Overview The 2016–2019 Chevrolet Volt is a weird one. Good weird when it’s right. Expensive weird when it isn’t. This car does not use a normal stepped automatic. The whole front drive setup is GM’s 5ET50 electric drive unit, an integrated front-wheel-drive transaxle that packs two electric motors, planetary gearing, clutch elements, and the final…
Overview The 2005–2008 Chevrolet Uplander is not a complicated platform from a transmission standpoint. That can be good news and bad news. Good because the drivetrain layout is familiar, the parts network is still decent, and most transmission shops have seen this setup before. Bad because the weak spots are old news too, and when…
Overview The 2011–2015 Chevrolet Volt doesn’t use a normal automatic transmission. Not even close. Instead, this platform runs a strange but clever electric drive unit called the 4ET50. Inside that housing you’ve got two electric motors, a planetary gearset, clutch packs, reduction gears, and the differential all living together in one aluminum case. It’s part…
Overview The first-generation Chevrolet Venture is one of those vans that looks simple on paper and gets a lot messier once you’ve been under a few of them. I’ve seen plenty of these old GM minivans come through with the same basic story: one transmission family, one engine pairing in the U.S. market, and a…
Overview Gen 2 Traverse (2018–2023) runs one basic playbook: a transverse 9-speed, front-drive layout, and if you spring for AWD you’re really buying extra driveline parts that can make extra noises. Simple. Until it isn’t. I’ve been under a lot of these. On lifts, on cold mornings, on 100°F (38°C) days when the customer swears…
Overview First-gen Chevrolet Traverse (2009–2017). Big body. Family duty. And the tranny story is the same one I’ve heard in parking lots, tow yards, and service lanes for years. This platform is FWD-based, with optional AWD. Simple on paper. Real world? A little messy. The transmission family is GM’s 6T70/6T75 six-speed setup, and when it…
Overview The U.S.-market first-generation Chevrolet Trax, sold from 2015 through 2022, is a simple little crossover on paper. One main automatic tranny. Two drive layouts. FWD if you want the safer bet. AWD if you want extra traction and a few extra ways to get hurt financially. After cleaning up the technical record against factory…
Overview The second-gen Chevrolet Trailblazer (2021–present) is a split-personality drivetrain. Two different trannies. Two different ownership stories. One side is the VT40 CVT (RPO MRG). It’s the “smooth when it’s happy” unit. The other side is the 9T4X 9-speed automatic family (Trailblazer docs call it “9T4X,” and you’ll see it tied to RPO M3F in…
Overview The first-generation Chevrolet TrailBlazer (2002–2009) sits on GM’s GMT360 truck platform. Body-on-frame. Longitudinal drivetrain. Old-school SUV hardware. Simple layout, which is good… until the miles pile up and the weak spots start showing. I’ve worked on these things for years. Seen plenty come through the shop with 180,000 miles (290,000 km) or more. Some…
Overview The 1999–2004 Chevrolet Tracker sits in an odd spot in the SUV world. Small body. Real truck drivetrain. Separate transfer case. Old-school layout. No crossover nonsense yet. I’ve worked on a lot of these. Suzuki engineering under a Chevrolet badge, same bones as the Grand Vitara. The driveline itself is simple — and simple…
Overview Sixth-gen Tahoe (2021–present). Big truck, big expectations, and a drivetrain that can be great… or a total headache if you buy the wrong build or ignore the warning signs. I’ve worked on these in real service bays, warranty lanes, and “customer just got back from a road trip” chaos. Same story repeats. Here’s the…
Overview The 2015–2020 Chevrolet Tahoe sits on GM’s K2XX full-size truck platform. Big body-on-frame SUV. Old-school layout. Longitudinal V8, rear-wheel drive base, optional electronic four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case hanging off the back of the transmission. I’ve worked on a lot of these. Fleet units, police take-homes, family tow rigs, construction company trucks….
Overview This is about the drivetrain you actually live with. Tranny, transfer case, diffs, driveshafts, axle seals. On the 2007–2014 Tahoe (GMT900). That’s it. First thing people ask me: “Is there a recall for the transmission?” On this generation, I’m not seeing a NHTSA safety recall that’s aimed straight at the automatic transmission, transfer case,…
Overview The 2000–2006 Chevrolet Tahoe sits on GM’s GMT800 truck platform. Old-school hardware. Body-on-frame, longitudinal drivetrain, real transfer case, and a four-speed truck transmission that most transmission builders in the United States can rebuild blindfolded. I’ve worked on these for years. Fleet trucks, family SUVs, tow rigs that hauled boats every weekend. Some of them…
Overview The 12th-generation Chevrolet Suburban showed up for the 2021 model year with a totally new chassis and driveline layout. Independent rear suspension. Different rear differential mounting. Different driveshaft setup. Same basic mission though — haul people, haul trailers, rack up miles. Every single Suburban in this generation runs the same transmission: the GM Hydra-Matic…