This latest GM recall expands on an earlier one filed last year. The pin is in blue near the photo's center.
General Motors is recalling almost 27,000 pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles from the 2011 model year because the rear wheels can unexpectedly lock, possibly sending the trucks out of control and causing an accident.
Affected are Cadillac Escalade; Chevrolet Avalanche, Colorado, Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe, models; as well as GMC Canyon, Sierra and Yukon trucks. An improperly heat-treated part inside the rear axle differential can fail and jam the rear wheels.
GM did not specify where the defective part came from in its required defect filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This latest recall expands on an earlier one last year, NHTSA 10V-643, which only covered 1,200 vehicles at the time.
Dealers will install a new rear axle cross pin free of charge, as is required by U.S. law. The safety recall is expected to begin about January 25, 2011.
Owners may contact Cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, GMC at 1-866-996-9463 and at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com. NHTSA campaign number: 11V-700
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
