Certain models of the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and 2021 GMC Sierra won’t be getting the EPA-certified fuel economy their window stickers once promised because of a global shortage of microchips. If that seems like an odd connection, bear with us. We’ll explain.
Both trucks come with a 5.3-liter V8 engine capable of deactivating cylinders to save fuel. Typically, they use all eight cylinders to get up to speed, then shut off two or four to maintain a steady pace. The workload on an engine is lower when it’s cruising. The savings come from using full power only when needed.
The trucks have one of two systems – a simpler one called Active Fuel Management (AFM) on some trim levels, and a more advanced one called Dynamic Fuel Management (DFM) on others. Both manage cylinder shutdown and restart. Both AFM and DFM use a microchip that’s running low on supply.
Production maintained
Rather than shut down production of the trucks entirely, GM has decided to continue building them but to omit the chip. Trucks that lack the chip, GM says, will get about 1 mpg less in combined driving than previously advertised.
Silverado and Sierra models with 2.7-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engines, 4.3-liter V6 engines, or 6.2-liter V8 engines will continue to use AFM or DFM. DFM also remains on LT Trail Boss and High Country trims, even though those models use the 5.3-liter engine.
GM spokesperson Michelle Malcho told reporters that building the trucks without the chip means “we are better able to meet the strong customer and dealer demand for our full-size trucks as the industry continues to rebound and strengthen.”
Affected models will still have all the hardware necessary to run the cylinder shutoff programs. But GM has no plans to install the chip to activate it at a later date.
A global shortage of microchips has paused some vehicle production, but this is the first time we’ve seen an automaker continue to build vehicles and simply delete the feature a missing chip would otherwise have controlled. Analysts expect the chip shortage to ease in the second half of 2021.
