Safety recall on your car? Here’s how to find out, what to know
Almost all repairs are free when your car faces a recall.
- After its own investigation, GM initially recalled 721,000 SUVs and trucks with 6.2L V8 gas engines.
- But NHTSA started getting complaints about engines outside the recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Association has opened a fresh probe into General Motors vehicles for engine failure risks after the agency received a flood of consumer complaints.
GM said the issue, described by NHTSA as “loss of motive power due to engine failure,” could be caused by manufacturing defects to a vehicle’s connecting rod and crankshaft engine components. GM determined the engine failures were due to multiple supplier manufacturing and quality issues.
The new engineering analysis covers 286,000 vehicles that were part of NHTSA’s original investigation but weren’t covered under a voluntary recall that GM issued earlier this year.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first opened an investigation in January into 877,710 GM vehicles over reports of engine failures involving vehicles with the V8 engine.
After its own investigation, GM recalled 721,000 SUVs and trucks with 6.2L V8 gas engines on April 29, impacting 2021 through 2024 model-year Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Suburban, and Tahoe, GMC Sierra 1500, Yukon, and Yukon XL vehicles worldwide.
But NHTSA started getting complaints about engines outside the recall that were installed in 2019–2024 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500, and 2021–2024 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon/Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV vehicles.
In an Oct. 23 report, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said it planned to open an engineering analysis after receiving 1,157 reports of engine bearing failure. The investigation will further evaluate the scope and severity of the potential problem and to assess the potential risks for vehicles that fell outside the scope of the initial issue, the agency said, as 173 of the reports received fall outside of the scope of GM’s recall.
“The ODI continues to receive a significant number of reports of engine failure in vehicles outside the scope of 25V-274,” read the agency report. “This presents a potential safety risk that warrants further investigation.”
NHTSA closed its earlier investigation based on GM’s recall, according to the automaker.
“The safety and satisfaction of our customers are the highest priorities for the entire GM team, and we continue to cooperate with NHTSA’s evaluation of this matter,” GM spokesman Bill Grotz said in a statement.
GM also said that it is aware of 12 alleged crashes and 12 alleged injuries in the United States that may be related to the underlying condition isolated in its voluntary recall, but all specifically alleged injuries were minor or nonphysical, and most were not crash-related.
Consult with dealer
Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said vehicle owners under recall should check with a technician as soon as possible to determine whether their engine needs replacement.
“It’s hard for an owner to know exactly what to do right now. Owners might want to consult with their dealer while we await the outcome of this investigation,” he said. “Anytime you have a vehicle that loses the ability to move on an active roadway ― that’s a big crash risk. Stalling, or loss of automotive power, as NHTSA refers to it, is one of the most important defects the agency looks into.”
Brooks advised consumers under recall to have their local dealer inspect the engine and, if needed, repair or replace it. GM said during the initial recall notice that vehicles that pass inspection will be provided a higher viscosity oil, which will also require a new oil fill cap and an oil filter replacement.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.
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