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General Motors (NYSE: GM) is recalling ~462,000 pickup trucks and large SUVs with diesel engines because the rear wheels can lock, increasing the risk of a crash, according to a required recall report (24V797) made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The huge U.S. safety defect recall covers 2020-2022 model year Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups, as well as the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban.
“A transmission control valve in some of these vehicles may be susceptible to excess wear over time, resulting in a gradual loss of pressure within the valve that can cause harsh shifting. In rare cases, the rear wheels may experience a momentary lock up,” GM said. “Excessive wear within the transmission control valve body can cause a fluid leak leading to a pressure drop that causes certain valves to move unexpectedly,” GM said.
Chronology
- On June 5, 2024, a GM engineer submitted a report to GM’s Speak Up for Safety (SUFS) program based on a customer claim that the wheels on a 2021 Sierra 2500 HD pickup allegedly locked up while towing a trailer, resulting in property damage to the vehicle and trailer. GM opened a new investigation into the condition on July 16, 2024.
- GM previously investigated this condition and determined that, in some applications, excessive wear in a control valve in these transmissions was causing harsh downshifting and, in rare cases, a momentary (<150ms) lock up of the rear wheels. Prior testing and analysis indicated this lockup was not sufficient to cause a loss of vehicle control, and GM had identified no reports of accidents or injuries associated with the condition. On July 29, 2024, NHTSA notified GM that its VOQ monitoring process had identified new potentially related reports.
- GM’s investigator completed analysis of the VOQs and a comprehensive field data search on September 17, 2024, which identified 1,888 field reports alleging a “lock up” potentially related to this condition. GM received these reports between January 30, 2020 and August 2, 2024. GM also identified eleven alleged incidents potentially related to the condition, including vehicles veering off the roadway and, in some cases, incurring minor property damage. Three minor injuries were also reported, none of which were associated with a collision. GM and NHTSA also discussed a potentially related vehicle owner questionnaire(VOQ) in January 2024.
- On October 17, 2024, GM’s Safety Field Action Decision Authority (SFADA) decided to conduct a safety recall.
- Dealers will install new transmission control module software that will monitor valve performance and detect excess wear approximately 10,000miles before a wheel lock up condition could occur. Once detected, the transmission will be limited to fifth gear, preventing the possibility of a wheel lock up condition, which occurs in a downshift from eighth gear. A service engine light and reduced propulsion message will also display in the instrument panel.
- Dealers will be notified on October 24, 2024. Owner notification is estimated to begin on December 9, 2024.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), 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.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
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 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.
GM Recall for Wheel Lockup on Diesel Pickups and SUVs
Click for more.
General Motors (NYSE: GM) is recalling ~462,000 pickup trucks and large SUVs with diesel engines because the rear wheels can lock, increasing the risk of a crash, according to a required recall report (24V797) made public today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The huge U.S. safety defect recall covers 2020-2022 model year Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups, as well as the 2021 Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban.
“A transmission control valve in some of these vehicles may be susceptible to excess wear over time, resulting in a gradual loss of pressure within the valve that can cause harsh shifting. In rare cases, the rear wheels may experience a momentary lock up,” GM said. “Excessive wear within the transmission control valve body can cause a fluid leak leading to a pressure drop that causes certain valves to move unexpectedly,” GM said.
Chronology
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), 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. Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures. 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 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.