may have a condition in which the transfer case drive chain sprocket is cracked. Dealers are to replace the transfer case. |
| N252517790 | Service campaign | Oct 14, 2025 | Certain vehicles, equipped with 8L80 or 8L90 Transmissions, may have a condition in which the reaction carrier cracks. Dealers are to replac… |
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 and Cadillac, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is GM PIP5966 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 PIP5966 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 PIP5966 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 88 model years across 3 brands (Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac): 2019 Cadillac ATS, 2018 Cadillac ATS, 2017 Cadillac ATS, 2016 Cadillac ATS, 2024 Cadillac CT4, 2023 Cadillac CT4 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.