Can anyone tell me if the cylinder deactivation, that I understand started on 2021 model 5.0s, has caused as many nightmares as it seems the AFM/DFM that GM uses on their engines? I understand that Fords valve train and engines are a total different design than GM. There is a complete industry in full operation to delete and/or deactivate it from GM.

 

My 2021 5.0 has been perfect so far at 37,000 miles.

I've been watching this and the Gen14 board for almost 3 years and haven't seen a single report of failure of any kind due to cylinder deactivation. Maybe I missed one?

People who "have an exhaust" can apparently detect a different sound when it switches on and off, if you want to call that a defect.

I have no idea about GM, I don't own any of those.

 

I owned a 2019 Cheyenne 5.3 RST 4×4 (Mexican version) and it had DFM which would go down to two cylinders and I could not feel it. The 2019 Suburban had AFM which only went down to four and the transition was felt.

Most people who complained about it felt the engine didn't react quickly enough when the gas pedal was suddenly floored at 65 mph. If I cared about that, I'd have bought a Corvette.

Reliability, I don't know, my 5.3 was fine, and so were the other 5.3 V8s at the ranch. We also have Ford Lobo V8s at the ranch and two are from 2021. No problems with them either.

 

50K+ miles on my '21 5.0 Platinum. Zero issues. TBH the vast majority of 5.0L owners don't even know they have it, nor when it turns on/off. This is an absolute non-issue.

 

only time i can tell its working is by the tone change in my flowmaster exhaust like a previous poster mentioned

 

25k on my 21 5.0. Happy as a clam with it.
The smart thing that Ford did was sit in the bleachers and watch and GM, Ford, Honda and others went down the variable Cylinder Management hole with mixed results.
My truck's first 10k or so was majority highway miles. On one trip in June 21, on a days drive from SC to Boston it did 24 mpg over the first 456 miles, and 25.8mpg over the next 496 miles. Truck was full with me, tons of household stuff filling the interior and the bed. I work my truck harder now with about 15% of my miles towing 5000lbs. So my Fuelly calculated lifetime mpg is pretty impressive.
I borrowed a Suburban with GM's system in October 21 on the same route. Couldn't get it above 18mpg.

 

I have mine turned off with a tune, but I have not seen a single mention of anyone having issues with it (or the V8 in general for that matter)

 

There was a video that i can't find right now about the Ford 5.0 de-activation and how it differs from other makes and the technology they used to design it.
It was showing how brilliant Ford was in their technology.

I havene't seen a single post here about the deactivation causing issues with anything, so I assume they might have come up with a winnig design.

 

Non issue. If you have an aftermarket exhaust with the stock tune, you will hear it activate. That's the only annoyance. Plenty of these trucks making 800whp+ and no issue as well.

 

The system used in the 5.0 is much different than the system used in the GM 5.3's. The Ford 7.3 is similar to the GM design and those do have some reported lifter issues. So far, I haven't heard anything that gives me concern for the 5.0 system.